<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Moss & Meaning]]></title><description><![CDATA[Moss & Meaning]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:10:07 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Learning to Live When You Only Planned to Survive]]></title><description><![CDATA[There’s a very specific kind of disorientation that comes with becoming an adult you never expected to be. I saw something recently that said: if you were suicidal as a kid and feel lost as an adult, it’s not abnormal it’s because you didn’t plan to be alive today,  And that stuck with me, because it explains something I haven’t really been able to put into words before. When you grow up in survival mode, you’re not thinking about five year plans, careers, or where you want to end up. You’re...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/learning-to-live-when-you-only-planned-to-survive</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d937ad4750526d40bd1f8c</guid><pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:50:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_74195f3c2ab948d9ba64c163ac9422d6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The quiet pressure of time passing without anything clearly marking it]]></title><description><![CDATA[I think that’s where the pressure comes in, because it’s not loud and it’s not panic, it’s just this low feeling in the background that time is passing whether I’m doing anything with it or not. Like it doesn’t care if I’ve figured things out yet, it’s just going, and I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be measuring against which somehow makes it worse. It’s not like I can point to something and say this is where I should be by now, but it still feels like there’s something I’m supposed to...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/the-quiet-pressure-of-time-passing-without-anything-clearly-marking-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c5c226dbf1d5b6013557f1</guid><pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 17:40:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_c6b7febca6844c3592345635fc33b611~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_896,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Pressure to Turn Hobbies Into Income]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve noticed this pattern over the years where anytime someone is even remotely good at something, especially anything creative, the immediate response is “you should sell that” or “you could make money off that.” I understand that it is usually meant as a compliment, but I don’t think people really stop to think about what that actually does over time. I’ve always been someone who picks up creative hobbies pretty easily. Painting, pen and ink, knitting, digital art, random crafts, pretty...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/the-pressure-to-turn-hobbies-into-income</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c6a72bd38163c9a040d940</guid><pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:19:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_9707e90a7bd54ade8855b28d678660a9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_742,h_960,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Something As Small As a Hug]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve never been a particularly physical person. That’s just how I was raised. My parents weren’t affectionate. There weren’t hugs and kisses, there wasn’t much physical closeness, so I grew up without it and never really thought twice about it. Physical touch wasn’t something I expected or looked for, so I didn’t feel like anything was missing. It just wasn’t part of my life, so I didn’t know to notice the absence of it. Title: Embrace Creator: Galanda, Mikuláš Date: 1930 Providing...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/something-as-small-as-a-hug</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c7ddfa5ed83abd8bc1470d</guid><pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:02:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_fd85156d1ba84c02b946522094f5fa68~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Box Full of Things I Can’t Replace]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Kieron Mannix  on Unsplash I have one bin that has followed me through every move I’ve ever made. Since I was born I’ve moved around 15 times in my life, so a lot of things have come and gone, and I’m not someone who keeps everything. I purge what I don’t need. Sometimes more than I should, sometimes not enough. But that bin has never been part of the question. If something happened and I had to grab one thing, that would be it without hesitation. Inside of it is a mix of things...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/a-box-full-of-things-i-can-t-replace</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c6bcadd2e55f64fe0d9eb5</guid><pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:56:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_28c8782061344238aeea95f2b8e7fd28~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Jack of All Trades]]></title><description><![CDATA[I think I first realized I was the kind of person who collects skills somewhere around the age of eighteen or nineteen. Not because I was trying to become that kind of person, but because I started noticing how many different things I seemed to know how to do compared to the people around me. It wasn’t something I had planned. It was just the result of years of picking things up along the way. Being a jack of all trades can feel like two different things at the same time. On one hand, it...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/a-jack-of-all-trades</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ad8195d66894c6d6f8b849</guid><pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2026 19:55:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_0f9f1de87c4f4006bbfa067320b5dba9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Reality of Starting Over Alone]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve hit a point in my life where I can realistically go anywhere. There’s no strong pull back home. I’m not super close with my family in a way that makes me feel like I need to be near them, at least to the level of living in the same town, I enjoy being able to go home and visit, but I also need a place to retreat and recharge. I’ve spent years following someone else’s career, moving when it made sense for that, building a life around it. And now that I’m not doing that anymore, there...