Recently, my onchain, NFT fanatic, crypto-loving husband challenged me to get onchain for myself. It's not the first or second time he has tried to motivate me to find a place in this ever-growing and vibrant community. Each time, he makes a compelling argument for it, and the one that intrigues me the most is the way that putting your art onchain means directly connecting with other artists and creatives, both socially and financially. While I have seen the appeal and witnessed multiple NFT projects and DAOs succeed and crush it, it hasn’t been until recently where I've begun to wonder what my place is.

I am currently helping lead design of the NOUN coffee shop in LA, which was only made possible because my husband and our friends Derek and Val created a proposal that a community of token holders passed. This, in and of itself, has been a remarkable experience to witness.

When we tell people about the Nouns community and how we received this funding, jaws always hit the floor as others outside of the onchain ecosystem can't comprehend how this is possible. We frequently get asked “What’s the catch?!” “So, it’s a loan you have to pay back, right?” No one can fathom that a community of people can choose where to delegate money to see their brand mission accomplished.

Being part of this has made me stop and wonder, what else is there? As an artist, where do I fit in and can I belong on this platform?

As I've been exploring this, I recently finished going through the book The Artist's Way, which serves as a program for artists in recovery who feel powerless to make the changes in their life they desperately need to make, in order to become unstuck and see their deepest longings met and fulfilled. My journey through the book was multiple years in the making, as I tried to go through it two other times and failed. The book is not an ordinary read, as it requires you to participate outside of simply reading the book itself.

For 12 weeks, you are asked to write three 'morning pages' each day, where you journal and get your thoughts onto paper. You're also required to go on an “artist date” each week, where you make time for yourself to do something that will inspire you.

During these 12 weeks, I begin exploring my buried dreams and curiosities. It was both thrilling and excruciatingly painful. It was exciting to dream again about — but it was equally terrifying to name my buried desires, and to grieve the opportunities missed because of stubborn reluctance and trauma-based shame.

While I feel as though I am in the very beginning stages of my artist recovery, here are a few things I have learned.

1. I’m not an imposter, I’m a beginner. This statement alone has been life-changing. It's not that I’m a phony who doesn’t belong, I’m just a newbie who needs to commit to practicing a new skill before actually becoming proficient.

2. I need play in order to work. Learning a new skill will inevitably be humbling, challenging, triggering, and difficult. Artist dates fuel the inner child inside of me, so that when its time to commit to doing the work, that younger part in me feels safe enough to engage difficult feelings, knowing there will be time to play later.

3. Start small. We think that in order to prove to ourselves as artists we need to come out with an entire album, or a 700-page autobiography. This unnecessary requirement stops us from even trying. I’m convinced so many of us have books, movies, songs, and poems locked up inside that can be freed if we work smarter not harder by starting small.

In an attempt to keep me inspired and consistent in starting small, this summer I'm going to be posting writing prompts every Wednesday. The hope is that by writing consistently I'll bring inspiration and fulfillment to not only myself, but also anyone else who takes me up on the offer and joins me in writing.

How many of us wait year after year, kicking the can down the line, not prioritizing those dreams, and saying we will get to it next year, only for that year to come and go without us being any closer to our goals than the year prior? How many of these creative writing outlets could be championed by the onchain community and other creatives who believe in their projects? What if we started small, and see where it could potentially bring us?

I'll post a question, prompt, or topic, every week. Then anyone who wants to can participate in any way they want. The whole point is to get inspired and motivated, posting and sharing creativity with one another. What if we all take 5 to 10 minutes to write and build onchain? What a beautiful thing that would be.

The point is to simply write. Light hearted or profound, long or short. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that with each word written, we are actively fighting our resistance and choosing to honor the smaller parts in us who are longing to be heard.

While this endeavor may seem small, I have constantly been surprised by how the smallest creative additions to my life, if met with intentionality and consistency, can have the biggest impact both short term and long term.

See ya next Wednesday!

