10 life lessons from my 32nd birthday

Do you ever feel like life just FLIES? One day you’re 22, starting out full of dreams and aspirations… and the next you’re 32, wondering where the last decade went. You suddenly realize we don’t actually have as much time as we think.

So get ready for an incredibly honest newsletter about some eye-opening truths - from my own experience of building a life alone in a foreign country, starting a business from scratch, going through the most brutal pivot, and learning how to detach self-worth from everything happening around me and come back to my own center.

I just turned 32 this week, on September 2nd, and celebrated beautifully in the Bavarian mountains - a few dreamy days with, of course, one quick iPad sketch ;)

So let’s get into this list - 10 life lessons at 32:

1️⃣ You think you wasted time… you didn’t.

In life, everything is interconnected. You never know when a piece of knowledge will resurface and save or elevate your future.

My own example: I kept wondering why I got a journalism diploma when my dream was art and design. Turns out, communicating my ideas through writing and speaking is one of the most enjoyable and useful parts of my work (maybe even more than drawing - okay, they’re equal lol).

And that exact degree let me apply to interior design school abroad without the mandatory prep year. So maybe look at your own “wasted” time differently, it might have been groundwork all along.

2️⃣ Your self-worth is not your achievements.

For 10 years I believed the opposite - fighting for my citizenship, for my voice, for my art. But you are not your achievements, thoughts, or external validation. You are incredible just as you are.

3️⃣ Ignoring your gut will cost you.

If you keep doing something that feels wrong “for now,” it WILL backfire later - 10x harder, months or years down the road. That true self will keep whispering, then nudging, then slamming into you like a truck. There’s no perfect time to pivot, but waiting only makes it harder.

4️⃣ Don’t sacrifice your health and relationships.

Daily activity, sunscreen, nourishing food, family, friends. Neglecting them for “success later” backfires, and it’s much harder to bring them back once they’re gone. Your dream career and your wellbeing CAN coexist.

5️⃣ You are not your thoughts.

Yes, thoughts shape reality BUT they aren’t you. They come and go. So why not spend the same energy on positive ones? As my uncle said yesterday: “Time will pass anyway, what else does it have to do?” Genius.

6️⃣ Alone you go fast, together you go far.

I think that’s the saying? We’re all independent, but having loved ones with you on the way makes the journey fun, lighter, and deeply meaningful. Their love is your superpower.

7️⃣ Social media doesn’t define you.

This year I pivoted from just interiors tutorials to showing myself as a person, an art brand, sharing stories. The algorithm hated it. Honestly, so did parts of my audience. It felt like failure, like I was stuck in a tutorial cage forever. It took me MONTHS to shake that off and remember: my work, my ideas, my voice are not defined by algorithms or expectations. The right people will find me and stay.

8️⃣ You are not your niche.

If I had to start over, I wouldn’t only focus on my work. Personality and authentic voice matter more than ever, especially with AI. The mastery is mixing your skill AND your voice, NOT trying to please the algorithm or “fit a box.”

9️⃣ You can’t mess up what’s meant for you.

You can’t say the wrong thing to the right person. Don’t chase people who don’t add joy or ease to your life. Don’t force what isn’t meant for you. You’ll feel what is.

🔟 At the end of the day, you always have YOU.

Whatever happens, you always have yourself, as you are - without attaching your worth to anything or anyone. Even in the darkest times, you are your own greatest gift.

So here I am, starting my 32nd year and honestly… it feels like a rebirth. There’s no going back to old patterns and beliefs. Whatever happens… I am enough, exactly as I am.

Happy birthday to all of us in this creative ASDB family 💛

🎁 My birthday gift for you: a 3-part masterclass where you’ll learn all about drawing, creative career opportunities, and even sketch an interior corner with me!

👉 Access the class directly here!

With big drawing energy,
Anna at @andshedrawsbig