Lauren Fuhr

(upbeat music) - Always been such a light and such a beauty and so, so, so good. And just so unique and authentic to who you are. What do you think beauty has been trying to teach you? I think, honestly, beauty, my whole life, it has been so ingrained in who I am just looking for beauty, whether or not I'm aware of it, even from a young age, just creating beauty, whether that was setting the table in a really unique way. I think it's how I find a lot of my optimism and a lot of my joy because I think it comes from noticing the beauty around me. I think if you're looking for it, it really does bring you a lot of joy. Yeah, I think it's tried to teach me to notice it. I think in seasons where it has been really easy to see beauty and then in seasons of like harder times or walking through grief, it's not maybe naturally as easy to see the beauty in those times, but I think it has taught me that it's always there. But whether things are going amazing or you are truly in like a lower season, I think it does just go back to being able to look for that over the last 29 years of my life. Having that be such a part of who I am, I have learned to look for it and find it no matter my circumstances. And I think that keeps me really inspired. So I think beauty has tried to teach me to be patient in really good seasons and really hard seasons and to know that it's always there no matter what, it's not something that goes away. And I think that that's really comforting and also just really keeps me inspired, keeps me going and keeps me optimistic and joyful. Yeah, I can find it everywhere. And I think it truly is in the harder seasons, maybe even more that I notice it more because I really have a good look for it instead of just naturally having it there. Yeah, and in those harder seasons, do you feel like it has helped you appreciate it more just in general? Definitely, yeah. Yeah, I think it shifts a little bit and it's probably shifts into things that you aren't expecting to find beautiful. Like people showing up like for me, I'm learning how to let people help me and that feels maybe like a very normal thing to do. But I think even that is a beautiful thing and when you're maybe in a really easy season, you don't notice that and then when you are, you do slow down and you notice the people and the beautiful meals that they make you and it's just how they show up for you. I think it's really beautiful. Yeah, I know. I feel like sometimes in tougher moments, it's clearer. I recently had an instance where I received some news about a younger person that was having a hard time and it brought like a flood of tears on and in that same moment, I was like, I recognized the beauty. I was like, the sadness of this is so beautiful. Yeah. And like, I feel like that doesn't make sense. Yeah, and yeah, deeper, it's like it's this connection to others that comes forward and it just creates this moment where we're able to see the depth of it and see it in a new way sometimes. Yeah, yeah. When did you first realize that you saw the world differently? More through a lens of this is beautiful. Yeah, I think I have to credit the household that I grew up and I do think I was raised in a home that was just full of beauty. I've been able to reflect on it a lot lately actually and just tell my mom the little things that I've noticed from over the years that now I've wanted to start doing and that is just little details and how she decorated for the holidays and we have a colonial house that they redid in a really quiet cul-de-stack and I just even think that influence of like her interior design style and just going to antique stores with her and sitting on the couch and looking at magazines and we had a really cool full circle moment 'cause now Pottery Barn sells my art and we looked at those Pottery Barn magazines for truly like years and years and years together and just always loved shopping for things and going a little home store. So I just think it was kind of a great in the family I grew up in and my grandpa was an artist and my mom was an artist as well. So all of like that paint box was my grandpa and a lot of my paints are paints, apparently, 100 years later, don't go bad. They don't dry up a lot of them. So I still have paints that I use from his paint box. Some of them have dried up but some are definitely still usable and it's cool to feel that generational tie to my grandpa and my mom doesn't paint as much as she should because she's so talented but it's just even cool to see styles that are similar from generations that have been passed out. I feel like I can't really take credit for being an artist because I really do feel like it was just in my family. Yeah, when did you begin painting? At a very young age I think probably middle school and then in high school I took every art class that my school had. I did APR and then I made art in business, design and business. So I do feel like it's truly been a thread in my whole life that it's harder to think of a time when I wasn't creating in some way or doing art I did like ceramic classes when I was in middle school. So I do think it's just kind of always been a thread of who I am. How do you think that helped you reveal who you are to yourself? I think it's allowed me to be very willing to make a mistake and learn from it. I think whenever I paint I'm very not fearless but just kind of I don't care if I put the wrong color and I have to redo it. It's very forgiving and I think a lot of my paintings are very