Reader…

Last Sunday, our family watched my cousin Autumn Durald Arkapaw's name appear on the screen. Best Cinematography. Sinners. The first woman — and the first woman of color — to win that Oscar in 97 years.

Brilliant. Historic. Iconic. We’re all so incredibly proud of her!

We lost it. Screaming, crying, hugging everyone in the room. We had a memorable weekend including four days celebrating with cousins and family who flew in from everywhere, a black-tie Oscar party, and a pride so deep I'm still carrying it around this week 🥰

Autumn asked every woman in the Dolby Theatre to stand up during her speech. She said she doesn't get there without them. That moment will stay with me for a long time.

I'm sharing this because it felt too big to keep to myself. And because watching someone in your family make history by doing their work — the real, rigorous, patient, decades-long kind — reminds you what's possible when you keep going..

You can see more photos and videos in my IG story highlights!

🌸 NEW: A spring collection is coming

There's a vibrant mountain ebony tree I encounter on my neighborhood morning walks with Indie in LA. Bright fuchsia blooms, almost neon against the concrete. Every time I pass it, I think: that's the color. That bold, defiant pink that doesn't ask permission.

That tree is one of the sparks behind Field Notes: Urban Petals — the next #tracibautistaCOLOR collection. I've been collecting these moments for months — chain-link fences disappearing under vines, sidewalk cracks where something green keeps pushing through, neighborhood gardens spilling over into the sidewalk.

The palette is building around that wild mountain ebony fuchsia, a tickled coral-pink, deep indigo, and a teal that shifts depending on the light.

Botanical marks over concrete textures. An evolution of Nature's Graffiti — same wildness, new story. Spring as an act of resistance.

I'll reveal the full product lineup soon, if you want to be the first to know when it drops — and get early access before I announce to the full list — get on the list now. Click on the link and you’ll be added to the list.

​GET EARLY ACCESS TO URBAN PETALS →​

🤖 THIS THURSDAY 3/26: See how I use AI to develop a collection — live.

I've been building a process inside my studio where I brainstorm a new collection with AI — from the first spark to a full Collection Field Notes document with color direction, motif families, theme research, and next steps.

On Thursday, March 26, 1:00pm PT, I'm walking through that process live and showing you exactly how it works — from a raw brain dump about a collection idea all the way to a finished research document. Just a real-time studio session with Claude as my collaborator.

This is a peek inside the kind of experimentation that happens monthly in the Ideation PLAYground. If you've been curious about what "artist-led, AI-supported" creativity actually looks like in practice — this is your chance to see it.

​I'M IN — SAVE MY SPOT FOR THURSDAY →​

Just click the link and you’ll automatically be added to the list and recieve an email with additional details this week.

🎨 A tiny prompt to bring with you:

Before Thursday (or just for yourself), try this:

Open your sketchbook or a blank page. Write down 3 words that describe how your creative practice feels right now. Not what you're making — how it feels to make it. Messy? Still? Hungry? Scattered? Blooming?

Then write one sentence that starts with: I keep noticing...

That's the beginning of a collection spark. If you come Thursday, you'll see how I take those raw words and turn them into something real with AI as my studio assistant.

If you’re curious about this kind of AI studio practice — the artist-led, AI-supported version that protects your voice while expanding what’s possible — that’s exactly what we’ll explore on March 26th. Don’t forget to SAVE YOUR SPOT!

Just click the link and you’ll be put on the list. Access details will be emailed during the week.

P.S. If you haven't seen Autumn's acceptance speech, go watch it. She shot Sinners on 65mm IMAX film, the first woman to ever do that. And here she is in the Oscar photo booth. I'm still in awe! 😍🙌🏆

More from the studio soon. ✦

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P.P.S. The collection research process I'm showing Thursday? It's one piece of what happens inside the Ideation PLAYground every month. The full AI Experiments Lab, plus quarterly creative toolkits, a personalized creative roadmap, and a community of makers building cohesive bodies of work. [Learn more →]

With creativity and color...

Artfully, xo Traci Bautista 💞 Founder, #tracibautistaCOLOR

If you have any questions reach out to customer care using the chat box at tracibautistacolor.com