Inner peace can be hard to come by, no matter what loss we grieve.

Looking at the stars helps me put things into perspective and takes me outside my small emotional orbit. There is something expansive about stargazing. I find comfort in the quiet nighttime sky, under the gaze of familiar and timeless constellations.

Before working in mixed media, colored pencils were one of my primary mediums. There is a meditative quality to layering the colors to obtain the correct value or hue. The layering takes time and patience, translating to a quiet, contemplative mindset for me.

As time goes on, I wrap myself in moments of calm, whether through journaling, appreciating the beautiful colors of my pencils, or admiring the distant sparkle of the night sky. Embracing the magic in small things in my life brings comfort and hope on dismal days.