Welcome to Dahlias in Full Bloom

There’s something both terrifying and thrilling about starting over.

This space, Dahlias in Full Bloom, has been blooming in my mind for a while now. I wanted a home for the parts of me that didn’t quite fit neatly into planners or to-do lists. A space for the messier reflections, for the zines that say the things I don't always say out loud, for the parts of healing that are jagged and slow.

If you’re new here (which, let’s be honest, we all are), hi. I’m Dahlia. I’m a teacher, a mom, and lifelong overthinker. I make zines and art, I write to survive, and I journal like it’s the only way I know how to hold myself together. While you might know me from other spaces on the internet, this space is different.

Dahlias in Full Bloom is where I let the stories breathe. The stories and zines I share here are raw, sometimes unpolished, always honest. They come from lived experience: my mixed cultural identity, my mental health journey, the quiet griefs and loud joys of everyday life.

I want this blog to feel like a well-loved notebook. Something you can come back to when you feel a little lost or want to be reminded that healing isn’t linear and creativity isn’t supposed to be clean.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Sneak peeks into my zine-making process

• Personal essays & reflections on identity, motherhood, teaching, and growth

• Downloadable or printable zines when I feel like sharing (and I hope I do)

• Journal pages, scribbles, thoughts I’m not brave enough to say out loud—but write anyway

• The occasional rant about how exhausting it is to feel everything so deeply

• Art therapy pieces as I work on overcoming perfectionsim

If that sounds like your kind of space, welcome. I hope you’ll stay a while. And if not, I hope you find what you're looking for.

Either way, thank you for showing up for me, and maybe even for yourself.

Here’s to blooming in our own time.

~Dahlia