Letting Go And Growth

Sometimes growth is about what we release rather than what we create.

On the Emotional Side of Growth

Growth is often described as something active — learning, adding, expanding, making more. But in my experience, growth is just as much about what we release as what we create.

In the studio, letting go isn’t always visible. It happens quietly: a design set aside, a technique no longer needed, a piece returned to its drawer instead of placed on the bench again. These moments don’t feel dramatic. They feel thoughtful. Sometimes tender.

As I’ve been working through Farewell, Old Friends, I’ve spent a lot of time with pieces that once held my full attention. They were important teachers. They carried me through seasons of learning, curiosity, and persistence. Letting them go doesn’t mean they no longer matter — it means their work with me is complete.

There is an emotional weight to releasing work you’ve lived with for a long time. Each piece carries not just metal and stone, but memory — the day it finally worked, the frustration before it did, the quiet satisfaction of learning something new. Saying goodbye to that is not about loss; it’s about acknowledgment.

 

Letting Go Makes Room for Clarity

Letting go softens the noise in the studio and creates space — not just physically, but mentally. Space to listen more closely to what feels true now. Space to notice which ideas keep returning, and which no longer ask to be made again.

It also makes room for trust. Trust that growth doesn’t erase the past — it builds upon it. Every piece I release carries something forward, even if it no longer stays with me.

There is a quiet relief in acknowledging when something has served its purpose. In recognizing that holding on, indefinitely, isn’t always an act of care. Sometimes care looks like release.

As I continue forward, I’m learning that letting go is not an ending. It’s a widening. A deep breath. A pause that allows something new to enter — even if I don’t yet know what shape it will take.

Filled with Gratitude

For now, I’m grateful for the space. For the lessons. And for the gentle reminder that growth often asks us to loosen our grip before we can move ahead. When pieces have taken so much time and soul to produce, letting go can be very emotional. But it can also be liberating and cleansing. A fresh start unencumbered, yet educated, by the past. 

 

 

Moving Forward

As part of this season of letting go, the Farewell, Old Friends offering will remain open through December 31. After that, the majority of pieces on my website will be permanently retired. If you’d like to spend a little time with this chapter before it closes, you can find the work here: Farewell, Old Friends.

Thank you for walking this journey with me.