About Once Blue

Hi, I’m Caiti.

I’m the artist behind Once BlueWatercolor.

I paint because I’m drawn to the places and details that collect meaning over time — old buildings, familiar
streets,
places traveled, changing seasons, little corners
of everyday life.

Once Blue began as something deeply personal and slowly became a way of making, noticing, and sharing an
appreciation for life with other people.

The name carries its own story, too.

I suffered from clinical depression for almost three years without a diagnosis or medication. I didn’t want that label because I

was raised in a time/place in which mental health issues of any kind were whispered about instead of acknowledged. I had absolutely no will to live for myself, and I kept moving only because of my pets and my partner/now husband.

During those three years, I spent day and night alone with the deepest, darkest, quietest parts of myself, just sitting. Not talking, not working through anything. I met myself there over and over and over again.

I went in for a routine wellness appointment with my doctor and complained about insomnia and my fibromyalgia pain. My doctor knew I was also depressed for some time, but I kept denying the prescription for antidepressants (Wellbutrin burned me once in the past, and it was enough for me to write them all off after that). So, he sent me on my way with a prescription for Amitriptyline “for my insomnia” lol.

Three months later I was back in his office with a much peppier demeanor, a full night of sleep under my belt, and less fibromyalgia pains. He explained that Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant, and in my case, a miracle drug for my three primary problems.

I haven’t missed a day of meds since then, and it has been amazing, but... sometimes I miss meeting myself at the bottom, deep in the dark and quiet. I learned so much about myself during that time, and I look back on that period with such tenderness and love. I’m a much softer, quieter person today because of that - because I was... Once Blue.

Through Once Blue, I hope to create art that feels like a memory; something soft, nostalgic, and worth holding onto.

And through the Once Blue Postal Service, I hope to add a bit of art into your life each month. Art, letters, poems, little things by mail. Small reminders to slow down, notice the season you’re in, and treasure the everyday moments that make up a life.

Thank you for being here <3