loose. I don't paint super realistic where it would be stressful if I mess up and I'm still not great at that. And my personal life being okay to mess up but it does I think carry through in this willingness to take a chance and willingness to try and if it doesn't work out being able to be like, let's try something else. So I do think that that's carried through a little bit. Is that a mirror for you and you're in your life then? Yeah, as you, you know, you have this free flowing forgiveness with yourself in painting. Yeah, and is that, you know, is that something that you're asking of yourself in your life? I think I can do better at it. I think it's still, I think I'm not really a perfectionist which is nice, but I still hold myself to a very high standard and I'm still very hard on myself. And so I think in some ways, yes, and in some ways, no, and I want to be, you know, better with with it. But I do think it's helped me let go a little bit to this perfect idea. But I think even the last year or more than ever, I'm learning how you can have things don't have to always look a certain way. You can, you can create a whole new outcome than the one you're originally doing. And that's maybe cheesy to relate that to painting. But truly, I could start on something and then it takes a whole other direction and that's okay and it sometimes is more beautiful. And I'm like really seeing that in my life. So it's cool to, I've never really, I guess not about it. It tells it ain't no fun about it, but it is cool to see those parallels. Yeah, yeah, and how often does something you're working on take a different direction that ends up better than what you expected? Honestly, not as often as I'd like because a lot of the time I am painting from photos for people. So what I'm doing, it is surprising when I'm painting for other people, that never happens. But when I do have time to make a painting for myself like this yellow wildflower painting that I just finished, it was not at all gonna be that direction. So it's that it is when I make the piece actually for myself that I do feel like I have the freedom for you to kind of change it. And originally it was just gonna be kind of a tonal abstract with just different colors and are different shades of yellow and it just ended up having wildflowers all over. Which I've never painted a flower in my career. All of a sudden, I want to do more of them. So it's fun to have the space. But I have to give myself the space and reason I have scaled back a little bit on commissions purposely to be able to do paintings that I'm just feeling inspired by and want to try out. So yeah, what about in life? How often are you surprised by the unexpected all the time? All the time. I don't know. I think I'm a type V, my husband thinks I'm type A. We haven't really figured out which one I am. I think I'm probably in the middle, but I am not super big on planning. But I have this very clear picture of my future and my year from now. So I think in the day-to-day, I'm very loose. And then in the future sense, I'm very much know what I want. So I think I'm learning the older I get. It never really goes to plan. And that's okay and that's beautiful. But in my day-to-day, I'm fine with it, not going to. I don't know when to begin with, but that's good to learn. I understand that, that feeling of being type A and type B. Because I, too, do not like to plan. But I do like to create a vision. And so. So yeah, the two, I don't know what that, maybe that makes it like D-A minus probably not feels right. - Yeah. - Do you think beauty finds us or do we need to train ourselves to see it? - I think we have to train ourselves. I think especially when you're in a season where you need to find it to get through the day and to find meaning in your days, I think if you're not looking for it, it does get a lot harder. And I think harder to stay positive or stay motivated. And when you are looking for it, I think it becomes so easy to kind of peel back the layers of what even you find beautiful, what you want in your life to be beautiful. So I just think you do have to look for it and the more you look for it, the easier it is. But I don't think it necessarily comes naturally. But if you're an artist, I will say, I do think it comes naturally. - So I guess that question is yes and no. Because it does come naturally in the sense that I notice those details 'cause I always just always have. And I think any artist would probably relate to that or any creative. We probably naturally see that. So I guess the answer is both. - Yeah, yeah. And it's possible for perhaps someone who feels like there isn't beauty to be seen, to find it and to access it. Has there been anything that's really stopped doing your tracks recently? - Ooh, I love that question. I've been very inspired by the lake. Every time I go there, I just feel so at peace. I can't explain. There's something about being in the lake. And it's cool to be able to identify the older I get what that place is for me that I just feel so at peace and just so relaxed. And for me, that is the lake. And just being on a boat and having the sun set and having good food and playing games and having no other agenda besides that and wearing no makeup and the same t-shirts like, that is truly where I think my soul feels the most rest. So we went recently to the lake and it was just wonderful. Oh wow, where do you feel most like yourself? - It's a great question. - Sorry, I think it just, I'm very community oriented. I