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/the-reality-of-starting-over-alone</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bf5ddd915fd340e9e9b3eb</guid><pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2026 03:22:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_b39d4fafca1345f995eb8a4326481344~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_848,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Hoya From T]]></title><description><![CDATA[Back before COVID hit, sometime in late 2019, T (Tianna Kelley) gave me a dying hoya. She just didn’t want it anymore. It had a couple sad leaves and a few stems that looked like they were barely hanging on. “I figured if anyone could save it, it’d be you,” she said, half joking. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I brought it home, set it in a window, and started giving it a little attention. Nothing major. Some light, water, and patience. Slowly, it started to bounce back. New leaves...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/the-hoya-from-t</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697f75b2bb104146c0d03e67</guid><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:50:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_bcaf9ff17c914c11ab04bd9ad21fa753~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Brother Who Disappeared]]></title><description><![CDATA[old photo, but one of the only ones I have left Family relationships are rarely simple, but some are defined more by absence than presence. My stepbrother TJ is one of those people in my life. He had a harder upbringing than I did. He was about seven or eight years older than me, so when I was little, he was already navigating middle school and everything that comes with it. I do not know exactly when my stepdad stepped out of his day to day life, but I know it left an impact. TJ came to...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/the-brother-who-disappeared</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6991eece80f3317e6e0ae726</guid><pubDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2026 19:46:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_916337b015ca49aabca7bc030700f1a4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[40 Miles Past the Exit]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Clay Banks  on Unsplash Thought I'd share a (now) funny story, when I was around 18, my now ex (boyfriend at the time) and I went to a wedding somewhere way out in the country. I couldn’t tell you exactly where. It was one of those places where the roads start losing their signs, and everything starts looking the same after dark. He drove a stick shift, and maybe a month before the wedding, he had taught me how to drive it too. I’d had just a few hours of practice. Nothing serious. I...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/40-miles-past-the-exit</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697f7ba6bb104146c0d04b32</guid><pubDate>Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:12:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_853839c349bc4b22958ca17d57100102~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Day True Crime Became Personal]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Martin Podsiad  on Unsplash I never used to watch crime shows. They were not something I gravitated toward. I preferred stories that felt artistic or philosophical, films with depth or beauty in them. The darkness of true crime felt unnecessary to invite into my space. That changed the day I found out how my uncle actually died. For most of my life, the version I was given was softer and far less violent. My dad refused to talk about it, and when he did, the details were minimal and...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/the-day-true-crime-became-personal</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6991e91a15c049d6415ee2be</guid><pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:38:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_d0a9369581eb4668b1c5be9c41fd41da~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Weight of Being the Cheerleader]]></title><description><![CDATA[Working as a Creative Director at a mental health clinic comes with a very specific kind of pressure. My job is to create content that uplifts, encourages, and reminds people that healing is possible. I am the person behind the scenes shaping the voice of hope, positivity, and emotional support for a community that deeply needs it. I love that about my work. I believe in what we put out. I believe in the messages. But sometimes I struggle to live by the same words I share with others. There...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/the-weight-of-being-the-cheerleader</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6981361b1dce0ff3f1074a3b</guid><pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:46:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_bc11f7a131fd43368e12fc31ff7c8663~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_521,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Always Learn Something New (Even If It’s Just Because You Can)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by James Harrison  on Unsplash I’ve always believed growth does not have to come with a paycheck attached to it. Sometimes it is enough to follow a curiosity and see where it leads. Recently, I decided to start learning Python. Not because it directly connects to my career or my degree, and not because I have some big tech ambition waiting in the background. I just wanted to see if I could. Before diving into Python, I built my first game mod using very basic HTML code. Nothing...