Colorful handmade greeting cards featuring leaf designs with inspirational words, decorated with paint splatters and embellishments, including one with the phrase "Be Fearless."

The Practice, The Philosophy, and the Stories That Follow

In a world that moves fast, scrolls endlessly, and celebrates constant output, The RIPPLE Practice™ offers something quieter. Slower. Truer. It is a presence-based practice rooted in small acts of handmade generosity.

This isn’t about random acts of kindness left anonymously. This is about connection—honest, human, eye-to-eye.

A handwritten note. A tiny painting. A token of appreciation. Made by hand. Given in person. Offered from the heart.

The RIPPLE Practice™

A presence-based approach to meaningful connection

  • A stylized black and white letter R with horizontal lines on the left side, divided by a vertical line, with the word REFLECT in blue across the middle.

    Reflect

    Begin within. What are you carrying? What energy, emotion, or intention do you bring to this moment?

  • Black and white sketch of a fingerprint scanner with the word 'IDENTIFY' in blue to the right.

    Identify

    Name the resistance. What's getting in the way of making? Fear? Perfectionism?Your unrelenting inner critic?

  • Play button with black and white polka dot design and the word 'PLAY' in blue text.

    Play

    Give yourself permission to be your three-year-old self. Explore. Make marks. Be curious. Be free!

  • A black and white stylized flower with a heart-shaped petal and the word 'PERSONALIZE' in blue across the middle.

    Personalize

    Infuse your tokens with intention. A word, a color, a memory—make it yours before you give it away.

  • A line drawing of a glass with a plant inside it, accompanied by the text "LET GO" in blue.

    Let go

    Release attachment. Offer the token without needing anything in return. Making it was a gift. Let that be enough.

  • Black circular brush stroke with the word 'EMBRACE' in blue capital letters in the center.

    Embrace

    You came seeking to make something perfect to hold and discovered the beauty of simply playing and giving.

Watch the video and download this free workbook

Since 2017, I’ve been handing out small, handmade tokens of appreciation—each one a quiet reminder that someone is seen, valued, and appreciated.

Along the way, I noticed a pattern in how I create. A rhythm. A process I kept following without realizing it. That process became The RIPPLE Practice™.

This video is the story of how I found language for something deeply lived—and how that process evolved into a free, printable workbook designed to help you move through your own creative hesitation with presence, kindness, and trust.

This free workbook is more than a download—it’s a companion for anyone who’s ever felt creatively stuck, hesitant to start, or unsure how to reconnect with themselves.

Get Your FREE Workbook
A woman in a white shirt working on an art project in a studio, holding a painted piece with a flower design. The table in front of her has various art supplies, including painted cards, leaves, and bottles of paint. The background shows shelves with art materials and supplies.

Why This Practice Matters

In a culture that often feels disconnected and performative, The RIPPLE Practice™ offers a return to authentic human connection.

It’s not about being artistic or having special skills—it’s about being willing to show up as yourself and offer something real.

Each time you practice these six steps, you:

  • Develop deeper self-awareness

  • Overcome creative blocks and perfectionism

  • Strengthen your capacity for generosity

  • Create genuine moments of connection

  • Shift from product-focused to process-focused creating

  • Build confidence in your ability to make a difference through play and presence

The ripples from these small acts extend far beyond what you can see. But the most important ripple is the one that happens within you—the growing sense that you have something valuable to offer, exactly as you are.

The Practice in Community

  • The memory of those who showed up—their faces, reflections, oh's and awe's over the power of texture. It was real, in the moment goodness.

    Melissa, Ripple Room Participant

  • I gained the feel of light and joy of playing with colors and being in company with soul mates.

    Tajana Ida Feher, Ripple Room Participant

  • Being in the presence of other humans creating in the present moment means a lot to me. I always feel soft and calm during these sessions.

    Cole Johnson, Ripple Room Participant

  • I thought the collaborative process was beautiful—it showed that you have less control than you think, and that the process was adaptable. I felt more confident going into it myself after the group project.

    Anna Maria Brodkey, In-person gathering participant

  • I will carry forward the feeling of being seen by others and being allowed to take up space and be just the way I am without expectation. I don't often feel I am able to just be me without needing to be 'on' for others.

    Laura Menezes, In-person gathering participant

  • I like the format of everyone sharing where they are from and a thought from a prompt. How magnificent to be able to connect with people around the world! I also like the creating with no boundaries or expectations!

    Clarice Johnston, Ripple Room Participant

See The Practice in Action

The Ripple Station™ is Los Altos’ first community kindness box—it’s a hand-painted installation filled with small, mixed-media tokens I’ve made.

Neighbors are invited to take a token, not to keep, but to gift to someone in town who rarely hears ‘thank you’ — maybe a barista, a crossing guard, or a grocery clerk. It’s part of a movement I’ve been building for seven years, giving away thousands of tokens around the world.

Now, for the first time, they have a permanent home here in my own neighborhood.

In a time when so much connection happens through screens and even AI, this is about slowing down, noticing each other, and literally handing kindness from one person to another.

More about the Ripple Station™ here

The theme was “Inside, Outside”

My piece: the rainbow of who we are vs. the white noise trying to erase it. The multitudes within vs. the pressure to be simple. Your authentic voice vs. conformity. The rainbow broke through. The inside won. I hope it was a reminder to everyone who came that art is an act of courage.

I am used to painting 2 inch by 4 inch tokens. This was a huge leap of faith for me … a defiant response to those who told me I’d never be an artist.

I began with kindness toward myself and let it ripple outward. The journey became the reward.

On November 1, 2025, I stood in the middle of State Street Market in downtown at Arts Los Altos’ Live Painting Art Battle. Nineteen years after being told I had “no originality,” I painted in front of hundreds of people— competing with formally trained artists.

Every step of The RIPPLE Practice showed up that night:

REFLECT: I acknowledged the fear. The old voice saying “you don't belong here.”

IDENTIFY: Perfectionism and comparison trying to stop me.

PLAY: I painted like a 3-year-old with my hands, rolling monster trucks through the canvas, flicking paint everywhere, stamping with egg cartons, and just having fun!

PERSONALIZE: The 12-square-foot painting is covered in my fingerprints, enmeshed with scribbles, bathed in textures. Not impressive brushstrokes. Just honest emotion.

LET GO: I couldn’t control the outcome. I could only show up.

EMBRACE: The audience chose my work as their favorite. Not because it was perfect, but because it was real.

This is what The RIPPLE Practice looks like when you live it.

Live Painting Art Battle: When Courage Won!