I never really understood the idea that art has to be clean. Give me a blank canvas and I’ll probably get paint somewhere it absolutely wasn’t supposed to be. I like experimenting more than following a perfect plan. Sometimes I start painting with one idea and end up with something completely different. The same happens with drawing and epoxy resin. Resin is especially dangerous because you can spend hours trying to make something look effortless, only to discover one tiny bubble in the middle of it that suddenly becomes the most important thing in the universe. Still, I love working with it. There is something satisfying about watching separate colors, shapes and textures turn into one finished object. Maybe that’s why I keep making things even when I have absolutely no idea where they’re going.

Some of my favorite projects have started with the sentence, “I wonder what would happen if…” That is usually how I end up trying a new painting technique, mixing materials I probably shouldn’t mix, or starting something without knowing how I’m going to finish it. I like that little moment before you know whether something will turn out beautiful or completely terrible. There’s no pressure to be perfect when you’re experimenting. Worst case, I get a funny story and something that belongs in the “never again” box. Best case, I accidentally create something I actually love. I think people worry too much about being good at things before allowing themselves to try them. I’d rather make ten weird things and find one that works than spend ten days planning the perfect first attempt. Besides, mistakes usually make better stories than perfect results.

I’m one of those people who finds it difficult to just sit and do nothing. There is almost always something on my desk, in my hands, or waiting to be finished. I work as a lashmaker, which requires a ridiculous amount of patience and attention to tiny details, and somehow I still come home wanting to make something else. Sometimes I draw, sometimes I paint, and sometimes I end up covered in epoxy resin wondering why I decided this was a good idea. I like the whole process more than the finished result — choosing colors, messing something up, fixing it, changing my mind halfway through. My hobbies are probably a little chaotic when you put them together, but they all have one thing in common: I get to create something that didn’t exist before. I think I’d get bored very quickly if every day looked exactly like the previous one.

Yes, I go to the gym. No, I’m not going to pretend I wake up every morning excited to lift something heavy. Some days I genuinely enjoy it, other days I’m negotiating with myself over whether one more set is really necessary. I started going because I wanted to feel stronger and more comfortable in my own body, and somewhere along the way I started enjoying the routine itself. There’s something nice about leaving the gym knowing you actually did something instead of spending another evening scrolling on your phone. I’m not obsessed with counting every calorie or turning my entire life into a fitness challenge. I just like moving, getting stronger and seeing little changes over time. And honestly, the post-gym shower might be one of the most underrated parts of the whole experience.