just always have been. So I really do think it just comes down to like, one and with the people that know me and have walked through all the seasons with me and that you just feel this comfortable ability to just relax me. And so I think probably when I'm with my friends of Emily that have just like been in it with me and you don't really have to explain anything 'cause I already know my sister and I have been best friends since I was a literal baby. She's four years older than me. She lives in Charleston and every time we're together we're just, it's truly like having a copy-paced version of myself to just talk to and yeah, talk about all the things. So definitely when I'm with her. - Yeah, how often do you guys get to see each other? - Not as much as I'd like we see each other at least twice a year but definitely around the holidays. And then it's been really fun. We both love New York City and she's closer to New York City. So that's been a really fun place for us to meet. - Yeah. - So the last two years we've met in the spring in New York City and had a little weekend together. So oh that's amazing. I imagine you guys talk every day. - We talk 24/7. - Oh, I love that. - What did little Lauren spend her hours doing? - I loved to be out on the cul-de-sac when we were, when I was in probably third grade. We lived on the cul-de-sac and it was truly just every single night. There were kids that would just play baseball in the street, basketball. There was one of our neighbors had a really nice pool and it was just truly, I think the older I get, same thing I can look back on that and realize how rare that was to just have a neighborhood that was so safe and walkable. And I would just ride my bike. I loved to scooter and I would literally just go around the cul-de-sac just a lot around it so. So I do feel like I was just outside with kids. Anytime I could be, I lived in a cul-de-sac too. - So for most of my childhood and there is something so special about a child, about a cul-de-sac. - It is, I don't know what it is. I think it's really special. What did little Lauren believe about herself that you hope you never forget? - Me and, I think from a young age, I didn't even realize when I was young in a way I would still like to know and I think it brought me a lot of confidence and still does. And I just think the more I'm able to stay true to that piece of me, the more confident I am and just the easier it is to filter out all the noise and all the opinions and just, yeah, the comparison and just stay really true to who I have always been. - Yeah. How do you return to that when you feel like you've kind of waver or landed in areas where you're just not feeling like you're still all for? - Yeah, I think slowing down, I think sometimes when I stay really busy, it kind of catches up with me and I catch myself, maybe not feeling myself or feeling a little off and I think the more I'm able to slow down and have my routines and just stay really present, the easier it is for me to feel like I can check it with myself. Otherwise, I'm just kind of showing up and going through the motions. What role does your union with God play and your creativity, your daily life, your creation of your art, your work, everything? - I think it's pretty central. I think it has really shaped how I see the world and how I actually had met another artist not too long ago, probably a couple of years ago who was like, I could lose my right hand tomorrow and God would use me in another area and it just allows you to kind of have this posture of not making it my whole life. I think if I were to lose my right hand, I would figure out another way to use my gifts and I really don't think that our gifts are about displaying them for people to see. I think it's actually even bigger than that. I think it points to something bigger than me and so my hope would just be that that comes through in my art and that it's in me and probably a very small portion of what I create is actually even credited to anything I'm doing. So I think it's pretty central and it keeps me from feeling burned out or feeling a lot of pressure because I do have that attitude of sharing my gift with others and also knowing that it could change and I could find another way to share that and just I think my favorite part of having a business and having it now for eight years has just been connecting with people and I love hearing people's stories and I think having a business and a way to connect with creatives in the different communities I've lived in has just allowed me to do that and that's such a gift so much. Yeah, what have you discovered about yourself through your work? I've always kind of been a go-getter and I think that's important for starting a business but my art has also taught me to slow down a little bit and to be patient. I'm not like a naturally patient person I feel like and so just having to, when you create anything, be patient through the messy stages and I think that really translates to life as well and not wanting, you know, it takes a lot of hard work to get there and sometimes I'm not gonna lie. I don't like enjoy every single part of the process and so I think there's times when you do have to just kind of know that in the end the product you're gonna get to, you're gonna be proud of and it's gonna be beautiful no matter what it is and you know, you have to kind of push through and have that work ethic of just having the determination to keep going, yeah. How do you protect wonder and honor