Recently, my onchain, NFT fanatic, crypto-loving husband challenged me to get onchain for myself. It's not the first or second time he has tried to motivate me to find a place in this ever-growing and vibrant community. Each time, he makes a compelling argument for it, and the one that intrigues me the most is the way that putting your art onchain means directly connecting with other artists and creatives, both socially and financially. While I have seen the appeal and witnessed multiple NFT projects and DAOs succeed and crush it, it hasn’t been until recently where I've begun to wonder what my place is.

I am currently helping lead design of the NOUN coffee shop in LA, which was only made possible because my husband and our friends Derek and Val created a proposal that a community of token holders passed. This, in and of itself, has been a remarkable experience to witness.

When we tell people about the Nouns community and how we received this funding, jaws always hit the floor as others outside of the onchain ecosystem can't comprehend how this is possible. We frequently get asked “What’s the catch?!” “So, it’s a loan you have to pay back, right?” No one can fathom that a community of people can choose where to delegate money to see their brand mission accomplished.

Being part of this has made me stop and wonder, what else is there? As an artist, where do I fit in and can I belong on this platform?

As I've been exploring this, I recently finished going through the book The Artist's Way, which serves as a program for artists in recovery who feel powerless to make the changes in their life they desperately need to make, in order to become unstuck and see their deepest longings met and fulfilled. My journey through the book was multiple years in the making, as I tried to go through it two other times and failed. The book is not an ordinary read, as it requires you to participate outside of simply reading the book itself.

For 12 weeks, you are asked to write three 'morning pages' each day, where you journal and get your thoughts onto paper. You're also required to go on an “artist date” each week, where you make time for yourself to do something that will inspire you.

During these 12 weeks, I begin exploring my buried dreams and curiosities. It was both thrilling and excruciatingly painful. It was exciting to dream again about — but it was equally terrifying to name my buried desires, and to grieve the opportunities missed because of stubborn reluctance and trauma-based shame.

While I feel as though I am in the very beginning stages of my artist recovery, here are a few things I have learned.

1. I’m not an imposter, I’m a beginner. This statement alone has been life-changing. It's not that I’m a phony who doesn’t belong, I’m just a newbie who needs to commit to practicing a new skill before actually becoming proficient.

2. I need play in order to work. Learning a new skill will inevitably be humbling, challenging, triggering, and difficult. Artist dates fuel the inner child inside of me, so that when its time to commit to doing the work, that younger part in me feels safe enough to engage difficult feelings, knowing there will be time to play later.

3. Start small. We think that in order to prove to ourselves as artists we need to come out with an entire album, or a 700-page autobiography. This unnecessary requirement stops us from even trying. I’m convinced so many of us have books, movies, songs, and poems locked up inside that can be freed if we work smarter not harder by starting small.

In an attempt to keep me inspired and consistent in starting small, this summer I'm going to be posting writing prompts every Wednesday. The hope is that by writing consistently I'll bring inspiration and fulfillment to not only myself, but also anyone else who takes me up on the offer and joins me in writing.

How many of us wait year after year, kicking the can down the line, not prioritizing those dreams, and saying we will get to it next year, only for that year to come and go without us being any closer to our goals than the year prior? How many of these creative writing outlets could be championed by the onchain community and other creatives who believe in their projects? What if we started small, and see where it could potentially bring us?

I'll post a question, prompt, or topic, every week. Then anyone who wants to can participate in any way they want. The whole point is to get inspired and motivated, posting and sharing creativity with one another. What if we all take 5 to 10 minutes to write and build onchain? What a beautiful thing that would be.

The point is to simply write. Light hearted or profound, long or short. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that with each word written, we are actively fighting our resistance and choosing to honor the smaller parts in us who are longing to be heard.

While this endeavor may seem small, I have constantly been surprised by how the smallest creative additions to my life, if met with intentionality and consistency, can have the biggest impact both short term and long term.

See ya next Wednesday!