The Power of a Creative Reset: Why I’m Reshaping My Patreon for 2026

2025 Sketchbook practice of Mary Blair inspired art.

I’ve always had a bit of a “jump first, figure it out as I go” pattern in my creative life, and that’s definitely been true of my Patreon. I’m the kind of artist who learns by doing, which means that each year I’ve learned something new about what it means to not only make art, but to share it in a way that feels aligned with my values and with my audience.

This year, I’m implementing one of the biggest shifts yet and it’s already starting to feel like a complete energetic upgrade.

A Fresh Approach (and a Beautiful Source of Inspiration)

Recently, I came across an incredible artist on Instagram, @rayleearts , who shared how she structures her Patreon around an annual theme. Each month becomes a new chapter in that theme, and by the end of the year, she’s built a cohesive 12-month body of work. Even more brilliant? She turns those pieces into a calendar, so the story lives on in a tangible form.

This clicked something into place for me.

As much as I’ve loved offering spontaneous rewards, I realized something was missing: cohesion.

A unifying theme. A guiding thread. Something for my patrons to follow along with, and something for me to grow with, too.

What’s Staying (and What’s Changing)

The rewards themselves ( stickers, & postcards) aren’t going anywhere. But in 2026, they’ll all live within a single magical, whimsical, seasonally-aligned theme. I won’t spoil it here (my patrons will hear it first, of course), but I can tell you this: it’s full of charm, storytelling, and wonder.

Even though I’m a little nervous (I’ve never created a full 12-piece collection before) I’m also incredibly excited. I want this to be a year where I build something I’m deeply proud of, piece by piece, with my patrons right there beside me.

More Than a Collection, It’s a Journey

In the past, my offerings were more like a “pick-and-mix” so each month was unique and often unrelated to the last. This new structure creates a much clearer experience for everyone involved. You’ll still be surprised by the details, but the direction will feel beautifully grounded.

If you fall in love with the first piece of the year, you’ll love the journey we’re about to take together.

I’ve learned that people connect to what they can follow. As a creator, I used to focus on novelty like what’s next, what’s different, what haven’t I tried yet? But this year, I want to focus on depth. I want to bring you into the process with me. I want this year to feel like we’re co-travelers through a magical little world, not just visitors passing through.

Want to Join Me?

If you want to be part of this year-long journey and collect each piece as it’s released, join me on Patreon especially before January 31st, 2026. You’ll be the first to know what the new theme is, and you’ll receive limited-edition monthly rewards that won’t be offered anywhere else.

You can also sign up for my Art & Soul mailing list here where I’ll be sharing what happens after each piece debuts on Patreon. (Hint: some of them may take on new life in ways you won’t want to miss.)

This year, I’m not just making art — I’m building a story. And I’d love for you to be part of it.

Building Tinsel Town: How a Christmas Village Helped Me Step into My Style

“Gumdrop Village” by Therese Tucker for the #tinseltown2025 art challenge.

There’s something magical about creating a world from scratch.
This December, I joined the #TinselTown2025 challenge on Instagram, hosted by a wonderful group of illustrators (listed below), and something clicked. I love drawing and painting brownstones, so the idea of building my own illustrated Christmas village? It was an instant yes.

At the start, my only real plan was to fill my village with beautiful brownstones. That was it. No master strategy. Just a desire to follow my joy.

🎨 Inspired by Brooklyn (and a Little Wes Anderson Magic)

My time living near Park Slope in Brooklyn gave me all the nostalgic material I needed: snowy walks with my husband, beautifully lit windows, wreaths on front doors, and the hum of cozy cafes tucked between brownstones. I also pulled color inspiration from The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson's genius never fails me). I chose a palette that felt slightly vintage, slightly sweet, and full of charm and I stuck to it all the way through.

Each piece was drawn digitally in Procreate using gouache, ink, and pencil brushes. I gave every building its own personality and a canine companion because every great town deserves dogs. 🐾

📚 My Favorite Building? The Bookstore.

While I loved every part of this piece, the bookstore became my favorite. It was inspired by a real memory — visiting the Barnes & Noble in Union Square ( though this version is purely imagined.) There’s something about the elegant arches, the stone columns, and the woman standing outside holding her packages that feels like me. She’s done shopping... but she’s still looking for the perfect book.

It was hard to choose a favorite…

In the end, the bookstore won my heart from the star ornaments, to the little details of books, pots of ink and presents.

It was little vignettes like that one that ended up surprising me most.

🧠 What I Learned While Building Tinsel Town

• I’m better at storytelling than I realized. Creating each building felt like writing a short scene.

• My style is getting more cohesive, my linework is more delicate and intentional.

• I love working with a limited color palette. It makes decisions easier and results stronger.

• I found a workflow that works for me: blocking in shapes before sketching feels natural and satisfying.

• I want to start documenting my creative process like a recipe. That’s now on my to-do list.

