Moving Forward: Momentum, Learning, and Letting Things Take the Time They Take
The Year I Learned a Lot
In 2025, I spent a good amount of time learning.
Learning design. Learning new tips and tricks. Learning surface pattern design. And probably the biggest learning curve of all, continuing to grow as a mother and a partner (a lifelong course, truly).
I came into this year with a lot of intention setting and some pretty big expectations. And if I’m being fair to myself (which I’m trying to be better at), I actually accomplished a lot in 2025. I ran my first marathon. I learned how to make time for my health and how to balance that with my husband. I carved out space for creative work, took a design course, traveled with family and friends… the year was full. Really full. And honestly, really inspiring.
Surface Pattern Design & Slowing the Pace
On the surface design front, 2025 was a big learning year. I took the Bonnie Christine Immersion Course and learned sooooo much. Even though I work in Adobe Creative Suite every day, the course refreshed my design skills and (maybe more importantly) reminded me how to move forward without gripping perfection so tightly.
There was a lot of permission built into that experience: permission to take your time, to create before you’re “ready,” to be inspired without immediately turning inspiration into output. A reminder that you don’t have to accomplish the entire world at once (even though, yes, technically… you could try).
My Long, Complicated Relationship With Art
As many of you know, I went to school for art at Michigan State University, design, painting, drawing, and yes, I am still paying off that degree. Very romantic. Very artist-coded. (Laughs nervously.)
What I took away from that time is this, my creative side has so much potential. And my Type A, driven, goal-setting side? She’s actually really good at building professional momentum. That’s how I’ve built a successful career in marketing.
Art, though, has always been the complicated part. It’s been this constant mental loop:
“Should I try to make this full time?
Do I create just for myself?
Wait…I can do both.”
Oh no, that’s a financial burden and a huge investment.
BUT WAIT… surface pattern design?!
A fairly reasonable side hustle. Deeply creative. Rooted in art and design. Somehow perfect. How had I never heard of this before?
So there I went, February through May of 2025, fully immersed in a surface design certification course.
Timing, Guilt, and Giving Myself Grace
I had every intention of taking the certification test right after the course ended. Instead…I took it on January 5, 2026. Almost a full year later.
I spent a lot of the second half of 2025 quietly fighting myself about that. I should’ve pitched more. Created more. Learned more. Researched more. But here’s the thing I keep coming back to, I did a lot last year. And I needed that time to build confidence, motivation, and the desire to really show up and invest in myself as an artist.
So I’m choosing to give myself that year. The one it took to feel ready.
Sure, it’s a side hustle - for now.
Quiet Goals & Real Life Momentum
This year, I’m setting goals a little more quietly. Consistency over pressure. One intentional thing a day that moves me closer to what I want.
That, plus:
– walking 10k steps
– being a more present mother
– reading more
– growing with my partner
– and hopefully growing a baby boy by May 2026 (EEK - so excited)
So yeah. No pressure. Totally chill over here. 😉
Looking Ahead
All jokes aside, I’m entering 2026 feeling ready. Ready to invest in myself. Ready to honor my timeline. Ready to seriously pursue a licensing deal.
This season feels like moving forward, new beginnings, long-time dreams, a return to what feels true. Finding flow. Finding freedom. Letting passion lead without urgency breathing down my neck.
That’s the momentum I’m carrying with me.
Here’s your gentle reminder: momentum doesn’t have to be loud to be real.
