A parade of Lilacs

katie’s thoughts from the
episode

While we were filming "A Parade of Lilacs" for Follow the Blooms, I had the joy of working with Gwyn Pevonka, an incredible local artist here in Spokane. Watching her create her art was like watching magic happen in real time. But the kind of magic that takes a lot of patience and digging (literally). 

Here’s what she does: every day, for months, she layers on thick swaths of paint, like frosting a cake you’re never quite allowed to eat. Then she digs into those layers, gouging out pieces that have piled up, all rich with color and texture. She cuts them up and reassembles them into something totally new. (I call this big bloom synergy!) 

Each petal of a flower she creates is made from layers and layers of color that had to dry, cure, and rest before they were ready to be cut and shaped into beauty. And as I look back at this episode, I realize there’s another lesson in all of it. 

HOW MANY TIMES DO WE WANT TO RUSH THE PROCESS? To skip the drying, the resting, the uncomfortable waiting for things to settle so they can become? 

Gwyn could have kept layering paint on top of paint, but if she hadn’t let each layer sit, breathe, and cure, those colors might have muddied. The whole thing could have been a mess instead of a work of art. 

SOMETIMES, MAYBE WE NEED TO LET THINGS REST. 

Sometimes, we need to step back before we know what we're building. 

Sometimes, we need to dig into what we’ve already made. Even the messy, “wrong” colors… to expose the raw beauty tucked underneath it all. 

If you could dig up and chop up the past, what would you find? Maybe some colors you wish you hadn’t picked, a few “what was I thinking?” moments. 

But even those bits and pieces usually turn into something beautiful when you stand back. Turns out, the stuff you thought was a total mess might just be the magic that makes the whole picture way cooler than you ever planned.

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE TO SEE HOW IT ALL CAME TOGETHER!