And even though I didn’t get to paint every building I hoped to (time was tight!), I’m genuinely proud of what came through. Sharing a horizontal panoramic piece on Instagram wasn’t seamless, but the kind response made it all worthwhile.

🧁 What I Hope You Feel When You See Tinsel Town

Whimsical nostalgia. That feeling you get when you watch a Wes Anderson film with everything in its place, gently charming, and a little bit dreamlike.

This village is my love letter to Brooklyn, to winter walks, to festive windows, and to the slow beauty of building something one brick at a time.

🧁 What’s Next + Where to Find More

🎁 Limited Edition Alert!
A print and sticker from my Tinsel Town collection will be available exclusively to my Patreon patrons for December. Join before December 31st and it’s yours too!

🎄 Want to see more of the process?
Follow me on Instagram @starthistle.and.quartz — I shared the buildings in real time over there.

❄️ Special Thanks

A big thank you to the hosts of the #TinselTown2025 challenge for inspiring this magical project:

• @jillian.nichole.illustration

• @daniellechandlerdesign

• @eveandersondraws

• @megpieprint

• @lack.studio

• @vihiboh

• @care2c

Creating from My Channel: What It’s Like to Receive Art Spiritually

A dreamy little painting from my 2024 gouache sketchbook.

There’s something indescribable that happens when I create from my intuitive channel ; a deep sense of ease, connection, and purpose that reminds me my art isn’t just coming from me, it’s coming through me.

Over the years, I’ve come to understand that my most resonant, collected, and deeply felt pieces arrive when I allow myself to open, receive, and let Source energy flow through my hands.

In this post, I want to share what that experience is really like — not just the outcome, but the energetic receiving process behind the art.

Receiving the Vision

When a piece wants to come through, I often receive it as a vision. The image arrives in my mind's eye fully formed complete with its layers, textures, and energy. It’s more than a concept, I feel the experience.

The feeling of receiving it is similar to sliding into a hot bath: deep relaxation, openness, and a quiet certainty. These visions often arrive in the liminal moments, during meditation, after I’ve moved my body, or just before sleep and in dreams. My nervous system needs to be relaxed and open, otherwise I can't hear the whispers of my creative channel.

Sometimes I even receive instructions, like a tutorial from Spirit. Over a decade ago, I was shown in a dream exactly how to create a painting on wood and finish it with beeswax. I remember being confused in the dream, and the scene literally rewound and slowed down so I could understand it more clearly. That painting sold immediately. I’ve never forgotten that moment.

Channeled Art Feels Effortless

There’s a distinct difference between trying to think up an idea and receiving one. When I try to create from effort, it feels tight in my body. I overanalyze. The inner critic gets louder.

But when I channel it flows. There’s no “trying” involved. The piece unfolds organically, and I feel connected, curious, and excited. My job becomes simply to stay open and keep going until it’s complete.

How I Open My Channel

I don’t need a big ritual to connect, just presence and preparation. I always start by moving my body first. I’ve learned that moving the body moves the mind and movement opens my channel far more effectively than stillness alone.

Once my body is relaxed, I may sit in meditation or simply remain in a state of quiet receptivity. I’ve also had incredible moments right before waking up or during sleep where pieces arrive as full downloads. These are the pieces that feel sacred, almost like gifts.

The Pieces Always Find the Right People

The most magical thing about creating this way is that the right people always seem to find the work.

Many times, collectors will share with me that a painting felt like it was made just for them. Sometimes these are pieces I never fully understood until someone else told me what it meant to them, how the symbols and colors held significance I hadn’t even considered. That’s the moment I’m reminded again: I’m not the source of my work. I’m the channel.

That’s why I’ve always said: I’m not the artist. I’m the paintbrush Source chooses to use for this particular work.

Why This Matters to Other Creatives

If you’re an artist, a visionary, a soul-driven creator… this is your permission slip to stop forcing and start feeling.

Your best work doesn’t come from the ego, it comes from the part of you that knows. Your inner mystic. Your intuitive self. Your higher guidance. And the more you open to that, the more easeful, connected, and impactful your art becomes.

You are a channel. And your job isn’t to be perfect, it’s just to be open.

Want to Strengthen Your Connection to Source?

If this post lit something up inside you, here are three ways you can go deeper with me:

• 💌 Join Patreon — where I share my process in real time and let you vote on the characters and pieces that get created.

• 🌠 Download the Starlight Dream Lab — a free guide to help you uncover your big dream and connect with your higher creative vision.

• 🌟 Join the Epic Year Workshop — to map out your dream life and creative goals using soul-aligned tools like numerology and astrology.

Final Thought

You’re not imagining it , your visions are real. Your art matters. And every time you create with intention, you become a bridge between the visible and invisible worlds.

Keep your channel open.

Keep your heart open.

The work will find its way through you and to the people who need it most.