creativity when creating is also your career? I think any of my best friends know this about me but I am probably unhealthy obsessed with Pinterest. I go on it, I have all the pins. I actually have, this is exposing me but I have a Pinterest board for my year and each month I make a section for what I hope the month will either include if I know I have something on the calendar, I'll put that in but it really is this way that I can stay inspired and kind of what we talked about before of noticing beauty if I'm aware that, you know, I'm going to a wedding on the beach. I'm like thinking about the beautiful tablescapes and the light on the wall. Like it just romanticizes like the little things and helps me be aware to notice that before they even happen if that makes sense. So I would say, I lay in bed, I watch reality TV and I go and pinch. I love that because I mean, truly you're tapping into your desires. Yeah. And it's helping you to really determine what they are. Yeah, I think that's why I love it so much. Yeah. And yeah, I mean, I just think, yeah, can you speak to that more in regards to your desire and to soaking up just the beauty that is all around you and also calling it in into your life. It can be really difficult for someone to even claim their desires, to even identify what they are. And I think what you just described is such a beautiful and tangible way of identifying and claiming those desires. And, you know, I think something that I have really been working through myself is, you know, the spiritual and the mundane or like the heavenly and the earthly. Like, we are actually here and we get to experience the tangible. And I think it can be hard sometimes to allow ourselves to do that. Yeah. You know, having a way to claim those desires and having a way to identify what they are is such a beautiful thing. And something that I think probably a lot of people want to do more of, but they not even know how to access what their deepest desires are. Next, I do think being able to have these very specific vision boards or it helps me figure out, you know, what I even desire in a season and it does change year to year and it does change month to month. And I think if it is hard to identify what you even desire or, you know, what those big things are, I think for me, it's important to just strip everything away. Like, it's not about a vacation or a house or a wardrobe. It's it's so much deeper than that. And so I think the more you're able to identify, like, even pieces, I think I've been reflecting on, you know, some of those pieces of childhood that carry through. And even those become, become part of what you desire or, yeah, just the ability to slow down and have, I had a quote, I read a quote that was like, I want to be famous in my home. And I just really related to that. That became a desire to, you know, prioritize peace in the four walls of my home. And I think if you're not actively working to figure out what that priority is, those things will be filled whether you're aware of it or not with all the noise that is around. So I do think getting super specific, yeah, getting a little bit more attuned to what it is that you want actually really helps you have a purpose in your days and your months. It is just fun. Yeah, one thing that was coming through when you were sharing it being so much deeper than, you know, that it's just so much deeper is that there's a feeling perhaps that comes along with it is, you know, is that is that what maybe you're after is like the feeling that it evokes or, you know, stepping into the sensations within your body and within yourself. Definitely. I think that is exactly what it is. It's the feeling of peace. I think at the end of the day, that is what I prioritize and what I hope my home feels like, what I hope I can feel in my body as I'm going through my days. And that is so much more fulfilling to be able to live in that feeling than all the other material things that I've caught myself wanting or chasing in different seasons and being able to identify that like that is actually what I think I'm drawn to. It helps me choose things that get to that outcome. I love that. And I mean, just mirroring that back to your art, the the peace that is felt within your art, it bokes that. That's so good to hear because that's my goal. What part of yourself have you protected the most throughout your life? Like, are there any walls that you feel like you've put up in order to protect, protect yourself? Definitely. Because I would say I'm like cautious at first. Like I do have walls up and I've been told that. So I have more an answer in this specific season. I've been walking through a lot of health things and I think I've had to really protect my energy and my time more than I ever have in my life. And I'm such a yes girl. I always have been. But I think I've had to look at my week and my husband, my garden, the ability to water my plants and make dinner and go to work and walk the dogs. And sometimes that is it. Like sometimes that is my capacity. So I think I've been more protective of my capacity and energy because I've learned when I'm just like pouring out and pouring out and doing them up a bunch of things. When my body is truly just kind of telling me I need to rest and be lower capacity in this season, that's okay. And so I think that would be the main thing. So protecting my energy. Yeah. And do you feel like that there is messaging coming through with that that is telling you that it's that's also