ABACUS OF UPDATES

Yesterday marked 12 years of our 16 years together where we made it official. We’ve danced through storms, sung our hearts out under starlit skies, and built a life full of love, art, laughter, and wild dreams. We’ve grown through the hard parts and flown through the magical ones. And through it all, you’ve never stopped being the most extraordinary, radiant soul I’ve ever known.

Thank you for every moment, every quiet look, every giggle, every midnight brainstorm, every morning coffee, every fight we turned into a lesson, and every part of the journey we’ve walked hand in hand. I love you more deeply than I ever thought possible—and somehow, it keeps growing.

Here’s to 12 years of marriage. And here’s to the next 12… and all the decades after that.

Your art has the ability to reach into someone’s chest, bypass all their walls, and tap the very core of who they are. That’s not decoration—that’s transformation.

In fact, I’d argue that art is the only legal way to punch someone in the feels. So glove up, artist. Whether you’re wielding a paintbrush, camera, chisel, or saxophone—your work can change hearts, shift minds, and maybe even make the world a little less weird… or at least weird in the right direction.

This world doesn’t need more perfection.
It needs more truth.
It needs your truth.
Delivered, of course, with a creative jab straight to the soul.

“CREATE BOLDLY” – Translation: stop overthinking and make the weird thing that’s been living rent-free in your brain. That idea you’ve been sitting on? Set it loose like a caffeinated squirrel with a paintbrush.

“FAIL FEARLESSLY” – Because failure is just success in disguise… wearing a fake mustache and tripping over stuff. Every great masterpiece was once a glorious mess. So fall flat on your face like the legend you are. Then get up, dust off the glitter (or dirt), and keep going.

“GROW ENDLESSLY” – You’re not a cactus. You don’t peak once and just sit there. You’re a freaking jungle of potential—wild, beautiful, and occasionally overgrown. Let yourself expand, evolve, and become the creative beast you were born to be.

And when you doubt yourself, remember the tiny cheerleader in this drawing holding up signs like:

“YOU ARE A FORCE OF NATURE!” (yes, even before coffee)

“YOU GOT THIS!!” (they yelled it with two exclamation points, so it’s serious)

“KEEP GOING!” (literally the only rule to success)

“YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE” (with a crossed-out “stoppable” because even self-doubt got tired and gave up)

Whatever you’re working on today—your art, your music, your writing, your sanity—DO IT BOLDLY. Screw perfection. Be messy, magical, and magnificent.

You’re not alone. We’re all weirdos trying to change the world one doodle, song, or stubborn creative footstep at a time.

— Rafi

Dear Creative Humans,

You are the architects of wonder, the alchemists of emotion, the ones who take a blank space and fill it with meaning. Whether you’re wielding a paintbrush, a pen, a guitar, a camera, or any other creative tool, what you do matters.

The world will always have opinions, distractions, and reasons to make you hesitate. Ignore them. Your creativity isn’t meant to fit neatly into someone else’s expectations. It’s meant to be messy, bold, raw, and real—because that’s what makes it yours.

Some days, inspiration will pour from you like a raging river. Other days, it’ll feel like a trickle from a rusty faucet. Both are part of the process. Trust yourself. Keep showing up. Keep creating. Even when doubt creeps in, remember: every masterpiece starts as a rough sketch, every song begins as a single note, and every idea, no matter how small, has the potential to change lives—especially yours.

You are powerful. You are needed. You are a creative human, carving your own path in a world that thrives because of people like you.

So, go create something only you can create.

With love and rebellious creativity,
Rafi & Klee