He said what?!
April 17, 2026
A direct line from my art table to your inbox—where creativity, connection, and a little chaos collide.
My husband said something to me that stopped me in my tracks earlier this week.
I was in the middle of a downwards mental spiral. The thought loops were getting the best of me and everything felt like it was just *too much* to handle.
I decided to take these thoughts to my journal, in the hopes that the cycle would stop. Getting myself to the page was difficult, but it helped.
The pen that I got for my birthday that I’m loving right now, pictured above.
I’ve had a couple of injuries over this past month that have taken a physical toll. Which is to be expected whenever you aren’t feeling your best. (I’m on the mend now) And I was forced to basically stop everything.
Coming to this forced full stop put a spotlight on the realization that I had felt paralyzed for a little while. Sometimes when there is so much to get done and within a certain time period, my brain likes to do this fun thing, where I can’t do anything at all. I knew what I was supposed to be doing and working on. But the effort to get myself to do it felt like pulling teeth.
And all the while the pressure was building without me realizing it.
Spending some time journaling helped me realize that I needed to listen to my body, and pause.
Too many of us will push ourselves so far until we eventually reach burn out. We have been trained to keep pushing instead of listening to our body’s cues. Because, here’s the thing:
you don’t need to wait until you burn out before you start choosing to take care of yourself.
I came out of my journaling session with a hesitant decision. Not something I wanted, but I knew it was best for me.
My husband said, “Given how you advocate for mental health and for taking care of yourself, you should listen to your own advice.”
And that took my decision from hesitant to confident. I realized that all the things I say about mental health are just empty noise, unless I actually put it into practice.
I know that I don’t owe anyone an explanation or justification of my decisions. I say all of this to continue my mission for mental health awareness and transparency.
Pivoting and staying flexible is not always easy. Especially when you are worried that you might let others down.
And in the end, I’m just a human who deals with very human things. And I hope that sharing some of my experience from behind the scenes can be a help to someone else who might be struggling.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering what decision I’m referring to. I’ve decided to change the dates for this year’s BB Art Journals Masterclass experience. Instead of enrollment opening at the end of May, it will now open in August.
I have some big improvements and changes planned for this year’s cohort and this gives me more time to put those things into action. And I have to say, I feel the pressure lifting and my excitement has returned!
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I’m also very excited that this opens up more time to host more play dates and teach more live online classes over the summer. If you have a topic in mind that you would like me to cover or explore, hit reply to this email and let me know! I love hearing your suggestions.
This past weekend during the live class we created stitched fabric bowls! (The replay is now available.) Check out the one that I made during class →
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There’s still time to claim your free ticket to the Mastering Mixed Media Expo!
Learn from over 35 amazing artists! This online virtual event begins on May 1st, 2026. Click here to claim FREE ticket 🎟️
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I hope that you are taking care of yourself! Much love 🩷
xxBB
P.S. please know that there is no need to worry, I pinky promise I’m doing okay 🩷😘
P.P.S. If you don’t hear from me next week it’s because I am teaching in Oregon for a retreat! I can’t wait to give big hugs to some of you in person 🥰
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• a mental health check-in, and how journaling helped me get out of a downward spiral.
• BB Art Journals Masterclass 2026 cohort moved to August