Sometimes it’s as simple as going for a walk in nature that gives me the mental space for those creative sparks to appear. Other times, I need a few days with nothing but a canoe and a fire. Nature really fuels me... 🌳
That balance between “nothing” and “everything else” has become important in my life. When there is enough time doing “nothing” (meditation, walking, art that is for pure pleasure etc…), the space to create is more readily available.
But getting into the creative state, or maybe out of a creative rut, looks different for everyone…
On Pyro Toasty Talks, these kinds of questions come up often, and Zona has been in the pyrography game since 2021, so I asked her directly:
What keeps you inspired and motivated?
“I often think about the first time I created a piece for “I Am the Storm.” It was a collaboration with another artist that incorporated fractals. A woman came by the booth, saw the piece, and told me that the quote meant something deeply personal to her—her daughter had just gone through chemotherapy and was finally in remission.
In that moment, the artwork meant something real to someone else. It wasn’t just something I made—it connected to someone’s life and their story.
That experience has stayed with me. Knowing that something I create can resonate with someone in that way is what keeps me inspired and motivated.”
It’s a feeling many members in Burn Club share, especially when a piece is made as a gift or created with someone specific in mind. That sense of connection can be deeply motivating.
But when art starts to carry expectations, deadlines, or financial pressure, the relationship with it can begin to change.
When Art Becomes Business.
Monetizing a craft can create freedom but it can also create tension.
I found myself creating not because I wanted to explore an idea, but because I needed something to post, something to feed an algorithm. And that shift changed how it all felt… I actually dreaded starting a piece because I would feel obligated to record it and guilty if I’m not recording it (insert the once trending tune of “everything is content, everything is content”).
Wood Burn Corner took a pause when Rachel stepped away from the business, and since I was also going through a difficult time personally, everything slowed down for a while. But that pause ended up giving me space to rethink how I wanted to move forward.
I stepped back from chasing consistency for the sake of performance. It was my meditation space and I wanted to protect that.
Now I only record tiny snippets or take a photo of the finished piece and burn guilt free, mostly whenever I feel like it. I say mostly because as a business, it require SOME consistent output, but the key is, that it is balanced with my own projects and stuff I do that is not for show.
I realize that kind of pause is not always possible when a business, audience, or other responsibilities are depending on you. So, it made me curious how the transition from artist to artist entrepreneur had shaped Zona’s relationship with pyrography.
What happened to your relationship with pyrography when you made it your business?
“There was a point when it stopped being fun. It became work, and at times it even felt like a burden. I realized something was wrong when I caught myself not liking it anymore—because if I didn’t like it, I certainly wasn’t loving it.
That was the moment I knew something had to change. I had to stop making things I didn’t care about and start focusing on work that actually filled my cup.
I don’t enjoy mass production. I don’t want to make the same thing over and over simply because I feel obligated to. If I get bored with a design, I want the freedom to say, “I’m not making this again for a while.”
The moment I stopped allowing myself that freedom was the moment the joy started disappearing. Remembering that this is my business—and that I get to make those choices—helped me reconnect with the work.”
