Intentional Simplicity LLC

04/06/2026

Liminal Space: There is a quiet stage of life that does not have a clear name. It returns every now and then. It is the space between who you were and the life you are building, but have not fully arrived to yet.
From the outside, it can look like uncertainty. Too many moves, too many ideas, too many changes, too many questions. From the inside, it often feels like standing in the middle of your own forest, slowly deciding what stays, what goes, what gets decomposed, and what you want to build anew with your own roots.
In this stage, you may find yourself thinking about home more deeply. Not just where you live, but where you return to. Where your things live. Where your mind can rest. Where your creativity can spread out. Where you can hear yourself rest, breathe, feel, and think. Home becomes less about location and more about permission to exist in your own awareness, time, and space.
You may also start to realize that many of the decisions in front of you are not really about jobs, cities, or relationships. They are about how you want to live. How much space you need. How much independence you need. How much quiet you need. How much movement you need. How much meaning you need in your work. How much beauty you want around you. How often you want to start over. How often you want to return.
This stage can feel confusing because there is no clear path and no one can tell you what the right answer is. You are no longer following a map. You are slowly drawing one, sometimes in pencil, sometimes in ink, sometimes erasing entire sections and starting again.
Trust that as you create, destroy, and redesign within this space, nothing has gone amiss outside of you. You are not late. You are not lost. You are in the part of life where you begin to build a life that actually fits your soul.
With Intention, Sarafina

03/29/2026

The Intentional Simplicity Space: Moving between places, adjusting to new rooms, new light, new sounds, new rhythms. ✨
As I travel and rest in wellness based homes on Airbnb, I become very aware of space. While this home is not mine, I learn to make space for myself wherever I am in the world.
A part of my art based research process is not just making art, but creating space to notice the self. To observe how I move through environments, how I settle, how I create, how I rest, how I become.
This morning while meditating, I noticed my shadow on the floor. It looked calm, soft, almost like it was resting. The sun was doing most of the work. The light came in at the perfect angle and made this image possible. All I did was notice and capture it.
Sometimes life is not asking you to do more.
It is asking you to notice more.

Light on the floor.
A quiet room.
My hand becoming a part of a space for a moment.
This is how creativity often arrives. Not as pressure or productivity, but as play, shadow, curiosity, and presence.
Intentional simplicity is about creating enough space in your life to actually see what is already there. To notice the light. To notice your hands. To notice yourself.
I have a very unusual job. I get to be an artist, a creative researcher, a wellness based therapist, a thinker, and a wanderer all at the same time.
My work is about creating space. Sitting in the light. Noticing what appears and transforming it into something that might help someone else notice themselves too.

01/14/2026

Nature is Healing: Nature does not rush its becoming.
The birds move when it is time and do not question the sky. It trusts the air will meet its wings time and time again.

Let your nervous system remember what it feels like to be carried.

Nature reminds the body how movement can be simple, supported, and free.
Nothing here asks you to prove your worth or hurry your healing.
Let the horizon remind your body what steady expansion feels like.
Notice that nature is doing the work with you.

12/17/2025

Why Your Narrative Matters

Illustration by Sarafina N. Arthur-Williams.A visual reflection on narrative meaning and how overwhelming experiences shape memory without defining the whole story. Trauma Is Part of the Human Story, Not the Headline Every human life contains rupture. Moments when something happens too fast, too suddenly, or without consent. These experiences overwhelm the nervous system and interrupt the natural flow of meaning....

Trauma Is Part of the Human Story, Not the Headline Every human life contains rupture. Moments when something happens too fast, too suddenly, or without consent. These experiences overwhelm the nervous system and interrupt the natural flow of meaning. Trust that these moments matter. They shape us,....

09/07/2025

Love keeps teaching me.
It teaches me that healing is about remembering who I am.
Love teaches me to continue choosing softness when the world pushes hardness.
Love teaches me to trust my own rhythm over the stories I was handed.
Now I am stepping into my research phase of my PhD, and once again, love teaches me that every page I write, every conversation I hold, every piece of art I create is a way of insisting that love belongs in all spaces, including academic spaces.
My research is love work.

I have been preparing for this chapter, and I am ready to let love lead.

