Nine years ago, I hit a wall.
We’d just elected a president who sorted people into winners and losers.
It felt like the whole culture had signed on to the idea that life is a zero-sum game —
where the only way to “have the good life” came at someone else’s expense.
I was also recovering from the corporate world.
And I’ll admit — I’d played the game: sharp elbows, strong opinions.
I cut corners. I shaved off parts of myself — to make a living, and to make nice.
I was sick of myself, and sick of a world where big money and small ideas reigned. We were all being measured by metrics that left out the soul.
I wanted something different.
Success had become a zero-sum game. And I realized: I didn’t want to win at that.
So, I tried something weird. I began living by a different virtue each month. One month it was Courage. Another, Patience. Then Generosity. For a year. Then another. Then five. Then nine.
I don’t know where the idea of living with — and exploring — one virtue a month came from. It’s a wildly wacky idea.
Because virtues seem as constricting and old-fashioned as corsets.
But some ideas just won’t let go.
And this one took its time.
Nine years to bloom.
I had doubts.
Who am I to ask these questions?
What started as a one-year project became unwieldy.
It stretched.
It wandered.
It demanded more than I expected.
I wondered if I was wasting my time.
I wondered if anyone still cared about this question: Can we live with a different definition of success? One that includes caring for each other, for our communities, for our planet?
Some people say ideas like that are a kind of calling. All I know is, I kept showing up. I kept listening.
I kept following the thread.
This week, The Virtue Quest becomes something more.
The gallery is now open.
The book has officially launched.
Together, they mark the culmination of a near decade-long journey — but more importantly, they invite you into the conversation.
This isn’t just an exhibition or a memoir. It’s a call to reflect, to respond, to reimagine what it means to live well — for yourself, your community, and our shared world.
Inside the gallery, the walls echo with stories, sketches, fragments of thought and transformation. The book? It’s the mirror and the map.
And both are still evolving — with your presence, your questions, your voice.
Deep thanks to all the amazing people who showed up for the opening reception. I can’t tell you how much my heart sang as you poured through the doors. I especially want to thank my husband, Harrison Cass. The graphic designer who carried this project and me across the finish line, Tiffany Sokolowski. And Emily Kiewel, and the Charles City Arts Center for making this vision possible.
And to you —
Thank you for caring.
For being curious.
For daring to believe in a different way of being.
This show is up in Charles City through Dec. 13th.
Come walk through. Come read. Let the work speak.
Maybe... it’ll speak back.
xo Felicia
📍 Visit the Gallery
📖 Get the Book (Call the Charles City Arts Center at 641-228-6284)
🖋️ Reply to this email with your reflections
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It was the perfect venue for your art opening and book launch. And the refreshments--wow--loved the pickled beets. Congratulations!