The last two years have been a profound initiation for me — not in ways that are easily summarized, and not in ways that ask to be explained. Some chapters are meant to be felt, not shared in detail. What I can say is this: I walked through a season of deep inner darkness, and in doing so, learned to recognize light in a way I never had before.
For a long time, I believed strength meant holding on — staying in control, making sense of everything, pushing forward even when my body and spirit asked for rest. Life gently, and at times firmly, showed me another way. The invitation was not to fight or fix, but to surrender. To soften my grip. To trust that life could move through me rather than needing to be managed by me.
This shift did not happen all at once. It arrived in quiet moments — moments of listening, of allowing feelings to surface without judgment, of letting old identities dissolve. There was grief in that process, but also relief. When I stopped resisting what was falling away, I discovered a deeper sense of inner steadiness waiting underneath.
What emerged was not a louder or more forceful version of myself, but a calmer one. A more present one. Peace, I learned, does not come from having all the answers. It comes from being willing to stay open in uncertainty, trusting that clarity reveals itself in its own time.
One of the greatest gifts of this season has been sisterhood — relationships rooted in mutual respect, emotional honesty, and shared presence. There is something profoundly healing about being witnessed without needing to perform or explain. These connections reminded me that transformation does not happen in isolation; it unfolds in spaces where we feel safe to be fully ourselves.
It was from this space of surrender and renewal that her_phoenix_rising was born — not as a brand, but as a living reflection of transformation. A place where art, healing, and lived experience meet. Through this journey, I share glimpses of the unfolding process: the quiet moments, the growth, the return to self.
This season has deeply informed my art. I no longer create from urgency or striving, but from listening. Each piece holds traces of this journey — not as a story to decode, but as an invitation to feel, to pause, to remember one’s own inner light.
Transformation is not about becoming someone new. It is about allowing what is already true to rise to the surface. And when we stop gripping so tightly, life has a way of meeting us with exactly what we need.
If you feel called to walk alongside this journey, I invite you to connect with me on Instagram at @her_phoenix_rising, where I share reflections, art, and moments from this ongoing transformation.
With love, Marina