Discovering My Creative Voice Through the Journey of Rusky Rose by Amy

A Little About Me

Hi, I’m Amy. Since this is my very first blog post, it feels right to start with who I am, where I came from, and how this little creative world of mine grew into something real.

I live in Minnesota with my husband and our two kids who are three and five. My husband and I both grew up in tiny towns in Iowa. We met in college and have basically been together since the night we met. We’re both nurses now. I did a short detour into speech pathology, but I eventually ended up back in nursing with him.

Life in the Trauma Hospital

We work in the busiest trauma hospital in the state. It’s a place that can take a toll on your mental health and also feel impossible to walk away from. There is something special about it. The people, the stories, the way you feel connected to each other.

He worked there long before I did, and when I started as a nurse in the fall of 2019, we fell into this rhythm together. Then 2020 arrived. Chaos in Minneapolis, chaos everywhere. We worked the exact same night shift schedule, twelve hour nights, while I was pregnant with our first baby.

I still remember coming home one morning and hearing my husband say that the higher ups had come to his unit and announced that his floor would be the first COVID unit for the entire hospital. Being pregnant, brand new to nursing, and living through a global crisis was terrifying. It was nothing like I imagined my first pregnancy would be.

Because of our schedules, because of COVID, and because life was simply upside down, we stayed in a night shift rhythm for months. We hardly saw family. We barely saw daylight. But I did find small pockets of space to create. I think I needed it.

Where My Creativity Started

Growing up, I was never a sports kid, even though small schools let you try everything. The county fair was my season. I lived for it. I showed sheep, which feels random to say now, but the part I really loved was the projects.

Woodworking, quilting, random crafts. Anything that let me build something out of nothing. I think that’s where the seed was planted for everything I do today.

As an adult, before kids, I kept that creative itch going with DIY projects around the house. Nothing huge, just things that made our home feel more like us.

Becoming a Mom and Finding Myself Again

After my daughter was born, I ended up staying home with her. It was never something I expected to do, but between COVID, the unknowns, and the reality of daycare costs, it made sense.

And like so many moms, I kind of lost myself for a while.

I started making digital art on my iPad. I downloaded Procreate and just played. I tried watercolor, acrylics, canvas art, anything that sparked something.

I still remember breastfeeding my son, sitting in a dark room while he slept, watching watercolor tutorials on my phone. I would send them to my husband because I was so amazed by what people could create.

It has been about five years of exploring different creative paths. Little experiments. A lot of learning. A lot of rediscovering who I am.

Falling in Love with Nature

I think my voice as a creative really started taking shape a year or so ago. I realized that I’m not a fine artist in the traditional sense. I don’t sit and draw detailed illustrations. What I am is endlessly fascinated by nature.

I could stare out the car window for hours, looking at colors and shapes and shadows. Going on walks is my favorite thing. The tiny details of leaves, grasses, bark, and seeds feel magical to me.

That feeling is the heart of Rusky Rose by Amy. My whole mission is to bring those quiet, organic textures indoors. I want to bring a little peace and calm into the spaces we spend our lives in. Life is busy. Life is loud. Nature is the one thing that pulls me out of my anxiety and makes me pause.

The Mediums That Shape My Work

To bring those textures to life, I’ve played with so many mediums. Botanical impressions. Photography. Cyanotypes. Scanned leaves and pressed plants. Layers and shadows and textures.

Sometimes I start with a plan. Sometimes the piece tells me what it wants to be. Life isn’t always planned, so I don’t think every design needs to be either.

Every collection I’ve created makes me fall more in love with this process. I feel like I’ve grown with each one. I’ve learned from so many other creatives in this community. The support is unreal and honestly one of the best parts of doing this.

Why I’m Starting This Blog

The truth is, I live in my head a lot. I have a lot of thoughts and I’m never totally sure if anyone needs to hear them, but I do know that getting them out helps me process who I am becoming.

If my words help someone else feel seen, inspired, or less alone, that’s even better.

My hope with this blog is to share pieces of my journey. Some posts might be tips and things I’ve learned about creating art and running a small creative business. Others might just be thoughts I need to get out into the world.

Either way, it feels good to have a place to put them. A place to look back on someday and see how far I’ve come.

Thanks for being here. I’m excited to see where this goes!