okay? Yes. Yeah. I think it's part of the older I get. I feel like other people are doing the same in some ways. And it's really comforting to know the friends I have. I have such great friends and family. They really get that and prioritize the same things. And so if I go longer between seeing friends, you just pick right up. And there's just this like ease and understanding. And it's not this like keeping up. Which I just think I really value in the season. Yeah. Yeah. That's beautiful. What part of yourself has taken the longest to love? I think the part of me that doesn't have it all together isn't perfect. I think that really the part of me that makes mistakes. I'm not a perfectionist but then as I'm thinking about this, I do want to just like do a good job. And I think show out for people well and do all the things. And so I think that's probably the part of me that doesn't want to disappoint anyone. And yeah, I think hates to make mistakes. I think a lot of people feel that way. Yeah. And and and not wanting to disappoint other people. You know, I think that is probably the core of it. That's something that I think is so easy to carry. Yeah. Because what does that feel like when you've disappointed someone or you know, what is that? What does that feel like that you carry within yourself that you'd maybe like to let go of? Yeah. I think it feels heavy and it feels like I do assign a lot of weight to people because I care a lot about people. And so when I do let someone down or I just point someone I do feel like this need to make it right or to like at the cost of myself do whatever I can to like alleviate that. Yeah. And sometimes that's part of life. Yeah. Always. You're full. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's something you touched on there. You know, at the cost of ourselves. Yeah. It's so easy to do these things and essentially sacrifice us. Yeah. In the process of it. But you know, it's when we recognize that, then we can then we can move forward and look at okay, how can I do this differently? And and still have this connection of love between this other person. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Really? What have you had to let go of to become more of yourself? I think I've had to let go of people's opinions. I've had to let go of my own idea of where I wanted to be or just my own path. I think I've really had to surrender control. And it's been really beautiful. It's so hard. But it's the best thing to learn. And yeah, I think let go of like, yeah, I guess expectations in that. But a lot of fear as well, like letting go of fear, fear of people, letting people down, fear of, you know, not I think I've gotten more less risk of over the years. I think I'm more willing to take the risk. So I think that's been a big one. Yeah. Where are you still becoming and what part of yourself are you still getting to know? I think I'm still becoming and being content in every circle of stance. I think I have a, you know, a desire to have things look a certain way. And I'm really learning how to let the hard and the good coaxes together. And that's just life. That will be something it'll take all the rest of the years in my life. And I do think it's really freeing to not see the hardest about thing and just see it as something that exists with the good. So I think that's the part I'm still going to know the part that, you know, I'm a high achiever. I've like seen what I envision and I go after it. And there's just times in life where it's a matter of how hard you try it. You can't always apply that. And so it's cool to to just have like a more open-handed way of walking through life. And how are you doing that? I think I'm focusing a lot on contentment in the current season. And just truly taking the time and effort to appreciate all of the abundance that is in my life. And just the gifts like my husband and my dogs in our house and really fun trips to see friends and family. And so I just think the more I'm able to focus on truly just so many gifts in my life, it's really carried me. Yeah, and does that feel like being in the present? Or and when you're when you're not doing that, do you feel like you're looking to the future? Yes, yeah. Yeah, I think it has been so good at living in the day-to-day and I struggle sometimes with that. And I just end up looking towards the future and the more I am able to slow down and be present and focus on All of the things that are right in front of me. I just I truly do have so much gratitude for my life and all the gifts in it and yeah, yeah, that's really beautiful. What's something you've had to stop proving and what's something that you used to chase that you realize no longer matters? I think approval, I think that's a big one. I really used to chase that and now I would not say it's on my radar the way it was I think I am so I feel so full of purpose in the life that I'm living and the purpose of my days and that gives me a lot of confidence so there's not as much room to look for that. What question has God been asking you lately? I think it's something around if the prayers that you're praying feel super attainable then you're not praying enough prayers and I think being able to pray prayers that are literally hard for me to believe myself it leaves space for him to do it he does best and I think I was reading I wrote about this in a sub-stack a while ago but just reading the difference between like truly having faith that is so convinced that God will do this thing you believe