Essay
On Using Worn Out Stuff
On old dishcloths, saved coffee filters, and what happens to white fabric over time.
April 2026
Journal & Essays
Essay
MARY OLIVER IN ALL CAPS
On a fleeting comparison to Mary Oliver and the immediate correction: I AM AS MAGNIFICENT.
June 2025
Notes
Red, Black, Ecru
On red as a color that holds everything, and why ecru and stained cloth make a better ground than white.
March 2025
Essay
Process, Not Outcome
On a week of snowstorm, aurora, and artist fellowship, and the lesson of slow work.
March 2023
Notes
How to Roast a Marshmallow
On precise preferences for marshmallows and eggs, and what doneness reveals about a person.
February 2023
Notes
Future Michelle is Going On Vacation
On dog baths, sinking feelings, and booking a January trip so future me won't be mad.
September 2022
Notes
Hey, Judgement. Go sit down.
On making a no-judgment watercolor book and what happens when you stop thinking about what something is going to be.
October 2022
Essay
Dirt Rain
A vision of a mouth made of dirt, a cloud of spirit bugs, and hands covered in gold.
June 2022
Notes
In Defense of the Used Coffee Filter
On reusing coffee filters during the pandemic and what worn white cloth can hold.
January 2022
Essay
A Frame Is Not a Border
On how frames enliven art, what quilt bindings do, and the energy of raw edges.
January 2022
Essay
Tiny and Tenacious
On Christmas baking without family backup and a to-do list that buzzes like a mosquito.
December 2021
Notes
I Caught Myself
On dishes, a Covid-era wedding, pottery bowls, and ten ways to finish the sentence.
September 2021
Notes
1 2 3 4 Slash 5
On being stuck, the permission to percolate, and the embroidery idea that finally broke through.
August 2016
Notes
The Emotional Health of Linseed Oil
On the joy of oil paint and the awe of watching strangers live their lives.
June 2016