Slowing Down, Healing, and a Hummingbird Story

Spring is coming to an end and summer is beginning.

After focusing on healing this year, I’ll admit I was a bit nervous to start back up my show season. My year-plus of gut issues affected my confidence more than I expected, but I’m starting to see some progress.

My first big show back was the Clayton Art & Wine Festival. I was nervous going into it, but once I got there, it felt really good to be back in the groove.

It was wonderful seeing so many customers. It felt especially meaningful to reconnect with familiar faces — catching up, hearing your stories, and having those in-person conversations again is something I don’t take for granted.

Artist Lisa Ramos with a MONOLISA customer.

Seeing vendor friends, sharing stories, and simply laughing about life was not only great medicine, but also gave me the encouragement that I can do this — just at a slower pace.

Another big shift for me this year has been having my husband help me at the art shows — with driving, loading in, and loading out. That alone has changed everything for me, both physically and mentally. What used to feel overwhelming is now manageable.

It’s also given us something we didn’t really have before — more time together. In the past, I was often traveling and doing shows more independently, but now we’re sharing that experience. It’s been a really meaningful change, and one I’m incredibly grateful for.

At the same time, this year has looked a little different for me.

I’ve been slowing down and focusing on taking care of myself — and in that, I’ve been finding joy in the simple things again. I recently wrote more about balancing health challenges while running a handmade business, and this season has continued to teach me what that really looks like.

One of those moments has been watching a mother hummingbird build her nest right outside my bedroom window. It started on March 30th. I watched her lay her eggs and tend to them, and over the past few weeks, I’ve been able to watch the babies grow. I’ve been careful to keep my distance while capturing a few moments, not wanting to disturb her as she returns to feed them throughout the day.

Watching a mother hummingbird and her babies became one of the quiet gifts of this season.

Now I’m waiting for the moment they spread their wings and fly. I already know I’ll miss seeing them in the early mornings. It’s something I’ll always remember — especially during a time when I’ve been navigating my gut health. On the harder days, watching them often lifted my spirits and brought a sense of calm.

There’s something about watching that process that really stays with you. It’s quiet, it’s patient, and it happens in its own time — something I can relate to.

I’ve also been walking twice a day, which has been a big part of my healing. Seven years ago, I had to stop walking because of leg and hip pain. Now, after taking the time to step back and focus on my health, I can walk up to four miles again. I still can’t quite believe it.

Although I have to break up the miles throughout the day, I am grateful I can walk, see nature, and spend quality time with my husband. It has helped me after eating meals when I don’t always feel great afterwards. It feels like a miracle, really. The silver lining in dealing with my difficult gut issues gave me the gift of taking walks again.

Another part of healing has been having time to recover between shows. That space has helped my muscles and nervous system feel much more relaxed.

Artist Lisa Ramos with Samar - Owner of Perfumery by the Sea

In between, I’ve been slowly working on new designs — including a collection of hoop crystal titanium earrings that I’m hoping to release sometime in June. I’ve also been putting a lot of time into enhancing my website, refining it in a way that feels more aligned with where I am now, and sharing more openly about the realities of starting and running a business while navigating health challenges. It’s something I don’t see talked about often, especially in the handmade world — what it really takes to build a customer base and keep going.

This season has been a reminder that everything takes time.

And sometimes, the most important thing you can do is trust the process — even when it looks different than you expected.

In the coming months, I’ll be continuing to work with my doctors to better manage my gut health, including biofeedback testing and exploring additional medications. I’m hopeful to get more answers and will share more as I learn. I also hope that by sharing this, it can help others who may be navigating health or personal challenges while balancing a business and everyday life. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.