There is a specific kind of magic that happens when you’re deep in the “business” side of art. This morning was supposed to be about logistics—sorting through finished pieces, checking inventory, and prepping for an upcoming sale. But as I was digging through a bin of older work, I found a small, familiar face looking back at me.

It was a tiny glass head, a remnant from a figure I made quite a while ago. Somewhere along the way, it had snapped off its original body and disappeared into the depths of my studio “lost and found.”

Finding it today felt like catching up with an old friend. When a piece breaks, the instinct is often to see it as a failure or a loss. But holding this little head in my hand, I didn’t see a broken object; I saw a character with a history. It’s a literal fragment of where my skills used to be and a reminder of the trial and error that goes into every single thing I create.

I haven’t quite decided what to do with it yet. Maybe it will find a new body, or perhaps it’s destined to be transformed into a pendant or a tactile “worry stone” for a desk. For now, it’s sitting right on my workbench—a small, glass reminder that even the “lonely” pieces have a way of resurfacing exactly when you need a little creative spark.

Have you ever found a “lost” piece of your own work? What did you do with it?