July somehow felt long and flew by at the same time. I can’t explain it, but I’m not complaining. Now that stress isn’t ravaging my central nervous system anymore, I’ve found myself settling into a pace that feels like retirement without actually being retired.
Resort life is my best life.
I get to take my time and appreciate the little routines that make living in the desert therapeutic. Speaking of the desert, I’ve easily adjusted to summer where 94°F is considered the low and it’s all because I’ve always been a morning person. By 8:30 a.m. I’ve already finished everything outdoors, including my favorite life hack: placing my Sam’s Club and Walmart pickup orders so they’re loaded into my trunk before most people have finished their first cup of coffee.
A Month of Creative Milestones
The biggest highlight of July was finally teaching the first class in my Writing Workshop Series at The Healing Shoppe in Upland. Months of planning turned into reality, and two students officially started their writing journey with me. Watching them take the first steps toward becoming published authors reminded me exactly why I wanted to teach in the first place.
At the same time, Baroque Medusa Media slowed down just enough after wrapping up the editing, review, and publishing of Collin J. Rae’s latest books that I could return to creating visual art. I completed two new pieces, Vajine Springs and Queen’s Procession, and finally shared something I’d kept to myself, many of my artworks begin with an original photograph of my own body. Seven pieces so far have started with a photograph of my vulva before being transformed through photography and digital manipulation into something entirely new. It’s something I document on baroquemedusa.com, even if I choose not to make it part of the conversation on social media.
Looking Ahead to the Rest of 2026
The best part about July is that it left me with more ideas than I can keep up with. New projects keep showing up at the perfect time. Now it’s time to get everything out of my head, onto paper, and start plotting the rest of 2026. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that everything always seems to fall into place when I stay creative and keep moving forward. So here’s to more morning adventures, more art, more writing, more swimming, more weird ideas, and officially entering my “Medusa Prescribes Herself to Have More Fun” era.
LFG babes!
