February Isn’t Soft: Dark Love, Self-Worth, and Honest Art
February has a reputation problem.
It’s painted as soft, romantic, and sweet. Pink hearts, perfect couples, overpriced flowers that die in a week. But for a lot of us, February doesn’t feel like that at all.
February feels heavy.
It’s cold. It’s gray. The excitement of the new year has worn off, and real life has settled back in.
Bills still exist.
Stress still exists.
Old wounds don’t magically heal because the calendar flipped.
And if you’ve ever felt lonely, broke, overwhelmed, or emotionally exhausted, February can feel like it’s mocking you.
That’s exactly why I create the dark, sarcastic work that I do - I get so tired of how things ‘should’ be for each season.
Dark Love Is Still Love
Not all love is soft.
Some love is messy.
Some love is sarcastic.
Some love survives purely out of spite and stubbornness.
Dark love is:
Staying when things are hard
Laughing at your own emotional chaos
Loving yourself even when you feel “unfinished”
Finding humor in heartbreak instead of letting it swallow you whole
That’s the kind of love February actually represents for a lot of us. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not.
And that’s the kind of love I pour into my art.
Skulls, cracked hearts, mushrooms growing through decay, big-eyed women who look like they’re fed up with the bs. None of it is accidental. It’s visual proof that art, like life, doesn’t have to be perfect.
Surviving February When You’re Running on Empty
Let’s be honest: February motivation can be garbage.
If you set goals in January and fell short, now you’re staring down at the month of love with a side of self-doubt. The days are short. The bills are still there. The stress hasn’t magically gone away. The pounds haven’t melted off. You might feel like you’re not enough.
Here’s the hard truth: you don’t need to feel “on top of it” to do something meaningful.
Some of the strongest moves, decisions, or small wins come from:
Frustration
Exhaustion
Laughing at life to survive
Doing the next thing even when you don’t feel like it
You don’t need to wait for inspiration, energy, or the “perfect mood” to matter. Showing up, acting, even in small messy ways—that counts. That’s still progress. That’s still moving forward. That’s still you surviving, thriving, and carving your own weird version of February.
And if love isn’t on your horizon. Or you’re in a slump - what the hell is wrong with loving yourself?
Not saying to rush out and get back on the horse.
I’m saying maybe it’s time to slow down and…date yourself for awhile?
Self-Worth Isn’t Seasonal
February pushes romance hard, but it rarely talks about self-worth.
Self-worth doesn’t come from:
Being chosen
Being liked
Being productive every single day
Self-worth comes from continuing anyway.
From showing up.
From making something even when it’s imperfect.
From allowing yourself to exist loudly, quietly, darkly, weirdly—without apology.
That’s what my art is really about. Not trends. Not algorithms. Not perfection.
It’s about reminding people—especially women who’ve been through hell—that they’re allowed to take up space exactly as they are.
And depending on a man/woman/partner to make you feel self-worth is only going to set you up for failure. Because everyone has bad days. Weeks. Months. Years even.
Don’t let February, or anything else, make you feel like if you don’t have your sh!t together, if you don’t have children, the love of your life, of even a pet that likes you, you’re not lovable or worth being loved.
Hell, love yourself.
If February Feels Heavy, You’re Not Broken
You’re human.
If this month feels more “barely beating heart” than “roses and romance,” you’re not alone. You don’t need to force positivity or pretend things are lighter than they are.
Create anyway.
Laugh anyway.
Love in the way that feels real to you.
Sometimes the darkest months produce the most honest emotions and meaningful experiences. And that honesty connects deeper than anything polished ever could.