Happy belated birthday, Angie! Thank you for sharing your fears around creating—they're so relatable. I also struggle with wanting to create something amazing, but finding excuses not to. It's like a self-defense mechanism to avoid failure. But it's exactly as you said: "I not only need to accept that shitty creations are necessary steps toward creating something great, but I also need to redefine what great means to me."
I’m not going to lie, I thought we were the same age or possibly I was significantly older than you. On one hand, I do want to remind you that you created a whole human this year and anything you do on top of that is icing on the cake. Having and raising a baby is no easy task! But I also deeply relate to the feeling of guilt that comes from not creating when you feel like you could’ve. It hits extra hard for me right now because I can relate. Self compassion is so important though. We really only have so much time and energy and you’ve been mom-ing, moving and still creating art. I always love seeing your painted pieces and reading your essays. The memoirs will come too. There’s resistance and there’s also an appreciation that sometimes resistance is a part of the process, not something we can just skip.
I love the scenes of your birthdays! My bday is a holiday so I relate to missing out on the school celebrations. It’s so lovely you have a new birthday tradition you’re sharing with your daughter!
Have never read something that so accurately described the guilt of not creating when you have no excuse to not be doing it. Such a great read! Thank you for writing this!
Love the insights on the differences between life in the US versus Taiwan. The story about your first birthday at the lake is super sweet, and I love the updates about how your traditions there have evolved to include your daughter. 😊
Happy belated birthday, Angie! Thank you for sharing your fears around creating—they're so relatable. I also struggle with wanting to create something amazing, but finding excuses not to. It's like a self-defense mechanism to avoid failure. But it's exactly as you said: "I not only need to accept that shitty creations are necessary steps toward creating something great, but I also need to redefine what great means to me."
Happy Birthday Angie!!
I’m not going to lie, I thought we were the same age or possibly I was significantly older than you. On one hand, I do want to remind you that you created a whole human this year and anything you do on top of that is icing on the cake. Having and raising a baby is no easy task! But I also deeply relate to the feeling of guilt that comes from not creating when you feel like you could’ve. It hits extra hard for me right now because I can relate. Self compassion is so important though. We really only have so much time and energy and you’ve been mom-ing, moving and still creating art. I always love seeing your painted pieces and reading your essays. The memoirs will come too. There’s resistance and there’s also an appreciation that sometimes resistance is a part of the process, not something we can just skip.
I love the scenes of your birthdays! My bday is a holiday so I relate to missing out on the school celebrations. It’s so lovely you have a new birthday tradition you’re sharing with your daughter!
Have never read something that so accurately described the guilt of not creating when you have no excuse to not be doing it. Such a great read! Thank you for writing this!
Happy (belated) birthday, Angie! 🎈✨
Love the insights on the differences between life in the US versus Taiwan. The story about your first birthday at the lake is super sweet, and I love the updates about how your traditions there have evolved to include your daughter. 😊