The Gift That Keeps Giving

This summer felt different. In the most luxurious way. After stepping away from my laptop screen and exploring the season’s delights, I felt this summer’s highlights through a deeper lens, chasing the subtle shifts and softness that this period brings. It was the softest summer I’ve ever experienced in a long time, where I could intentionally create more meaningful and playful memories, and where these experiences help inform the routines with flow and rhythm as they evolve. After reflecting on what it would look like if my creative cup were overflowing, I was open to trying new things, nourishing myself in ways that helped me remain open and make space for what lies ahead. And there’s so much next.  

I’ve taken to heart these four reflections in learning how to create a more meaningful summer & intentional shifts that help curate luxury & flow: 

Embracing slow travel, stillness, and connection

We spent time away in places where time was our ticket to freedom, the hours passed like molasses, and we could soak in quality time with family and loved ones. Touring family-friendly wineries in Sonoma and Napa and eating boiled crawfish and gumbo, made with crab we caught ourselves, were both an ode to the past and present, creating new traditions rekindled by familiar connections.

Connecting with the outdoors

I’ve always loved going on nature excursions, capturing the sights and sounds found while connecting with the outdoors. As a kid, I was a pretty big science fanatic, and I hoped to share my experiences and knowledge with my family through more engaging activities. This summer, we fortunately witnessed the diversity of nature both here in Southern California and beyond, from sea lions sunbathing along the Malibu coast, crabbing in the bayous along Lake Ponchartrain, and observing the lunar cycles of the annual grunion spawning season (or grunion run) along Cabrillo Beach.

Making summer memories centering play

I’ve really enjoyed investing time in supporting my daughter’s creative interests and her imagination, and seeing what fruit has grown since we’ve begun. What initially began from writing a list of ideas she wanted to tackle together once summer break began, led to weekly craft sessions, with us making mermaid friendship bracelets, building fairy bird houses, making clay shell magnets, and baking treats. So far, she’s grown more curious with sewing, and we dived deeper into the basics of sewing by both hand and machine. And I’ve built other forms of creative routines, like consistent artwork sketches, playing with digital illustrations and pattern making that are & making recipes from what, finding ways to find flow with both of our forms of play.

Growing new plants while honoring my current season of living 

While I prioritize garden living and lifestyle as a form of grounding and central focus of my business, there are permissions I have given myself to continue this practice in both a manageable and sustainable way while honoring my current season of living. As my artistic pursuits have recently grown and I’ve pursued more creative routines indoors and while managing the administrative side of my business, having easy plants like zucchini and squash and growing fruit trees has simplified the watering and fertilizing schedule significantly, and reduced the frequency of watering by watering deeply and for longer stretches two or three times a week to ensure plentiful harvests. 

A well-deserved time for a necessary pause and self-expansion, it was freeing to get out of my head, help me gain perspective, reset, and pour back into my cup. It is amazing to experience how many breakthroughs come after periods of softness and more intentional presence. It felt freeing in a way I hadn’t experienced before.