The Stories Inside the Frame

How an Instagram challenge sparked a collection—and helped me through a tough week

If you've been following me on Instagram, you may have seen my recent pieces for the #scaryandsweet2025 art challenge. What started as a fun, seasonal prompt list has unexpectedly turned into something more—a themed collection, rich with character, storytelling, and creative healing.

Initially, I didn’t plan for a collection to emerge. In fact, after my second prompt felt like a total flop, I went back and redid it in the same style as the first: a single framed character set against wallpaper. That was the “click.” Something about that format—one central figure, a bold Victorian frame, a background that hints at time and place—allowed my imagination to stretch.

Each new piece follows this structure:
🎨 The same vibrant Halloween color palette
🖼️ A recurring oval frame on wallpaper
🧚‍♀️ One central character with a name and backstory

Some of these stories are personal, like Knives Meow, featuring my own kitten, Mia, proudly baring her tiny claws. Others draw from literature or nostalgia—like Shelly, inspired by the playful ghost my kids and I believe haunts their bedroom Yoto speaker. (Is it really a ghost? I’ll never tell.)

Right now, I’m working on a piece called Periwinkle and Poison, loosely based on Tribulation Periwinkle, a Civil War nurse from Louisa May Alcott’s Hospital Sketches. She’s taking on an eerie, spectral quality reminiscent of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion bride, and I can’t wait to see her come to life.

Periwinkle & Poison

My quick sketches of my next prompt.

But here's the deeper truth: creating this collection has helped me stay grounded through some hard emotional territory I’m navigating personally. Art doesn’t fix everything, but it gives me a way to keep hope alive, even when life feels heavy.

This challenge is also stretching my style in new directions. I’m working with a palette that’s brighter than my usual comfort zone, and experimenting with how far I can push the balance between "cute" and "creepy." Some pieces miss the mark (Crab Louie, I'm looking at you), but others, like Inky the Octopus and Shelly, feel like they might be keepers.

What's Next?

💌 If you’d like to follow along and help shape this evolving collection, I’m sharing sketches and voting polls over on Patreon. My patrons will receive two exclusive rewards from this collection—likely a sticker and a postcard featuring the fan favorites.

📸 You can also catch the creative process in real time on Instagram: @starthistle.and.quartz

💬 I’d love to hear from you: which piece from this collection is your favorite? What character would you dream up for a prompt like “Ghosts and Gardens” or “Periwinkle and Poison”?

Want to join the challenge?

The #scaryandsweet2025 challenge is hosted by a wonderfully spooky and sweet group of creatives:
@roymeister
@heathermuellerdesign
@heyalissandra
@jenprocreates
@jessmillerdraws

Finding My Art Niche: What If the Clarity Comes After the Choice?

“Tide Pool” by Therese Tucker

For years, I’ve heard that in order to grow an audience and connect with collectors, clients, or art lovers, you have to niche down. Choose your palette. Choose your subject. Pick a medium. Make your path clear and consistent.

But here’s the thing no one talks about: what if you can feel the direction of your niche in your bones but can’t quite see the art that lives inside it yet?

That’s where I am now.

My Niche Has a Shape—But Not a Face (Yet)

When I think of niching, I don’t just imagine a subject matter—I imagine a set of creative tools, a way of working, a tone of voice. Something like:

Children’s books with mythical, woodland characters in earthy tones mixed with brights—painted in gouache, neo color and ink, with organic shapes and varied line weights.

It’s close. I feel it. But then, the resistance kicks in.

Because... what if I make the wrong choice?
What if I get bored and abandon it later?
What if the characters I think I want to draw never actually arrive?

Overthinking is the Vortex, Not the Solution

I’ve done the research. I’ve studied my own portfolio. I’ve reflected on what mediums bring me joy. I’ve run pieces through both handmade and digital to see what matches my soul. I even turned to my AI collaborator for feedback.

But what I’ve realized is this: you cannot think your way into a niche.
You can only live your way into it.

So what do I do now?
I write.
I sketch.
I make the next piece.

Instead of waiting for the full cast of characters to arrive, I’m starting a journal. I’ll write down what I know: the setting, the mood, the tone. Maybe the characters will walk in through the side door once I stop demanding they show up on command.

And you know what? I’m inviting you to come with me as this niche unfolds.

“Witch’s Book Shop” pattern

These recent pieces are all part of different art challenges I have joined in October.

✨ Follow the Evolution in Real Time on Patreon

If you’re curious to see how this creative direction takes shape—what pieces get made, what sketches evolve into stories, and how style and subject continue to merge—you’ll find all of that over on my Patreon.

It’s where I share my works in progress, behind-the-scenes thoughts, sketchbook pages, and early releases of collections and illustrations. I’d love to have you there.

Because the truth is, the niche is finding me, too.

✨ Want to follow the story as it’s written?
Come join me on Patreon to watch my niche take shape in real time.