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/always-be-learning-even-if-it-s-just-because-you-can</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6991e40480f3317e6e0ad183</guid><pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 15:21:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_47acd56d635e423589d223aed26c16fb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Am I Sitting Here Having a Panic Attack About Tomorrow?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tomorrow I have to go to the doctor. And I am sitting here spiraling. On paper, it is a minor procedure. Straightforward. Common. Routine. But there is a complication, not necessarily a dramatic one, just enough of an unknown to open the door to what if. And once that door opens, my brain does not casually peek inside. It kicks it off the hinges. What if it is not simple? What if it turns into something more invasive? What if this becomes bigger than it was supposed to be? There is a specific...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/why-am-i-sitting-here-having-a-panic-attack-about-tomorrow</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698e151de8f2edcb7703fc47</guid><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 18:08:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_ce6c20580e7b43068ccb01ce2e1a70d1~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I Dream About Living Off-Grid]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Ava Tyler  on Unsplash I’ve been thinking about off-grid living for a while now. Really, seriously thinking about it for the last five or six years. It started out as a vague idea, something I’d daydream about when life felt overwhelming. Over time, though, it became more than that. It turned into something I genuinely want for myself. When I say “off-grid,” I don’t mean roughing it in the woods with a tarp. I’m talking about having a real home. A cabin in the mountains. A...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/why-i-dream-about-living-off-grid</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697f8bfebb104146c0d06d84</guid><pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:25:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_023e4aa2a6584e788b3cd2f434dfee18~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[O Captain, My Captain: A Personal Tribute to Robin Williams]]></title><description><![CDATA[Created w/ai tools &#38; my creativity Certain people in this world don’t just entertain us; they become part of who we are. For me, that person was Robin Williams. I grew up watching everything he touched. Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Patch Adams, What Dreams May Come, Good Morning Vietnam, Hook, The Birdcage, Bicentennial Man, Happy Feet, Flubber, Robots, Jack, Ferngully, and all of his stand-up. Literally everything. His work wasn’t just something I...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/o-captain-my-captain-a-personal-tribute-to-robin-williams</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698141c3889819a51f059a0d</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:47:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_1903905eaf504bac8989db0aa228680e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_896,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How My Ancestors' Migration Paths Echo in My Own Moves]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Shelby Hughes I’ve never been someone who moves just for the sake of it. Every place I’ve lived has had a reason, even if I didn’t fully understand it at the time. Looking back now, especially after digging into my ancestry and seeing those migration paths, I can’t help but notice a pattern. For the most part, I grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (minus a few years), and spent most of my adult life in different parts of the state. North Carolina is where I built a business,...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/how-my-ancestors-migration-paths-echo-in-my-own-moves</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697fa35d1dce0ff3f103fef9</guid><pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:50:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_53bac88611554b7388336a479b278ca1~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Art Projects I Start But Rarely Finish (And Why I’m Okay With That)]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have a confession, my home is littered with half-finished sketches, an abandoned knitting project or two, watercolor pages with one random thing on the page, and a bucket full of dried-up paint tubes from a project I never got around to finishing. And you know what? I;'m okay with it. Starting creative projects, regardless if it’s drawing in pen and ink, painting, or trying to knit a blanket the size of a football field, has never been about the end result for me. It’s about that moment...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/the-art-projects-i-start-but-rarely-finish-and-why-i-m-okay-with-that</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697f55a1396306036eca1bf5</guid><pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 13:33:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_8f38c080323144509bda4dfce26451d0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Moss &#38; Meaning: Day One]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you happened to stumble across this corner of the internet, welcome in. This wasn’t meant to be anything official or polished. just a space I felt like carving out. Like pressing a palm into damp moss just to feel something soft. I don’t really have a plan. no grand themes, no perfect photos, no viral intentions. just little pieces of life: the slow days, the tangled thoughts, the weird dreams, the plants that keep growing even when I forget to water them. I guess this is more for me than...]]></description><link>https://www.shelbyhughescreative.com/post/moss-and-meaning-day-one</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697bc3d7c1bd63f263003278</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:32:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/510492_7d409912394643e98241878c9c83211c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Shelby Hughes</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>