Miller September 2026 Monthly Update
A Different Kind of Blog Update
This blog update is going to be a little different.
I'm mentally in a transition period right now as I figure out what I want my next topics to be. The changes are happening slowly, so the next week or two may involve some rambling, some help with editing, and hopefully some actual writing somewhere in there.
I'm trying to give myself permission to let that process be slow rather than forcing everything into a neat schedule.
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This month went by with so much happening. From the Artist Studio/Craft Fair on September 5th, to the TRE Art Show on the 17th, and ATC events on the 13th and 25th—we somehow managed to fit quite a bit into one month.
Not bad for two people who currently aren't able to walk or drive ourselves to these things!
A huge thank-you to our friends the Roths, Candice, and my dad for helping drive us around over the past couple of months. We genuinely could not have made it to many of these events without you.
September Was Packed
September was busy, and it went by incredibly quickly. Unfortunately, the end of the month also brought one of our harder downturns.
For about three days, we mostly stayed in bed. We napped, stared at nothing, or had shows playing in the background that we barely registered. There was very little interest in art or activities, and almost no energy to do anything with the interest we did have.
Then came a week of cloudy, rainy weather, which definitely didn't help.
Sometimes you simply have to accept that your body and brain are calling for a shutdown. So instead of fighting those few lost days, we're trying to use them as information. They reminded us that we're entering the part of the year where we need to slow down and prepare differently.
Entering Our Winter Phase
We're starting to slip into our winter routine—the time of year when getting out of the house before 11 AM is probably not happening, and four functional hours in an entire day can feel like an extremely successful day.
We're trying not to completely shut down for long stretches this winter, though.
There are some things we're actually looking forward to: getting the fireplace going, making hot cocoa, piling up blankets, and creating a cozy little nest in front of the fire.
Winter can be one of our hardest times of year, so we're trying to focus on the small things that make it more bearable—and maybe even enjoyable during our struggles.
We'll see how well we fare this winter!
We've Updated the Website Again!
(And by we...I mean just me)
If you didn't notice, I've updated the website again!
Hopefully, the navigation is getting a little smoother and it makes more sense where things are located. If you run into anything confusing, broken, or difficult to find, PLEASE let us know! We'd much rather know about it so we can fix it.
I'll also be continuing to flesh out the website and give it a lot more activity and information over time.
That said, at the rate we're currently able to tackle everything, expect the fully fleshed-out version to be much closer to the end of 2027. There is a LOT I want to do, and we're working through it one piece at a time.
For current events and upcoming activities, check the front page of our website. That's going to be the easiest place for me to keep those updates current—and the easiest place for you to find them.
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So...What Did We Actually Make This Month?
Despite all the shutdowns, exhaustion, and everything else going on, we still managed to make some things!
John Made in September 2026
Michelle Made in September 2026-
Not bad huh? We've been digging more into the chosen art media and tools lately. Seeing the ranges of what we can and want to accomplish.
Looking Toward October
Wow.
A lot happened this month, and somehow it also feels like not that much happened because of all the time we lost to shutdowns.
October is already packed with activities and events we're expecting to attend, so we're hoping we can keep up while also managing the depression and constant physical pain that can flare up.
If we suddenly have to cancel or reschedule something, there's a good chance we're dealing with a pretty significant pain day—or one of those mornings where we wake up already crying from how bad things feel.
We're working on taking better care of ourselves so those days happen less often. But with PTSD nightmares and everything else that can come along with them, there's only so much preparation that can be done.
I'm also adjusting to a new medication that has affected some of my thinking and memory processes. There are things that used to feel easily accessible that currently feel muted or harder to reach. So, in some ways, I'm learning how to function again in a slightly different mental landscape.
It's frustrating sometimes, but I'm trying to give myself time to figure it out rather than expecting myself to immediately know how to navigate it.
Thank you for your patience as I do that.
And thank you for continuing to follow along with us—through the art, the events, the website changes, the productive days, the shutdowns, and all the weird in-between parts.
We're still here. We're still making things.
And we're still figuring out what comes next.
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