he will that you're like thanking him for the thing before it even happens yeah and so it's just been such a cool posture to have is just like this assuredness that like in the end all things do work for good and just like actually living in that and believing in it even when maybe the current circumstances yeah yeah and so praying for the thing that is so big yeah that you then begin to believe in it yeah yourself yeah I think praying for the thing that feels so big that like there's nothing in your power you could do to achieve it and you have to like I think realizing that it feels impossible to you is like the best thing because it leaves space for him to do it because it's so outside of my realm yeah our backs for T.C. beautiful Lauren yeah yeah like as me chills when do you feel closest to God honestly in a harder season probably when I am able to step back because I am only able to do so much and I think when I'm actually able to recognize how small my role is and see how much he's actually doing behind the scenes every single time my grandma was a very she was just a pillar in my face she was incredible and she just has story after you know she's no longer living but she had story after story of just ways that God showed up and she discovered it years after so it's been it was just been cool to know that that same thing is happening in my life when I don't exactly see it at the time what felt sacred to you that others might overlook I mean I guess just my level routines and starting my day I'm not great at waking up early these days but I think just having routines and being home I think I love the ability to go after work to my gym and to you know I want to walk and take care of my garden is the first year I've ever had a garden it's very time consuming what are you growing just tomatoes and flowers I gave up on all the other vegetables yeah I tried that last year and I got like two strawberries also where so strawberries I feel like are hard they're so hard I didn't get anything but I think yeah just being home and prioritizing that as much as I can I think we're in a season right now of so much travel and so many fun things like weddings and I think it's fun to have that but also just I'm craving the ability to help those routines yeah so what do you generally like more of the morning or the evening I think the evening after work it's just my son lined and I think that goes back to like I'm normally such a social person and lately I just have been wanting to like be by myself or be with AJ or be with the dogs and that's about it like truly just slowing down and making dinner and cooking and going to bed early sounds so lame but I just scoring it I never want to do anything yeah and truly how beautiful it is to honor those those seasons in our lives and that you're honoring you know that season this season in your life of kind of even though you're doing a lot of traveling but still just kind of like cocooning and being in your space that you're famous in yes I love that I love that how has your understanding of God changed over the years and I think it's I've never heard the voice of the Lord more in this last year than I have in my entire life I think just how personal that is is just the coolest thing ever I think it's like the most encouraging thing I could possibly receive in a harder season I think yeah just it gives me so much confidence and I'm on the right path whether that's through prayer reading it's just been cool to feel like he is so personal do you do you feel like God is within you inside you yeah I feel like the Holy Spirit's inside me I think it's really cool to know everyone has different gifts and I think I feel closest to Lord when I'm like reading or praying and journaling but I do think he's like with me every day and that's yeah really comforting what does prayer look like for you I pray all the time I feel like it's a very casual conversation like I'm texting a friend and that is just comforting for a lot of the car I yeah I just feel protected and I feel like my family's protected through prayer it's just cool to go through your days with that it's just so much bigger than me hoping for things to go a certain way or asking chat GPC yeah it's so much bigger than those like maybe quick heads of assuredness but it's not yeah it's not always you see I think there's seasons where it comes really easily and then seasons where you're like oh I it's like I think when things are going really well you kind of forget to pray much but it's yeah yeah yeah what are the people closest to you love about you that the rest of the world doesn't get to see oh that's such a fun question I think they love that I'm a yes girl I think they love that I'm always going to be down for anything and probably have a blast doing it I'm not very like particular or picky about plans I'm pretty flexible love spontaneity and I think I just I love to quality times my love language so truly can have fun doing pretty much whenever yeah oh I love that you know I think one thing I I've always remembered about you and like loved about you it's just like how naturally funny you are that is because I don't feel like I'm fun but it's like it's like just you showing up in your full presence in your full self you have in the time that we got to spend together brought me so many laughs in the most beautiful way in the most beautiful way I don't receive that usually so I just love hearing that yeah thank you yeah yeah that's just one of my favorite things about