August was an empty slate stretching in front of me. Where was I supposed to go next with my life? What if I was the one who authors it, and not some other entity or force?

I came back from my artist residency in Gran Canaria full of inspiration. So I threw myself back into my life in Leipzig, where I found a new creative community filled with sensitive women who would become some of my best friends in the coming years.

My trip to the Ostsee at the beginning of the month was a wonderful and solitary experience that helped me heal from my recent breakup. I realized I also had outgrown a shared workspace I had been part of for many years, and so I resumed to set up my art studio at home instead.

In the cruelty of summer, and a newfound freedom to use public transport, my new relationship unfolded, but somehow it was fraught, like getting a plane off the ground. In a misguided attempt to overcome my fear of commitment, I was determined to do things differently this time, but scared of losing control, and at war with my own fear and desire.