I find discord and discomfort in my morning ritual. I read articles online from the New York Times and of various writers I follow on Substack. Absorbing electronically served up data. My habitual practice of information overindulgence serves as an unsettling force of inspiration for my creative endeavors. As a method for inviting room to think and recalibrate while working, I created a forced container for my work. Stitch & So: sewing everyday worry into joy, is made with the use of handcrafted watercolor paint and paper, needle and Sashiko thread. Initially met with challenges and setbacks, because paper is nowhere near as forgiving as fabric. I persisted nonetheless. First I paint. Then, I punch holes. Finally, I stitch. The fluid nature of watercolor meets the fixed force of thread. Each stitch serves as a testament to intentionality as the needle makes a sound popping through the paper. Forcing watercolor and thread to live in harmony allows for a relationship between fluidity and structure, and a blend of spontaneity and precision. Using a needle and thread stemmed from my desire to explore the actual physicality of sewing stitches vs. drawing stitches. The tactile quality of cotton rag paper and cotton thread is extraordinarily soothing in a way I could not have imagined when I began the work. Stitch & So has become a physical manifestation of the complexities of the everyday struggle humanity faces, and also of my personal weaving of too-muchness into bite sized beauty. Creating daily is as necessary as daily digital reading is terrifying. Each stitched piece offers hope.