you okay thank you yeah I love to laugh I'm I've been told I'm an easy laugh and I'm like you know what I am there's something better than a good laugh I swear it is the best if someone spent an afternoon with you what do you hope they would leave with I hope they would leave feeling encouraged I think how I was kind of saying everyone has different gifts I think one of mine is it's really more natural for me to step into like being a cheerleader and encourage people so I think in that vision piece like I hope people would leave with like a maybe a clearer vision for what they want in their life because that is another thing that comes more naturally to me and so I think just encouragement and positivity and like hope and just like a perspective that can get you through through life and see things differently and see things in a really positive way whether or not whatever the circumstances are if someone said I wish I could see Beauty the way you do what would you tell them I would say that it's out there for everyone I think it's yeah it's just about noticing it and I have seen a lot of fun things like color walks where you're like specifically looking for one color throughout the day or just like challenging yourself if it doesn't come naturally for you find something like that where it's like someone else is kind of like giving you a guard grill to like notice things but I think the more you start to notice it's there I love that how do you explain Beauty I think Beauty is authenticity I think it is that mix I was talking about a really good and hard simultaneous like existing and I think it is anything that gets us to notice something that's already there that's beautiful so anything that gets us to just stop and take a look outside of ourselves and for me that's being outside seeing really beautiful reflections and light and linen and time with friends like it truly is just the thread is just anything that can kind of take you out of yourself yeah so so taking you out of yourself almost in a way of like explain that more. Yeah I think we just get so focused on like our lives and our things that are going wrong or things that are going well and the next house and the next outfit and all these things that are really draining and also a part of life but I think beauty exists without all those things and it's just its own inherent source of joy and inspiration and I just think I'm always inspired to create because I'm just like surrounded by that and it's not manufactured it's just a part of the world and yeah I think it's yeah it's just about nosing it and seeing it yeah yeah what's something ordinary that you think is underrated? I mean I want to just say a white tea but that's not underrated. Everyone knows it does. Everyone knows it's amazing but everyone knows a good white tea is there's nothing quite like a good white tea. Do you have a good source? like six. Everlane Zara has a lot of good ones but yeah. Everlane has the perfect white tea. Wow okay yeah I know I feel like that's a life journey. Yeah finding the best one. What has made you whisper thank you lately? I think just feeling really connected and fulfilled from like really great experiences and conversations with my husband we just went camping last weekend and we got a little camper that is so fun to use and just got to have a lot of great conversations in the car and just had a lot of fun with friends out in the wilderness with zero service and I just think it was so good for myself. What do you think God delights in most about you? I think it is in this season this childlike spirit where I just am able to rest and sit back and believe that I am the child of God and have a father who gives good gifts and at the end of the day I'm just truly living in that and I think that brings me back to like the the core of who I am and kind of those values that I had when I was little but I don't want to lose it's just this belief that like I'm taking care of and I feel like he loves that when I'm just able to strip aside all the achievements and all the things that I do and I work so hard at and just rest and yeah be able to do the things that bring me joy and yeah yeah I love that and yeah I mean I know you are such a hard worker and at the same time I feel like I've always seen that like wonder in you of just like discovery. Thank you. Yeah. I think that's so important for you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah definitely. Last question. Do you know how beautiful you are? That's so nice. It's not a real question but yeah I don't know. I think a lot of days I'm hard on myself. I think we all are. I see all the flaws all the time and I get frustrated at things that I do over and over that I thought I figured out by now but I do feel uniquely made and and beautiful in that way and I love being able to think about the way I encourage my friends is the way I should be talking to myself and I don't do that all the time but that's such a good reminder. Yeah. Yeah. It is truly I know sometimes it's so much easier to do that for others. Yes. It helps me. Yeah. Oh I would never say it. Yeah right. So we know it. Yes. Yes. Absolutely. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. This is so wonderful. Oh my god. It's truly just such a cool project and I feel so honored that you would want me to share my yeah. Awesome. Alright. So thank you so much. Yeah. You're so welcome. You're so warm. And those are your offer me as a vulnerable and open and yes. Yeah. Thank you. yeah.