Joyfully Crawling Back to Substack

Normalize firing on a few too many cylinders!

The incredible studio of Katharine Heyl.

Hellllllooo 2026!

I’ve missed you! Substack is such a happy place for me, and it’s been a long time coming since I was sitting on my computer, TV on in front of me, and this was the priority (and not the laundry list of work and life that seemed to suck all the oxygen for awhile)! The last six weeks have been a doozy. I opened a new business, my dream art gallery, during the busiest month of the year, threw I don’t remember how many events to celebrate, worked right up to Christmas, flew to Dallas to serve with my church’s annual conference, and then flew home to tear down the gallery, patch and paint for the new year. Whew!

Castle looking cute in December!

After all of that, January has been the deep breath that I and the business needed. I feel so much of my personal life reflected in the gallery right now - still in progress yet creativity craving the new, relishing in a slower season yet pushing down that lingering sense of “am I doing what I need to be doing right now?” “am I making the most of this?”.

Left: A baby shower at the stunning Red Fox Inn. Right: One of my favorite corners of the gallery.

I opened Castle Gallery in the Hallmark towns of all Hallmark towns. Small businesses abound, as do the rolling stone walls and surrounding vineyards. Middleburg treats the holidays like the olympics, but it’s a bit of a ghost town in January. It’s a bizarre, although well known, reality and I can’t help but feel the discomfort in the quiet. However it’s the gentle breaths of the start of the year that force my feet on the ground, longer conversations in the shop, and excitement and anticipation to build.

That moment between recovery and expectation - that’s January!

In honor of the snow day (week?) - which incapsulates this sentiment perfectly - I rounded up some of the things I’m doing this month that are making me 1. Feel like myself again, and 2. Look forward and prepare intentionally with excitement.

My resting and building January list -

1. The Artist’s Way. I am thrilled to be going through this iconic study of creativity with Caroline Lunne of Going Places and Meet Migrate. Someone said to me recently, “The true Artist’s Way is not finishing The Artist’s Way” - ha! So we’re hoping the accountability of doing it with a group combats this! It’s not too late to jump in if you are interested in doing this with a group of incredible people.

2. Taking the time to feel like myself again. Getting back into my gym routine (which is really all about the sauna reward at the end) has felt grounding and I’ve been loving Sara Kathryn’s app for weight training and focused plans. Also having a little glow in the winter is akin to a personality transplant for me - a quick apply of this $10 lotion while you’re still in the shower is easy and super effective!

   

3. Needlepoint. I think I’ve successfully trained my algorithm towards exclusively needlepoint content and I’m me again. Picking up canvases that haven’t been touched in months is getting me off my computer/phone at night - which is the constant struggle for never feeling “done” with my work day. Currently eyeing these canvases for my next projects. Bag charms are the next project and we will be self finishing for the first time.

4. My preferred planner and desk calendar that are no-brainer joy bringers.

   

5. Building out the “studio” side of Castle Gallery! This is what I have been calling the retail/product arm of the gallery because I want it to feel like an artist studio - layered and colorful, full to the brim with art and product straight from the studio. I especially love this Four Leaf Clover Playing Card Print and Marble Gift Tags that are now in the shop and online.

I’d love to hear what you’re doing this January that is helping you feel more grounded and expectant for 2026. Remember - it’s all about gentle breaths!