I'm Jealous

Girl Crush Tea Party is a 1-Day workshop designed by my talented friend Danielle, a.k.a The Jealous Curator, to connect creative women to each other in real life. It's about getting vulnerable and bonding over cupcakes. And maybe getting a little jealous. My jealousy started as Tara and I drove from where we were staying in downtown Austin, out towards our Tea Party host and artist Alyson Fox's house in Hill Country. We took a windy highway through quaint small towns selling peaches by the roadside and past expansive landscapes that served as a playground for deers. But when found our way up Alyson's gravel driveway and arrived to her modern home on a hill I was sucker punched with jealousy.

You see... I have this dream house in my mind. I call it Kaftan House. It's a glass house nestled in the country. It has concrete floors and modern furnishings perfectly contrasted with ancient textiles, folk art from around the world, and layered rugs. I call it Kaftan House because in it I wear kaftans and gracefully float from the kitchen to my studio where I create art. Alyson Fox wasn't wearing a kaftan but she had built the home of my dreams. You guys, her house has an outdoor shower. It just doesn't get sexier than that. And she's a prolific artist for a living. And she was wearing the coolest geometric leather cuff. She's clearly living the dream, totally killing it, and I was totally jealous.

The day started with me and a dozen or so other artists – photographers, painters, and writers, all of whom I became jealous of throughout the day – gathering around and making small talk with our coffee and tea. We shared a bit about ourselves and launched into our first exercises of the day. We began to uncover and share clues that revealed our own insecurities. Before long it was time for lunch, cooked by Alyson herself. Over smoked salmon and roasted potatoes we bonded over stories of who we are and where we come from. From the living room I watched hawks circle the open blue sky and thought "This is it."

After lunch we gathered back around. Our final exercise of the day was to list who we're jealous of and why. Simple enough – I had been swimming in jealousy all day long. I was jealous of Alyson Fox. I mean gah, even her name is rad. And Alyson is killing it – she literally lives in a glass house in God's Country and has her art on everything from chairs in West Elm to coffee mugs and plates by Ink Dish. So needless to say, it was transforming when she shared who she was jealous of and why. My jealousy turned inside out on itself and suddenly shifted to gratitude. We took an intermission for cupcakes and before long the sun began to lower itself in the sky. We wrapped up our day and as I watched the Texas sunset from Alyson's back porch I found myself wanting the life I already have.