Tears and Resilience: Finding Strength in Art and Creation

A Moment of Reflection: When Challenges Feel Overwhelming

How have you been? By the time you’re reading this, this newsletter will already be a few days old, as I usually schedule issues ahead of time. But the day I’m writing this feels very recent, and it’s a little bittersweet. That day, I found myself deeply reminded of the challenges I still face in creating my products.

Looking back, I might feel embarrassed about sharing this. I might even delete it someday. I’ve never thought of myself as the type to write “emotional” pieces in my newsletter. But at the same time, I don’t want to create an image of myself as some effortlessly cool designer or artist who has everything figured out. So, perhaps just this once—out of a hundred newsletters—I’m letting myself write something a bit more personal.

I was in my small studio, packing Imagine frames into their boxes. I had just recovered from the flu, and though the task wasn’t particularly hard, I was utterly exhausted. Around me were several organizing boxes—one for each frame part, another for the art prints that go inside, and so on.

As I worked, I accidentally knocked over one of the boxes, spilling its contents of art prints across the floor. And for reasons I couldn’t fully explain, tears started streaming down my face. It wasn’t just frustration from the spill—it was fear, uncertainty, and the overwhelming thought that maybe I was pouring so much of myself into something pointless.

And yet, as I cried, I looked down at the prints scattered on the floor. There they were—Flower Man and Balloon Girl, quietly staring back at me, as if to say, “Why are you crying? We’re right here!” (And somehow, even though they have no eyes, it felt like they were looking at me.)

It was as if they were waiting patiently for me to pick them up. How could I possibly ignore them? So, I wiped my tears, gathered them back into the box, and—believe it or not—they seemed almost happier than before. I realized that I had already brought them into the world. And there were still so many things I hadn’t done yet to help them find their way.

Moving Forward, Step by Step

I wiped my tears again and logged into Amazon Seller Central. A few frames had sold that day. It wasn’t a lot, but the inventory was already running low. There was no time to cry—I had to finish packing so I could send more inventory to the Amazon warehouse.

Once the packing was done, I started thinking: what’s next? What more can I do? Maybe adding another character to the Imagine frame lineup would be a good idea. Sure, market research is important, but adding one or two new art prints isn’t such a big investment that it requires extensive planning.

Hope in New Creatures

Instead of worrying or feeling stuck, it might be better to brainstorm the next character to join Flower Man and Balloon Girl. Perhaps I could consider Cloudy Girl or Mystery Bird, two designs that my Instagram followers seem to love. If I add another creature, there won’t just be two of them to cheer me on—there will be three.

The challenges won’t go away, but maybe, just maybe, I’ll feel a little more encouraged. I hope so. Until next time, I promise to bring you a more practical, helpful piece. For now, thank you for letting me share this moment with you.