08/09/2025

Organic Rainbow Moment: Heartbreak changes you. It does not just hurt. It shifts the way you see the world.
It can strip away illusions you did not even know you were living in
and teach you to trust what you feel before you are told what to think.
✨Something broke your heart, but it fixed your vision.
You stopped mistaking survival for love.
You stopped calling harm “home.”
Grief turned you toward what is real.
✨Pain is complicated.
It can sharpen your sight while dulling your understanding of love.
You learn to read danger
but forget how to trust the warmth.
✨Healing asks for balance.
It is remembering that safety and love can exist together.
That trust is not a gamble with the right people.
That love, real love, never asks you to shrink.
✨Heartbreak is not just pain.
It is a recalibration.
It is the moment your vision clears.

Comfort is nice, but it is not enough.
Choose the kind of love your whole self can rest in.
And trust that clarity is its own kind of love.

03/28/2025

Nature is Healing: Flight offers a literal shift in perspective. What seems overwhelming from the ground can look small and distant from above. Similarly, emotional challenges can feel all-encompassing until we take a step back.

Consider how your perspective shifts when you detach from immediate stress. What insights become clearer? Can you view yourself and your experiences with gentle curiosity rather than self-criticism?

Reflection Question: How might a “bird’s-eye view” change how you see your current situation?

12/27/2024

As we step into a new year, I am giving myself permission to slow down and truly listen to the needs of my body and mind.

This journey is about nurturing my nervous system, prioritizing rest, and finding meaningful ways to reconnect with myself and the world around me.

For me, 2025 is all about living with intention and embracing the full range of my emotions. If this resonates with you, do you best to rest, grow, and honor what feels authentic to you.

🌟How are you nurturing yourself as we transition into this next chapter? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Here are the principles guiding my year ahead, and I hope they inspire you too:

🌟 Mindfulness in Small Moments
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be complicated. I’ve found it in deep breaths before starting a session or quiet moments of reflection. These small pauses remind me that I am here and enough.

🌟 Rest as Radical Self-Care
Rest isn’t optional; it’s essential. This year, I’m reclaiming rest as a radical act of self-care—whether it’s sleeping in, stepping away from work, or simply allowing myself to just be. Rest is now non-negotiable.

🌟 Intentions Over Resolutions
I’m choosing intentions—gentle reminders of how I want to feel and grow. Unlike rigid resolutions, intentions give me space to approach myself with kindness and grace.

🌟 Empathy and Inclusivity
I’m inspired by the beauty of diversity and the power of listening deeply. This year, I want to show up with empathy and help create spaces where everyone feels seen and valued.

🌟Creativity as Connection
Engaging in creative pursuits—whether through art, journaling, or even rearranging my space—reminds me of my aliveness. Creativity grounds me and lets me express my joy, pain, and everything in between.

11/06/2024

Organic Rainbow Moment: To Black women,

We often carry the weight of the world, balancing our dreams, responsibilities, and the expectations placed upon us. But remember this—rest is not a setback. It is a radical act of self-love and preservation.

In a world that constantly demands perfection, let your authenticity shine. You don’t have to be perfect to be worthy. You are a blessing, your presence is essential, and you are profoundly loved just as you are.

Take a moment to prioritize your heart. Give yourself permission to pause, breathe, and simply be.

11/06/2024

I feel the weight of what it means to be a Black woman in moments like these.

Kamala, I feel your pain. I want to offer you a hug, a warm meal, and a space to rest. A place where you can simply sit, be held in love, and be honored—genuinely, with kindness and humility.

So many of us pour our hearts into our work, showing up for others, even as we face the unyielding challenges of a world that seeks to erase our stories. The fight to hold space for our truth is exhausting.

To truly make change, we must change the way we approach it. We must see each other, hear each other, and grant ourselves the grace to be real. To acknowledge our humanity. To embrace moments of silence, moments where we can just be a beautiful soul.

Kamala, this moment is for you. For all of us who navigate the complexities of being Black women—you are deserving of emotional rest, grace, and patience.

11/05/2024

In this post, I share my story, on the mental health challenges I faced as a student unmasking the athlete, from performance anxiety to burnout and identity struggles and how positive psychology helped me embrace my true self. I'll also talk about how my focus on mindfulness, art, and spirituality helped me integrate my self. A few weeks ago, I received a message that I was not expecting —my high school was honoring me by inducting me into their Hall of Fame for Women's Basketball....

In this post, I share my story, on the mental health challenges I faced as a student unmasking the athlete, from performance anxiety to burnout and identity struggles and how positive psychology helped me embrace my true self. I’ll also talk about how my focus on mindfulness, art, and spirituality...

10/01/2024