Flowing instead of forcing

Lately, I’ve been spending time playing with oil pastels.

Not because I planned to. Not because it was strategic. But because something in me needed it.

I recently went to see my energy (reiki) healer— imagine a woman with the softest voice you’ve ever heard and an uncanny ability to say exactly what you didn’t know you needed to hear. She gently told me that I’d been feeling off — mentally, physically, creatively — because I was fighting my nature. Going against the grain of who I actually am and my true purpose.

She reminded me how important it is to do what you were put on this earth to do. To tap back into what makes you feel like yourself. To express yourself in the ways that feel natural and true, the ways that fill your cup and leave you feeling energized.

Around the same time, I saw a video on TikTok where a girl said something that stuck with me—
Sometimes when things start going wrong, it’s because life is trying to pull you back onto the path you’re meant to be on.

And honestly? That hit.

I’d been feeling it, too… I just didn’t have the right words for it.

Think about it — how many times have you gone in a direction not because it genuinely excites you, but because it’s safer? Or trendier? Or lucrative? Chasing fast cash, following what’s popular, trying to fit into a version of success that doesn’t quite feel like yours.

Doesn’t it always feel better when you make time for what you actually vibe with?

I’m not saying quit your job. I’m not saying burn it all down or throw out your progress with the bathwater. What I am saying is this…

I let myself stray away from creating just to create for about a year. I stopped drawing. I stopped making art for no reason other than joy. And during that time, I got sick a lot (which, sure, might not sound shocking coming from someone with fibromyalgia) but it was still my body waving a red flag.

In December, I made a quiet decision to come back to myself.

I started prioritizing art again. Not for work. Not for anyone else. Just because it makes me feel like me. I began setting clear boundaries around what I allow into my life so I could protect my energy and put myself back at the center of it.

Slowly, I’ve started to feel better.

This is my food for thought today—
Stop fighting your nature.

Sometimes you don’t need to push harder or figure it out faster. Sometimes you just need to let yourself float down the river of your own you-ness.

I’ll be honest— I feel like I’m always in the process of finding myself. So much has shifted over the years and I have a constant reminder on to take it easy and treat myself with grace (not an easy task for me in the slightest).

So maybe this year is about intention.

Carving out moments just for yourself.
Grounding yourself in nature.
Creating for the sake of creating.
Treating yourself to what life is actually about for you— expression, presence, and authentic growth.

No force. No fighting. Just coming home to who you are.

Now that’s a vibe.

- Katie

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