Toot your little horn

Your permission slip to be proud

Dear reader,

Part of growing and growing up for me has been realizing I’m not for everyone. I’m not being self-deprecating. You, my beautiful firefly, are also not for everyone. Isn’t that a gift?

I was thinking about this as I stood on a stool in my living room putting a little nail in my wall to hang up another one of my portrait paintings. For many, walking into our home might be a tad overwhelming. I always know when someone is electrocuted by the sheer volume of colors when they say, “You’re so brave! I am afraid to put color in my home.” This is very much the equivalent of “I could never pull off that haircut!” - if you wanted to, you absolutely could and you would.

But here’s the thing: my approach to my home is very much to feel proud and amused by myself. It’s not for everyone to have a floor to ceiling collection of Sam’s fox drawings. It’s not for everyone to have a floor to ceiling wall of sports portraits, proudly arranged and smiling down on us while I curse at the tv (Max Domi is at it again).

I have a lot of other people’s art, don’t get me wrong. Spilling off our walls, we have Ponnopozz paintings and prints. We have a Beth Hoeckel tapestry. A Morgan Harper Nichols floral wall-hanging. A print by Vichcraft. A painting by Ashley High. More Derek Erdmans than you could shake a stick at.

Why do we hang so much of our own art in our space? For me, it’s two simple guiding principles:

✨Ashley once said to me, “I am my favorite restaurant.” The things I make are perfectly my taste. Why would I not want them somewhere I can see them everyday?

✨ When you grow up, no one is sticking your art up on the fridge. You don’t have your parents to be proud of your scribbles. I am my own parent in this apartment and I am my own kid. I grew up and the world became my fridge, my symbol of pride and whimsy.

It’s so hard to remain proud of ourselves. The world is beating us all down right now, making us feel helpless, afraid, and, in many cases, ashamed to be who we are.

Today, I’m giving you permission to toot your own horn. To celebrate the singular person that you are. How can you tack your ugly Little Mermaid coloring page on the fridge of your life? I bet you’ll come up with something. I’d love to hear what you’re proud of! Just respond to this email.

I’m really proud of how far I’ve come painting portraits and I’m so excited to lead a fun, beginners-encouraged, paint your pal/valentine workshop at Ponnopozz here in Chicago!

I’m going to give you all of my little tricks and ways to focus on fun instead of perfection. It’s going to be an absolute blast as we celebrate our painting partner’s beautiful hair, their little freckle, their cute cupid’s bow, and their bright blue eyes. I promise you’ll be proud and delighted by what you make! There are only a few tickets left for 2/12! Snag them today!

xo,

Emma