Petra Monaco

hey there, It’s April, and here’s something I didn’t expect to say this year. I didn’t set any goals. No word of the year. No carefully mapped-out plan. No moment in January where I declared who I was becoming and how I was going to get there. Just… nothing. And surprisingly, everything is still moving. For a long time, I believed that goals were the structure holding everything together. That if I didn’t define where I was going, I’d drift. That progress required clarity, direction, and...

Hey there, This one started with a question I’ve asked myself more times than I’d like to admit. Am I doing it again? That moment where you’ve already gone all in. You’ve built the thing, invested the time, learned what you needed to learn, and put it out into the world. And then, about a month or two in, you start to feel that slight misalignment. Not enough to quit, but enough to notice. Here’s where I started: I went into this thinking that if I showed up consistently and followed through,...

hey there, A week ago, I had surgery. And the weirdest part is… it doesn’t feel like I did. There’s no big emotional moment. No dramatic shift. Just small reminders that I need to slow down. Like not being able to lift Remi (which he strongly disagrees with), or catching myself before I move too fast. I’m up. I’m moving. I’m taking the dogs out every couple of hours, but I am also sitting a lot, and this has been a bigger adjustment. I’m used to doing, kinda always on the go, being out on the...

Hey there, So this one didn’t start on the trail. It started in a recliner, which is not exactly where I usually get my best ideas. Normally, it’s movement, dogs, dirt, and a little bit of chaos. This time, it’s been stillness whether I like it or not. And the idea I had about “I’ll just rest for a bit and then get back to normal,” and what actually showed up this week? Not even close to the same thing. Here’s where I started: I went into this thinking recovery would be pretty...

Hey there, So this one started on the trail. But the trail version of this idea and what actually showed up on the table? Not the same thing. Here’s where I started: Initial motif list: mushrooms frog snail ferns raindrops Solid. Predictable. A little too clean, if I’m being honest. It looked like a forest-after-rain collection. It didn’t feel like one. What Was Missing When I got back and actually sat with it, the problem was obvious. Everything I picked was a “main character.” Nothing was...

hey there, Something has shifted, and I didn’t see it coming. I’ve been walking these same trails for years. Same paths. Same woods. Same rhythm. But recently, something changed in how I’m seeing everything. I used to go out looking for something specific. A shape I could burn. A branch with the right curve. A texture that would translate well onto wood. It was always about finding the thing I could take back and turn into a finished piece. Now? I’m not looking for single things anymore. I’m...

Hey there, For a long time I kept my work very separate. Different projects had their own spaces, their own lanes, their own audiences. It made sense structurally, but it didn’t actually reflect how I live and create. Because the truth is… my creative life has never been one thing. Some days I’m burning wood.Some days I’m sketching patterns.Some days I’m hiking and thinking through ideas.And some days I’m writing about the whole messy process of building a creative life. All of those things...

The trail was quiet this morning. One of those foggy mornings where the mountains disappear into the clouds and the whole world feels softer. When it’s like that, I usually walk more slowly. Not because I have to, but because it feels like the trail is asking you to pay attention. That’s been the theme of my week. Paying attention. Not to what I already know how to do, but to what I don’t. This week in the studio I wasn’t burning wood. I was sketching. Actual pencil sketches. Rough shapes....