I Don’t Want to Make More Art. I Want to Make the Right Art.

Hi Friend! 💖

Kipona completely emptied me out.

Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

Three full days of people, painting, sparkle, talking, creating, moving, carrying things, and doing approximately 47 things at once.

By Tuesday, I was basically a human puddle. 😂

Wednesday?

Still puddle-ish.

Thursday, my faculties were finally beginning to return just in time to prepare for another weekend.

And somewhere in all of that, I realized something:

I never even made the big gratitude post I wanted to make about Kipona.

Not because I wasn't grateful.

I was.

Sometimes I have an incredible experience and social media gets the leftovers because I used all my actual energy living it.

And honestly?

I'm becoming more okay with that.

The Weekend Kept Moving Anyway

Saturday brought me to the Lebanon Expo, where I got to see familiar faces, familiar customers, and that wonderful feeling of people remembering you.

There was sparkle.

There was face paint.

There was connection.

And there was also a little bittersweetness because Highland Orchards was beginning its Fall Festival weekend without me.

Then Sunday, I got there.

And it was...

slow.

Like, really slow.

Which meant my brain had entirely too much time to think. 😂

And one thought kept coming back:

I wish I had more art with me.

And suddenly I realized...

Apparently the jellyfish were not a passing thought.

Apparently, I Need More Jellyfish 😂

Last week I wrote about wanting to build a whole jellyfish world someday.

One big statement painting.

Little jellyfish babies.

Prints.

Stickers.

Maybe merchandise.

Apparently my brain took that as an assignment.

😂

I only had one little jellyfish painting with me at Kipona, and people kept being drawn to it.

That got me thinking about how much fun it would be to create a whole colorful jellyfish art experience.

Not just one painting.

A world.

And honestly, that idea feels bigger than a random painting I happen to like.

It feels like WONDER.

I Don't Want Twenty Random Paintings

Here's the other thing I've been realizing.

I know myself.

I get excited.

I pull out all the colors.

I start playing.

Gravity happens.

Breathwork happens.

The spinner table comes out.

Maybe the leaf blower gets involved because apparently that's a completely normal sentence in my life now. 😂

And suddenly...

Twenty paintings.

Some are amazing.

Some are experiments.

Some are...

educational experiences.

😂

But I'm realizing I don't want to make art simply so I can say I made more art.

I want to make the right art.

I want the work to mean something.

I want it to have a story.

I want it to make someone feel something.

And I want to understand where it belongs.

Creating Art for the Realms

That's one reason the Sparkleverse Realms have become so important to me.

WONDER.
GROW.
FLOW.
RISE.
RADIATE.

The Realms aren't rules telling me what I'm allowed to paint.

They're a way of understanding the work.

WONDER is about awe, curiosity, creation, and magic.

GROW is about becoming, transformation, and the seasons that shape us.

FLOW is about surrender, trust, and grace in the middle of uncertainty.

RISE is about resilience, restoration, and courage.

RADIATE is about joy, expression, generosity, and letting your light move outward.

And suddenly I can look at a painting and ask a better question:

What is this piece trying to say?

That's a very different question from:

What should I paint today?

Putting God at the Center of the Work

I've also been thinking a lot about what I'm actually doing with the gift God gave me.

I don't necessarily want to start making paintings with Bible verses slapped across every canvas.

Although...

Never say never. 😂

But I do want faith to be part of the foundation.

I want the work to feel:

Alive.
Hopeful.
Colorful.
Curious.
Joyful.
Full of movement.

A jellyfish doesn't need to say Jesus across its tentacles to make someone stop and wonder at creation.

A sunflower doesn't need a giant Scripture reference to make someone feel joy.

Sometimes beauty creates wonder.

Sometimes color lifts someone's spirit.

Sometimes a piece of art reminds someone that they're not alone.

And maybe that can be ministry too.

I Want the Art to Keep Living

I'm also starting to think differently about what happens after I finish a painting.

I don't only want:

Make the painting. Sell the painting. Goodbye.

I want:

Create the art.

Let someone fall in love with the original.

Make a beautiful print.

Put the artwork on the right products.

Let that piece keep reaching people.

Not every painting needs to become everything.

But the right paintings can keep living.

And long-term, I want more of my income to come from artwork that can keep working after I've finished making it.

That's exciting to me.

Because it means the art doesn't stop being useful just because I stopped painting it.

So Today, I'm Going to Paint

So here I am.

It's a beautiful September day.

I'm heading back into the storage unit.

There is paint waiting for me.

There are jellyfish waiting for me.

There's Morgan's dolphin-and-sunset painting waiting for me.

And there are probably some Joy Bombs waiting to happen too. 😂

But I'm not going in with a giant production quota.

I don't need to make twenty paintings.

I don't need to prove anything.

I just want to make something worth making.

Something with intention.

Something alive.

Something that makes me stop, smile, and think:

Yep. There you are.

Maybe I don't need to make more art.

Maybe I just need to make the right art.

Scripture I'm Carrying This Week

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord...” — Colossians 3:23, NIV

That feels right for this season.

Not because I need to work harder.

But because I'm thinking more intentionally about what I'm doing with the work of my hands.

A Little Question for You

What gift, idea, ability, or little spark have you been sitting on lately?

Maybe you don't need to turn it into a giant plan.

Maybe you just need to use it.

Maybe you just need to make a little room for it.

And maybe...

the right thing is already trying to find its way out. 💖

Where to Explore Next

If you're curious about where I'm taking the art, come wander through the Sparkleverse Realms and see how the paintings, stories, and ideas are beginning to connect.

WONDER. GROW. FLOW. RISE. RADIATE.

There is a whole colorful world taking shape.

And I have a feeling...

there are a lot more jellyfish coming. 😂✨

With paint-covered hands and a very full heart,
Brookie ✨