One of my favorite experiences with inspiration is captured in this painting and my special relationship with Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

In 2017, the New York Times “Modern Love” column posted her essay, "You May Want To Marry My Husband.” Her words where a poignant tribute to the love she shared with her husband Jason. It went viral and found its way to me.

I was touched by the candor, humor, and grace she showed as ovarian cancer would soon take her life. Upon reading her letter I wished I knew her. Her voice just sounded like it would understand mine.

A few months later my son was assigned her Textbook for one of his media classes. He called me with great enthusiasm. Her words and style reminded him of me and he thought I should find a way to work with her. Weird her work crossed his path, weirder we had the same thought, and sad because I knew she had recently died.

I read the book and became captivated by her energy. I felt an unusual kinship to this woman I had never met. Her talent was her ability to make the ordinary extraordinary. Mine seemed to be it’s companion, making the extraordinary ordinary.

Everyone has energetic gifts. Think gut, intuition, imagination, creativity, serendipity, and inner knowing. Mine are fairly well developed. Sometimes that includes direct channeling. It did with Amy. She inspired each element of this piece.

She loved anagrams and acronyms. Her The Book of Eleven acknowledges the number and its magic. The phrase that came through clearly to me was “Love. Love you. You. Be you. Be.” Read: LUV. LUV U. U. B U. B = eleven characters.

She was also known for her yellow umbrella, a signature prop from her “The Beckoning of Lovely” project. To paint one, I figured a cocktail umbrella would work and I knew I had one. I found it next to a set of JASON coasters…

Oddly, I did actually meet him. He was standing next to me at the airport. I was getting ready to board the plane for my SXSW panel. The timing was uncanny. Years of hard work culminating for me into a very public launch. I was feeling it all - excited, nervous, scared, thrilled. Seeing him felt like a hug from her.

I felt safe...