Our bodies have so much to tell us—where we hold tension, what hurts after hours of making, what feels tight or soft. This meditation guides you through a gentle full-body scan, not to fix problems, but to notice what's present. We'll develop body literacy so you can recognize what your creative practice asks of you physically and respond with practical care.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS → What might help that area feel more supported during creative work?

AFFIRMATION → I clear the path for what wants to emerge

WANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

Making with textiles connects you to something vast—humans across every culture and century have worked with fiber and fabric. You don't join this tradition by having a long line of quilting grandmothers. You join by pulling up a seat at the table and picking up a needle and thread. This meditation helps you recognize the knowledge already living in your hands, understand that textile wisdom is open-access, and feel your place in the universal human practice of making.

REFLECTION QUESTION → How does understanding textile work as open tradition change your relationship to making?

AFFIRMATION → I receive what was given freely / I share freely what I've learned

WANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

This guided mediation is a part of WONDER YEAR, a year-long exploration in building and sustaining our creative practice.

We’ll be moving through it together in real-time on the NOOK with live creative challenges, weekly reflections, journaling prompts, and more.

Here on SEAMSIDE, I’ll be sharing a new guided meditation each week for the next three months—thirteen in all.

My hope is that each one keeps you good company on your creative journey.

…

Many makers carry a quiet voice that says "I'm not good enough." This meditation helps you remember your inherent creative worthiness—not something earned through skill or output, but something that exists simply because you choose to show up. We'll reconnect with moments when creating felt natural, anchor belonging in your body, and recognize that your particular way of seeing matters.

REFLECTION QUESTION → Which moments of natural creative joy surfaced, and what do they reveal?

AFFIRMATION → I belong here / My hands know what to do

WANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

This guided mediation is a part of WONDER YEAR, a year-long exploration in building and sustaining our creative practice.

We’ll be moving through it together in real-time on the NOOK with live creative challenges, weekly reflections, journaling prompts, and more.

Here on SEAMSIDE, I’ll be sharing a new guided meditation each week for the next three months—thirteen in all.

My hope is that each one keeps you good company on your creative journey.

…

GETTING STARTED → Starting something new can bring up all kinds of questions. Do I really have time for this? Am I good enough? Is this selfish? This meditation creates space to acknowledge those doubts while establishing something foundational: you have full permission to be here. We'll walk a path through the seasons of creative practice, visualize the natural rhythm of beginning and deepening, and help you claim a guiding intention—a compass, not a destination—for the year ahead.

REFLECTION QUESTION → What quality or intention do you want to cultivate through this year of practice?

AFFIRMATION → I belong here / This time is mine

WANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

This episode offers a raw and honest examination of how family history research can reveal both inspiring stories and difficult truths about our past. My journey from discovering less-than-perfect Revolutionary War heroes to uncovering my ancestors' role as enslavers demonstrates why understanding our complete history—not just the comfortable parts—is essential for creating a more just and equitable future.

→ My tips for getting started with your family history
→ Learn more about the SOUTHERN WHITE AMNESIA
→ Curator page for the SWA collection
→ Get your copy of THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR NEXT QUILT
→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK
→ Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM

Step inside a packed gallery at the Southeastern Quilt & Textile Museum where I share the stories behind my SOUTHERN WHITE AMNESIA collection.

This isn't a high-polish artist talk—it's a raw, honest exploration of how I discovered my family's deep involvement in slavery and transformed that uncomfortable truth into quilts, dolls, and primary source historical documents.

This presentation demonstrates how textile work is uniquely positions to move into uncomfortable spaces and become a vehicle for historical reckoning and repair.

You'll also hear about my decision to donate 100% of proceeds to HBCU scholarships and discover practical frameworks for approaching inherited trauma through the metaphor of "tending" rather than "mending" historical wounds.

→ Curator page for the SWA collection
→ Get your copy of THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR NEXT QUILT
→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK
→ Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM

Just a note to let you know I haven’t forgot about you <3 the SEAMSIDE sabbatical needed to be a little longer than I expect, but it’s coming back soon! Listen to hear what all I’ve been up to the last twelve months.

→ Get your copy of THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR NEXT QUILT
→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK
→ Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM

In this special episode of SEAMSIDE, you'll hear reflections from a variety of community members who found connection, creative renewal, and unexpected insights while stitching side by side at our HUDDLE retreat. Working with textiles alongside others unlocks family stories and personal histories – there's something almost magical about the way fabric becomes a bridge across time and relationships.

WANT TO JOIN US FOR THE NEXT HUDDLE?

Learn more about our upcoming retreat here. And you can always email me at [email protected] for more information.

→ Get your copy of THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR NEXT QUILT
→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK
→ Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM

Textile artist Heidi Parkes reflects on her transformative 13-month residency at Milwaukee's historic Pfister Hotel, discussing how the experience deepened her artistic practice, expanded her community connections, and prepared her for her upcoming mid-career retrospective exhibition.

What happens when an artist's private practice meets the public eye for an entire year? Fresh from completing her prestigious residency at Milwaukee's historic Pfister Hotel, Heidi Parkes returns to SEAMSIDE to unpack what it was like to work in full public view for thirteen months. From unexpected revelations about her own work to the delicate dance of public engagement, Heidi shares how this residency in a busy hotel studio reshaped both her work and her perspective.

In this SEAMSIDE conversation, Heidi and I explore:
① how public interaction informs the work we make
② how to ask meaningful questions when you step into a gallery
③ why she’s so glad to be back home

You can hear Part 1 of our conversation here.

→ Get your copy of THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR NEXT QUILT
→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK
→ Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM

I felt an immediate resonance when Demetri’s work first popped up on my screen. Here were these meticulous, vibrant prints of vintage photographs of ancestors, bedazzled in sequins and beads and quartz crystals. So we struck up a chat and over the last few months have really nurtured a budding friendship. It was over the course of my conversations with Demetri that I knew it was the right time to bring SEAMSIDE back.

In this SEAMSIDE conversation, Demetri and I explore:
① how our identities can shift and expand over time
② why we need power objects like boxing gloves now more than ever
③ why he covers the eyes of his ancestors in his most recent work

WHY LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE?

In this conversation, Braxton reveals how personal identity shapes artistic practice, discussing his evolution from painting to creating intricate beaded boxing gloves and textile works that honor ancestors. His work navigates complex histories while seeking paths toward healing and understanding, offering valuable insights into how artists can address difficult histories while maintaining hope for the future.

REFLECTION PROMPT

How do you navigate complex or difficult aspects of your family's history while maintaining connection to your past, your upbringing, and your ancestors?

OTHER LINKS

→ Get your copy of THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR NEXT QUILT
→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK
→ See images and more at the EPISODE WEBSITE
→ Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM