Do you ever pause and realize how much you have changed as a person? How much you have grown? How many habits you changed? How many things you have accomplished that you did not expect to? How 6 months have passed and you just feel different? 

I am thankful for change. I used to fear it, so much so that I was clinging to things that were holding me back. The truth is, we all need change. Even though it feels uncomfortable, risky, or scary, we need it. 

I think my biggest obstacle to living a full life is how much I limit myself. I limit myself from change!!! Do you? I love looking back on different seasons of my life that desperately needed change, but I just didn’t see it. I was terrified of it- but when it happened, I got better. 

I am graduating college this December and I cannot even comprehend what my life will be like after. I have no idea what will happen. I have no idea what life is like without school… 

I have so much to look forward to, but a lot to mourn in a way. I didn’t want college to end- I wanted to live with all my best friends in a shoebox apartment in California forever. I wanted to live in coffee shops studying my butt off and surviving off of laughter to keep us sane. I wanted the beach trips, the walking around campus saying hi to friends, the running to class because I was always late. I have so much I am already missing- but I have so much to look forward to. 

I am in a season of change. 

I am in a season of figuring out who “Carly” is after a big chapter of my life is ending. 

I am in a season of pouring all of this into my art. 

It is impossible for me to create art that is not a direct reflection of what is going on in my heart. 

I just recently completed a series of paintings that felt weird. They felt weird in a good way because they were different to me. I am so thankful for when you guys point out a CHANGE in my art. It is a direct reflection of what I am going through. It is beautiful to look back through my paintings and be able to tell a story of who I was when I painted it. 

As artists- I think we must always seek change in our work. It is easy to get complacent and begin to create the same things over and over again. It is easy to follow the same patterns and muscle movements. I challenge you (and myself) to actively sneak in new elements into your art. Let’s try to really push ourselves. Let’s chase change.  

I am so excited to watch my art change, progress, and evolve even more as my time opens up (without endless studying and hours of writing papers) and I have more energy and space to pour into it. i have so many ideas I will finally have time to execute, you guys seriously have no idea. 

I hope that if you are in a season of uncomfortable change- you can look forward to the joys, accomplishment, and growth that will come afterwards. Pour it allll into your art along the way!!!!