In Bloom Ink by Tiffany

Texas Wildflower Wonderland
Completed December 2024

I think now is a good time to share a bit of my story. The last two years have been a whirlwind…filled with doubts about my future as an artist, meeting my husband and getting married, walking through my mom’s illness and her passing, leaving Houston, and starting again.

In mid-2023, I bought Pro Panels with the hope of creating a more cohesive body of work, graduating into art festivals, and transitioning away from markets. A year before that, I had quit my teaching job to do art full time - a choice I still stand by. After ten years in the classroom, teaching through COVID, hybrid models, and overwhelming class sizes, I was completely burned out. Teaching was taking a toll on both my physical and mental health. But what I didn’t realize at the time was that the modeI I was following for my business, was also not sustainable.

By the end of 2023, I was still deeply burnt out. Markets every weekend left me with little time to actually paint. And when I did, I found myself confused about my artistic voice. I no longer resonated with the watercolor and ink process I had explored for three years. My work felt inconsistent…pieces created in the same medium, but stylistically scattered. I wondered, How would I ever get into professional art spaces if my work didn’t feel unified? So when the new year began, I gave myself permission to rest.
There is such stigma around rest. Everyone always has advice about what you “should” be doing…what routines you “should” have. But after everything, what I truly needed was quiet. I needed time to sit in the discomfort and feel into what was next. Rest is productive. And for some deep rest is imperative.

And I see now why. In March of 2024, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. At the time, I hadn’t yet started her heron mural, and I couldn’t have known the next five months would be the hardest of my life. Caring for her was exhausting, heartbreaking, and overwhelming. But it was also the most beautiful experience I’ve ever had. I am proud that I was with her so closely, caring for her with such ferocity. (Continued in comments)I

My Mother

This beautiful human being
My best friend

Late February our lives changed. Mom was having some leg pain and fatigue and went to her doctor. They ran several labs and tests really not sure what might be causing these mild and annoying symptoms. I vividly remember getting the call from my Mom early one Friday morning, patching in my sister for a group call, that some scans ordered by her P*P showed a partial “large”abdominal mass and an x-ray showed she had a lesion in her leg. I remember dropping to my knees in tears. Heartbroken. I knew then that “it” was stage 4. We just didn’t know what “it” was just yet.

March 8th my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 Clear cell Renal Cell Carcinoma. Clear cell is fast growing and aggressive and just in general kidney cancer is a beast. It’s also quite sneaky as I’ve learned many, like my mom, don’t have any symptoms until it’s already stage 4.

If you know my mom you know she’s an amazing mother. She’s always supported my sister and I in our endeavors…like helping me set up my classroom before the school year started, cleaning and organizing my classroom or painting murals…to helping me at my art markets even in 100 degree heat.

The last 5 months have been the absolute most challenging months of our lives. Between scans, biopsies, surgery, radiation, immunotherapy…to blood transfusions and emergency room visits…

Even now I am writing this from her hospital room after we called for an ambulance Saturday night.

We’ve been fighting this battle rather silently.
But as things continue to progress I felt called to share, as I know there are more people who know my mom who would appreciate knowing and to have the opportunity to pray for her.

She is a fighter. She is a warrior. Hold hope for us in your hearts 💜

We also have this link where we update on her journey. As well as other links for showing support.

https://linktr.ee/tammyzteam?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=e0a52c91-4a59-4546-918a-e9834cd4a275

Also
HOPE over fear
&
Cancer Sucks

All set up for the Houston Home & Garden Show this weekend at the NRG!

Friday 11am-7pm
Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 11am-6pm

Holly Jolly