I painted this skunk with my left, non-dominant hand using my son's leftover paint. He became the cover of my album ANYMALS, and somewhere along the way, Skunk became a spirit animal for one of the most vulnerable parts of me.
The song is called Skunk (Un-existing).
I use un-existing for that place where existing itself feels exhausting. The place underneath the apologies. Underneath making myself smaller. Underneath feeling like I take up too much room while somehow also feeling like I barely belong in the room at all.
Skunk meets me there.
In the song, Little One says:
“Some days I forget I have a boundary
I'm remembering who I was
Before I was told who to be
I still say sorry too much
Skunk stomps.
The real fight is you against you
Your self hate is the old story
Sorry is the apology for existing
Sorry is a wall
The one you built to keep yourself small
The part that still believes you don't matter”
That section means a lot to me because I know what it is to say sorry almost automatically. Sorry for needing something. Sorry for having a reaction. Sorry for taking somebody's time. Sorry for occupying space.
Sometimes sorry has very little to do with having done something wrong.
Sometimes sorry means, please tell me I'm still allowed to be here.
And Skunk says:
“Little one, that voice isn't yours
It was given to you
You don't have to keep it
Say this with me if you want:
I am not sorry
I am not sorry
I am not sorry anymore!”
I love Skunk for this because he is such an unlikely little teacher of presence. He's skittish. He jumps at shadows. He has zero interest in picking a fight. He gives warning after warning.
And he still has a boundary.
His little feet belong on the ground.
His body gets to occupy territory.
He gets to say, “this far, no further.”
The song gets heavier than learning to apologize less, though. Skunk also sits with the part of me that has struggled to want the ground at all.
“You don't have to want to be here
I'll stay anyway
You don't have to want the ground
We'll lock the door anyway
Skunk is not sorry
This space is yours”
I wanted Skunk to offer something gentler than demanding that Little One suddenly feel grateful, healed, happy, or excited to exist.
He just stays with her.
“I will not abandon you
Even when you want to disappear”
And eventually:
“The little one wiggles her toes in the dirt
She's not ready to stand
But she's here”
That's what I hope this can be for somebody else, too.
Maybe you say sorry too much.
Maybe you've spent years making yourself smaller so everybody around you stays comfortable.
Maybe there have been days when being here feels heavier than you know how to explain.
Maybe you're simply learning where your own boundary is.
I hope you can light this little Skunk and let him keep watch for a while.
Let the flame occupy space. Let the candle occupy space. Let your coffee cup occupy space beside it. Let your feet touch the floor.
And maybe, if you need the words, borrow skunk’s:
“I am not sorry .”
Thank you for giving something this personal a little corner of your home. It still amazes me that words I wrote because I needed them, and a skunk I painted with my kid's leftover paint, can leave my house and mean something to somebody else.
This space is yours.
🦨🖤
Product Details:
Bright, bold, and a little unapologetic, this hand-poured soy candle brings attitude and atmosphere to quiet corners. The 13.75 oz glass vessel holds clean-burning, USA-farmed soy wax and a 100% cotton wick for a long, steady glow (about 70–80 hours). Choose from Vanilla Bean, Comfort Spice, or Sea Breeze to set the mood: warm vanilla that soothes, cozy spice that comforts, or a fresh marine breeze that clears the head. The candle arrives boxed in a simple gray paper gift box and features vivid, high-resolution artwork on a reusable glass jar that cleans up nicely once the wax is gone. It’s assembled in the USA from globally sourced parts, uses non-toxic ingredients, and leaves behind a vessel you can repurpose as decor or storage.
Product features
- Hand-poured 100% natural soy wax (USA-farmed)
- 100% cotton eco wick for clean burn
- Average burn time: 70–80 hours
- Reusable glass vessel in a gray paper gift box
- Available in three scents: Vanilla Bean, Comfort Spice, Sea Breeze
Care instructions
- Keep the burning candle within sight, and keep away from children and pets. Never burn the candle near flammable items. For best results, burn the candle for 3 - 4 hours in each lighting and trim the wick to 1/4" before lighting. Discontinue use with 1/2" of wax remaining.
EU representative: HONSON VENTURES LIMITED, gpsr@honsonventures.com, 3, Gnaftis House flat 102, Limassol, Mesa Geitonia, 4003, CY
Product information: Candle Builders, 2 year warranty in EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC
Care instructions: Keep the burning candle within sight, and keep away from children and pets. Never burn the candle near flammable items. For best results, burn the candle for 3 - 4 hours in each lighting and trim the wick to 1/4" before lighting. Discontinue use with 1/2" of wax remaining.
