THE ART OF EMBRACING THE UNEXPECTED

 

“Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life,” R.I. Fitzhenry once said… and the more I live and create, the more I feel the truth in that. Life is anything but predictable. We make plans, set goals, map out the weeks and years ahead, and try our best to stay on track… but somehow, God always seems to have a different idea. And if we’re being honest, that might just be the most beautiful part.

Imagine for a moment if life went exactly as planned. No twists, no sudden detours, no unexpected encounters or opportunities showing up at just the right or wildly inconvenient time. Wouldn’t it all get a little dull? A little too perfect to feel real? In the same way a story loses its spark when you already know the ending, life loses its flavor when everything is certain. It’s the mystery, the not-knowing, the surprise of it all that makes things meaningful. The unknown is where life blooms… not in the carefully scheduled, but in the in-between moments we never saw coming.

As a creative, I experience this mystery almost daily. When I sit down to design, whether it’s a piece of art, a logo, a book cover, or a digital sketch, I might start with a vision in mind. I might have a plan, a mood, a color palette… but somewhere along the way, something shifts. The design starts to breathe on its own. It takes a different turn, softens in areas I didn’t expect, or bursts into something bolder than I had imagined. What I end up with often surprises even me.

There’s a quiet magic in that… in creating something that doesn’t look exactly like the version in my head, but somehow feels more alive. Each finished piece becomes a mix of thought, emotion, timing, and something else I can’t quite name. It’s like a dance with the unknown… part instinct, part imagination, part surrender. And even when the process feels unsure, the outcome almost always carries a beauty I didn’t plan for.

I think life is like that too. We don’t need to have it all figured out. We just need to keep showing up with open hands, with curiosity, with courage, and a little faith. Sometimes things don’t go the way we hoped… but other times, they turn out far better than we dreamed. The breathtaking parts of life are often the ones we didn’t see coming… the unplanned detours, the chance encounters, the work that unfolds better than we envisioned.

So here’s to the mystery, the unpredictable, the unplanned. Here’s to designing, living, and dreaming without all the answers… and still making something beautiful.