Welcome to Growing Beauty
The Art of Cultivating a Creative Life
"In the garden of life, time is the most precious fertilizer." — Mary Oliver
Welcome to Growing Beauty, a newsletter where the hidden work of creation meets the transformative power of art and creative living.
This is, at its heart, a space where I connect the dots between creating beauty and experiencing it. After decades dedicated to creating fine art and multi-disciplinary creative work, I've come to understand beauty not as a superficial quality, but as a vital force that sustains us through life's inevitable cycles of light and shadow.
My journey has taught me that growing beauty—like tending a garden—is largely invisible work. We plant seeds and bulbs in darkness, nurturing what no one else can see. Roots develop underground, establishing complex networks long before any bloom appears above the surface. This newsletter offers a glimpse into those hidden spaces—the thoughts, intentions, and countless small decisions that precede any "finished" work, yet remain largely invisible to those who only encounter the final creation.
Some days I'll share the practical side: the conceptual groundwork behind bold visual statements, the internal dialogues that shape external expressions, and the relentless refinement that happens when you commit to both artistic excellence and authentic growth. Other days we'll dive deeper—into the rich intellectual soil from which creative work springs, the invisible threads connecting seemingly disparate influences, and the constant, vigorous activity beneath the surface that makes powerful art possible.
In time, I'll also share how a near-death experience became my greatest teacher about living fully. That moment didn't just change me—it electrified my entire approach to life and creativity. It solidified my belief that we don't have the luxury of small dreams or half-measures. Life is breathtakingly brief and wildly precious. Every morning is an invitation to approach the world with a child's wonder, to embrace challenges as portals to growth, and to create with unfettered joy and bold intention. Love expansively. Dream audaciously. Create with abandon. And most importantly, use your unique gifts generously—the beauty we create isn't just for ourselves but a form of service to the world. This urgency to live vibrantly and contribute meaningfully infuses everything I make, a reminder that we don't get practice runs—we get today, this canvas, this moment to make something magnificent of our time here and share it with others.
What I've learned through decades of professional creative work—intensified by that profound encounter with my own fragility—is that mastery isn't just about technique. It's about building layers of meaning and intention that may never be directly visible but inform every aspect of the work. Here, I'll share both the public-facing results and the hidden foundations that support them, because I believe both contain wisdom worth sharing.
(And yes, sometimes we'll veer completely off-topic because creative life is like that—a garden where unexpected cross-pollinations create new possibilities. One day I might be writing about the perfect peony, the next about how a seemingly unrelated conversation sparked an entire new direction for a collection I've been developing for years.)
Curious about what's coming? Here's a glimpse into some upcoming explorations:
"Wild Hair and Wild Peonies. My First Shrub and The Untamed Garden" -- How a haircut I received when I was eight influences the way I run my garden and why my refusal to create a traditionally "beautiful" garden became my greatest act of creative rebellion and offered freedom
"Gardening as Living" -- Finding profound life wisdom in the simple act of placing seeds in soil
"Art as Alligator Wrestling" -- The glorious, terrifying struggle that happens when you commit to making something authentic
"The Vivid Quiet of Sobriety" -- How breaking chains and living the sober life opened the door to experiencing life in high-definition
"The Day I Had to Remember How to Breathe" -- My near-death reckoning and the extraordinary aftermath
"Why I'm Waiting for an Alien to Pick Me" -- An unexpected meditation on creative recognition and what it means to be truly seen
"Rewriting Beauty" -- The dangerous, necessary work of dismantling beauty myths and creating new definitions that serve rather than limit us
These are just seeds of what's to come. Some will bloom sooner than others, but each represents a conversation I'm eager to have with you.
One thing I promise: this won't be a curated highlight reel of perfect achievements. Rather, I'm inviting you into the workshop of creation—the perpetual motion of idea development, the constant cultivation of artistic vision, and the behind-the-scenes intensity that transforms ordinary materials into extraordinary expressions. I'll share the unseen labor, the thought processes, and the moments of clarity that continue to remind me why devoting a life to growing beauty matters.
If you're wondering how to navigate this space, I suggest starting wherever your curiosity leads you. Browse the archives by topic using the menu at the top of the page, or simply join us as we go forward. Some weeks you'll find insights from my studio practice, others might feature philosophical musings on beauty's role in healing and meaning-making, and occasionally, simple photo essays documenting the invisible processes that make visible beauty possible.
I'm so glad you're here. I have surprises in store;) Let's grow something beautiful together.