I painted this skunk with my left, non-dominant hand using my son's leftover paint. He became the cover of my album ANYMALS, and somewhere along the way, Skunk became a spirit animal for one of the most vulnerable parts of me.
The song is called Skunk (Un-existing).
I use un-existing for that place where existing itself feels exhausting. The place underneath the apologies. Underneath making myself smaller. Underneath feeling like I take up too much room while somehow also feeling like I barely belong in the room at all.
Skunk meets me there.
In the song, Little One says:
“Some days I forget I have a boundary
I'm remembering who I was
Before I was told who to be
I still say sorry too much
Skunk stomps.
The real fight is you against you
Your self hate is the old story
Sorry is the apology for existing
Sorry is a wall
The one you built to keep yourself small
The part that still believes you don't matter”
That section means a lot to me because I know what it is to say sorry almost automatically. Sorry for needing something. Sorry for having a reaction. Sorry for taking somebody's time. Sorry for occupying space.
Sometimes sorry has very little to do with having done something wrong.
Sometimes sorry means, please tell me I'm still allowed to be here.
And Skunk says:
“Little one, that voice isn't yours
It was given to you
You don't have to keep it
Say this with me if you want:
I am not sorry
I am not sorry
I am not sorry anymore!”
I love Skunk for this because he is such an unlikely little teacher of presence. He's skittish. He jumps at shadows. He has zero interest in picking a fight. He gives warning after warning.
And he still has a boundary.
His little feet belong on the ground.
His body gets to occupy territory.
He gets to say, “this far, no further.”
The song gets heavier than learning to apologize less, though. Skunk also sits with the part of me that has struggled to want the ground at all.
“You don't have to want to be here
I'll stay anyway
You don't have to want the ground
We'll lock the door anyway
Skunk is not sorry
This space is yours”
I wanted Skunk to offer something gentler than demanding that Little One suddenly feel grateful, healed, happy, or excited to exist.
He just stays with her.
“I will not abandon you
Even when you want to disappear”
And eventually:
“The little one wiggles her toes in the dirt
She's not ready to stand
But she's here”
That's what I hope this can be for somebody else, too.
Maybe you say sorry too much.
Maybe you've spent years making yourself smaller so everybody around you stays comfortable.
Maybe there have been days when being here feels heavier than you know how to explain.
Maybe you're simply learning where your own boundary is.
I hope you can light this little Skunk and let him keep watch for a while.
Let the flame occupy space. Let the candle occupy space. Let your coffee cup occupy space beside it. Let your feet touch the floor.
And maybe, if you need the words, borrow skunk’s:
“I am not sorry .”
Thank you for giving something this personal a little corner of your home. It still amazes me that words I wrote because I needed them, and a skunk I painted with my kid's leftover paint, can leave my house and mean something to somebody else.
This space is yours.
🦨🖤
Product Details:
Bright, bold, and a little unapologetic, this hand-poured soy candle brings attitude and atmosphere to quiet corners. The 13.75 oz glass vessel holds clean-burning, USA-farmed soy wax and a 100% cotton wick for a long, steady glow (about 70–80 hours). Choose from Vanilla Bean, Comfort Spice, or Sea Breeze to set the mood: warm vanilla that soothes, cozy spice that comforts, or a fresh marine breeze that clears the head. The candle arrives boxed in a simple gray paper gift box and features vivid, high-resolution artwork on a reusable glass jar that cleans up nicely once the wax is gone. It’s assembled in the USA from globally sourced parts, uses non-toxic ingredients, and leaves behind a vessel you can repurpose as decor or storage.
Product features
- Hand-poured 100% natural soy wax (USA-farmed)
- 100% cotton eco wick for clean burn
- Average burn time: 70–80 hours
- Reusable glass vessel in a gray paper gift box
- Available in three scents: Vanilla Bean, Comfort Spice, Sea Breeze
Care instructions
- Keep the burning candle within sight, and keep away from children and pets. Never burn the candle near flammable items. For best results, burn the candle for 3 - 4 hours in each lighting and trim the wick to 1/4" before lighting. Discontinue use with 1/2" of wax remaining.
EU representative: HONSON VENTURES LIMITED, gpsr@honsonventures.com, 3, Gnaftis House flat 102, Limassol, Mesa Geitonia, 4003, CY
Product information: Candle Builders, 2 year warranty in EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC
Care instructions: Keep the burning candle within sight, and keep away from children and pets. Never burn the candle near flammable items. For best results, burn the candle for 3 - 4 hours in each lighting and trim the wick to 1/4" before lighting. Discontinue use with 1/2" of wax remaining.
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