✨Why I Started Again (Even When It Felt Late) ✨
Falling back into art, softly but fully.
There’s something about spring that always makes me want to start over.✨🌷
Not a big loud restart. Just… coming back to myself, quietly.
When I first opened this Substack, I wasn’t trying to write anything fancy. I just needed a place to put things. Somewhere that would hold me accountable, even in the smallest way. Somewhere that would say: you started something, now follow through.
By early 2025, something shifted.
It wasn’t just about making journals or drawing cute things.
It was about finding a rhythm that felt mine again.
Last year was confusing. I tried a lot of different things and gave my time to projects that never really saw me- not the real me. For a while, I just kept going through the motions because I thought I had to. But somewhere in that late summer haze, I got tired of asking for permission. I stopped showing up for everyone else’s vision.
I wanted to make something for me.
I’ve worked art-related jobs before mainly in advertising. I was always told I was good at adapting- mimicking styles, fitting in where needed. But deep down, I missed having something of my own. Something I didn’t have to explain or justify. Something that didn’t have to be perfect or monetized to matter.
That’s where BooBelle came from. That’s where the “quiet journal” journey began. I wanted to fall back in love with drawing. Not for a client. Not for a brief. Just to see my characters again. To dress them up. To build little worlds that made sense to me.
I grew up on toys like Polly Pocket and Sanrio compacts. I always loved things you could open and explore. Tiny, cozy spaces you could escape into. And now, in a weird way, I’m creating those again- just with illustrations, planners, stories, and a little digital magic.
This isn’t about some perfect comeback story. I still work a full-time job. I still have days where I question everything. But this little space and this slow creative path- it’s mine. And I’m grateful for that.
Coming Up Next:
A peek behind the scenes of my seasonal journals.
More Boo-Belle and cozy worlds.
And starting soon… a new story series I’ve kept close for a long time. Secrect worlds will be revealed. (You’ll hear more about it right here.)
Thank you for being here - especially if you’re new. This space has become a quiet part of my art journey, and I’m so grateful for your support.
With heart,
-A.G./ Eunhacat🎀