The chaos stopped when I picked up the brush.

The week before my show was a lot. I’d just gotten back from a family trip with no time to spread the load. The printer ran out of ink, and I ordered the wrong replacement. Lost two days right there. Labels, price sheets, art prints to prep, rails to hang, studio to clean, web design work on top of all of it.

And in the middle of all that, I was painting Kettei-Shita (Determined).

She was a commission; Sabri needed a blue octopus to complete his trio. I painted two versions while everything else was falling apart around me. Every time she needed to dry, I’d switch back to work. Every time I needed a break from work, I’d switch back to her.

I’d put on music I love, get into the flow, and for a little while, the to-do list just… stopped.

She has more contrast than the other version. Deeper. More dramatic. I was hoping Sabri would pick her. I also secretly wanted to keep her for myself.

He picked her. Which was the right choice. And the bittersweet one.

That’s the thing about making something during a hard week. Sometimes the hard week makes it better than it would have been otherwise.

Watch the process:

Kettei-Shita (Determined), 9×12, watercolor