Weekly Message
April 25, 2026
Hi Reader!
I did something this week that scared the absolute hell out of me, and if you had ever told me I would do this, I would have responded, "Absolutely not!"
You see, I am afraid of heights - terrified, really.
And I should be specific.
I'm terrified of untethered heights.
I'm fine in an airplane, a high-rise building (as long as the window is not floor-to-ceiling glass), or even on a chairlift (as long as there is a safety bar).
I am not ok standing on a high dive, looking over the edge of a tall building, or a cliff.
Last week, I got a call from one of my college roommates, whom I have not seen in person since we graduated from Syracuse University in 1990.
She was going to Sedona, Arizona, for the week and asked if I'd like to join her for a few days. Of course, I said I couldn't go.
"I'm too busy."
"I'm in the middle of beta-testing a new art program."
And "I just got back from my cousin's reunion."
I had all the excuses, but my husband wasn't having it.
He overheard our Zoom call, butted in, and told Jen that I would be there.
He reminded me that I LOVE being in nature, that I hadn't seen Jen in decades, and that I would regret not going.
Of course, he was right.
So I met up with Jen in Sedona, and we started our first hike on Wednesday morning at the crack of dawn.
It felt so good - the weather was perfect, I was reconnecting with a part of me that had been dormant for quite a while, and it was Earth Day on top of it all.
A couple of hours in, there was a fork in the literal path. One trail would take us back to the trailhead, the other would take us to Devil's Bridge.
Devil's Bridge is a natural sandstone arch that is 54 feet (approx. 16 meters) high. It is gorgeous - absolutely stunning, and is perched about 400 feet (122 meters) up the side of a butte.
It's a bit of a challenging hike, particularly the last bit, but I knew that if we got up there, the view would be incredible.
However, I also knew that my fear of heights would not let me walk out onto that bridge. Jen felt the same way.
We decided to hike up as far as we could, and we would watch other people walk out on that ledge. Celebrate their courage and fearlessness. 💚
At first, my stomach was nervous as I watched.
People of all ages - some terrified, some unbothered, and some overly confident went right out on that rock formation. Untethered.
Every single one of them walked out and came back unharmed.
I watched with apprehension and a bit of envy.
And there was something else.
A yearning to let this fear go.
I've said "no" to so many opportunities in my life based on my fear of heights.
I've said "no" to many things in my life because of fears of all sorts of things.
There are relationships I have not developed, travels I have not done, even art techniques I haven't tried because I am afraid of one thing or another.
I'm 58 years old, and I don't want to experience the rest of my life based on the parameters my fears set for me.
And it just clicked for me.
I took a deep breath, handed my backpack to Jen, and got in line to take my turn on the bridge.
Jen was supportive but not on board. 😂
As my turn got closer, I felt the physiological symptoms of my fear of heights. The change in my breathing pattern, my legs felt like rubber bands, and sweat, a lot of sweat.
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And then the young guy before me came back from the bridge and said, "Breathe and smile."
I started walking slowly, talking to myself, saying "You can do this," and "You've got this," like a mantra.
Once I was off the relative safety of the butte and out on the bridge, I felt something change.
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I looked up instead of at my feet.
I took a very deep breath and smiled.
I walked out to the middle of the bridge - above the top of the arch - and turned to face my friend.
She got the shot.
I got the experience.
I had done something that I thought I was incapable of.
Something I thought I could NEVER do.
As the adrenaline ran through me, I felt courageous and accomplished!
And on that day, I told my fear of heights that I was the boss of my own life experiences.
It felt really good.
I didn't create a new video this week because I was on a different kind of creative journey - one that involved hiking boots instead of gel plates, red rock instead of painted papers, and a whole lot of fear I didn't expect to face.
But I have a video that feels perfect for this moment.
In it, I'm creating layered collage landscapes using scraps - building vistas that don't exist anywhere except in my imagination.
There's something about working this way, trusting your materials and your instincts to create something you couldn't have planned, that mirrors what happened on that bridge.
It takes courage to follow your intuition, and the payoff is almost always worth it.
This Week's Video
If you have a creative fear that's been setting the parameters on how you show up in your studio - maybe it's starting without a plan, or trying a technique that feels too advanced, or even finishing something you've been avoiding - I hope you'll think about telling that fear who's the boss.
Breathe and smile.
You've got this.
Happy belated Earth Day to you! 💚
xo,
Jackie
P.S. Because I'm curious (read: nosy), hit reply and tell me what fears hold you back creatively, if any. I read every response, and I'd love to hear your story.
P.P.S. Because you might be curious (read: nosy), here are a couple of trip pics for you!