2024 : Reflecting on the Past Twelve Moons

My toddler is sleeping soundly in her bed, and I can hear fireworks going off outside.

It’s New Year’s Eve, a holiday that once was filled with bar hopping and blurry city lights, but today it looks like wholehearted contentment: a cozy couch to lay on, my favorite music playing in the background, and absolutely no other plans than relaxing with my partner the rest of the evening.

What a year.

There’s been so much exhaustion around me. It’s been a whole twelve months of witnessing atrocities unfold, both here on Turtle Island but especially abroad in Palestine. Just when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, they do, continuing a true, living nightmare that my own tax dollars contribute to. Friends, family, organizers, artists, and comrades around me are doing what they can, but nothing seems like it’s enough. My hope is that we can find ways to rest and nourish ourselves so our fight can continue until true liberation exists.

Despite all this, I am grateful for what I’ve been able to accomplish and the growth I’ve experienced in my thirtieth year on this planet. I made and shared art, collaborated with folks I deeply believe in, and began my educational journey toward becoming a licensed art therapist and mental health counselor. I cried a lot and I loved a lot. At times I felt overwhelmed, but never lost. I feel a deep sense of integration within and around me, and even though I am tired, I feel ready for what is to come.

It is not only New Year’s Eve, but also the night of the New Moon – a perfect time for dreaming and setting intentions. But before I get to that, I decided to write out a recap of the year – something I’ve honestly hesitated to do because it honestly felt so daunting and overwhelming. So much change! So many events! So many feelings! I spent a majority of the year moving from one milestone to the next, zooming through without half as much reflection time as I probably should’ve made the time and space for.

Reflecting on this recap list, I feel a deep sense of pride and gratitude. I’m thankful not only for the Muse who always shows up when I open the door to her, but also for the community I’ve cultivated. They provide me with opportunities to share my work and find homes for them, and for that, I am incredibly grateful. The list below doesn’t include everything, but my hope is to elaborate more on key memories in the future as they come. This is just the beginning.

 

❄️ Winter

• 🌑 I participated in the group show “Have You Eaten?” curated by Rya Wu and showcased at Nino Gallery in Pioneer Square. I shared a few pit-fired vessels I made using seaweed, copper, and remnants of my daughter’s first foods that I had stored away specifically for these pieces, including avocado and banana peels.

 

• 🌑 Visited New York City with my family, where my well of inspiration filled to the brim. This trip is where it hit me like a lightning bolt that I’m ready to follow the calling toward art therapy, and I never looked back! Being in this city sends electricity through my entire system, sparking new ideas and creative energy. Little did I know, I’d be back before the end of the year…

 

• 🌑 With two solo exhibits to prepare for in the coming months, I refused to submit to the notion that artists must always work in solitude. I’ve learned over the years that I thrive in community and learned the most about what it means to be an artist from being around my mentor, Agustina Fernandez Raggio, when I lived in Uruguay. I hired her as my mentor again, but this time virtually, as I am now living back in the PNW. Every other week, we met to discuss my art exhibits, and she helped me through my process and doubts. I would not be the artist I am today without Agustina and her deep, embodied wisdom and light!

 

🌱 Spring

• 🌑 I was ready for a new website, so I’m grateful for La Madriguera, a graphic design company led by one of our dearest friends, Diego. Muchas gracias, Diego and Fiorella, for collaborating with me on this project. If anyone needs website design help, I highly recommend working with this beautiful team.

 

• 🌑 Before I took my ceramics sabbatical, I created custom dinnerware for Archipelago, my favorite restaurant in the Pacific Northwest. Aaron and Amber, the owners, trusted me to create dishware that helped to tell their stories, and it is always a meaningful experience whenever I get to work with them. Their restaurant truly embodies the feelings of home, Filipino American pride, and indigenous solidarity.

 

🌻 Summer

• 🌑 In June, I had my first-ever solo exhibit, sharing a body of work I titled “Mystery Portal.” Held at Ghost Gallery in Seattle, each piece was hand-painted and woven together to symbolize the interconnectedness of motherhood and humanity as a whole.

 

• 🌑 The following month, I had the opportunity to share my work again but with new additions at Shelterwood Collective for another solo exhibit! I plan to share more about these exhibits in another post eventually… ❤️ Never would I have imagined that I could share a body of work in one gallery, but TWO?! Two spaces run by two incredible women?! Unreal.

 

• 🌑 Even though I’ve held full moon gatherings virtually in the past, this summer I rented out space in Gig Harbor and held in-person full moon gatherings for the first time! They were magical and gave me the opportunity to share my love for working with the moon and her cycles, tarot, and holding space for others in a way I never have before. 

 

• 🌑 Toward the end of summer, I took another big leap and began full-time graduate school to obtain my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Art Therapy. I will graduate in Spring 2027, which feels so far away but remind myself to take this journey one day at a time.

 

🍁 Fall

• 🌑 I was honored to be invited to two group shows, the first being at the wonderful Orcas Paley in Seattle. Orcas Paley is the type of shop that one might lose themselves in because there are countless treasures and magic in every corner. I’ve showcased my work multiple times at Orcas Paley and am so grateful to them for giving my work a home in their beautiful shop and gallery!

 

• 🌑 The second group show I participated in was called Balikbayan, all the way in New York City! Hosted by the Tsismosas Collective, an incredible group of Filipina artists, I was invited to join as one of their guest artists and had the chance to attend the opening, host a tarot pop-up, and also be a vendor at their market. This trip was one of the dreamiest experiences of my life as an artist and tarot reader.

 

• 🌑 I started my new part-time job as the art teacher at my daughter’s preschool! With this work, I get to facilitate children ages 2.5-5 in exploring their independence and creativity, and it feels so connected to not only my path as a future art therapist but also as a mother and community member. I love supporting each child through their journeys with art making, and especially getting to see my toddler in her new environment.

 

• 🌑 At the Shelterwood Collective Apothecary, I spent a Saturday afternoon offering a tarot pop-up, where guests could sign up for 1:1 readings with me. It was beautiful and intimate, a perfect way to ease into the deep reflection that winter brings.

 

• 🌑 I also hosted two gatherings in honor of the full moon in Gemini. One was in-person at Maitri Movement in Gig Harbor, and the second one virtually for members at Shelterwood Collective.

 

• 🌑 Lastly, I want to shout out Perinatal Support Washington, specifically my dearest friend Elizabeth, for commissioning my illustrations for their holiday tote bags. Perinatal Support is a statewide non-profit committed to shining a light on perinatal mental health to support all families and communities. Creating illustrations for their organization is a dream come true for me, especially as a mother myself who cares deeply about caring for other caregivers and families!

 

 

As I sit with these highlights from the year, my creative well feels like it is overflowing. My journey has seen challenges, growth, and immense love. As we enter this winter season, I am planting seeds of deep rest to make space for more reflection and presence.

Here’s to more moments of creation & connection in the coming year. 2025, I am ready for you!