I went back to art school this year. After twenty-five years.

Even typing that feels strange.

I already have a fine art degree. I built a design firm. I mentor designers. I have a full, busy life. Going back to school wasn’t logical. It wasn’t strategic. It didn’t “make sense.”

But there was something in me that would not quiet down anymore.

When you get clear on your North Star, it’s not just your plans that change, it’s your whole outlook. Suddenly, the choices you make start to feel different. The doubts quiet down. You stop drifting and start moving, because you actually know where you want to go. Change your mind about what’s possible for you, and your life will follow.

Inside Our Process for the Kips Bay Show House 2025. Honored to Illustrate: A look inside Samantha Fisher’s Vision for Kips Bay 2025. When Samantha Fisher of Samantha Fisher Interior Design asked me to create a hand-rendered illustration for her space at the 2025 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Dallas, Texas, I said yes without hesitation.

There’s something sacred about sitting in front of a building, sketchbook in your lap, and letting your hand do the looking.You start to notice things: the tilt of a roof, the lines of a porch, the way light hits the edges of an old chimney. It's not just about drawing, it’s about seeing.

The Fontainebleau is one of the few places left where you can still feel what Miami was, and still is. Morris Lapidus and MiMo architecture were a big deal back in the 1950s, shaping a whole era of design that felt bold, playful, and full of life. The Fontainebleau has managed to hold onto that energy. It’s one of the last living examples of that style, and when you walk in, you get it. The curves, the drama, the intention. It still speaks that feel.