This Is For You

If you're reading this, chances are you're exhausted.

You're overwhelmed, burnt out, and running on empty. You know you need rest, but you feel guilty every time you try to slow down. Traditional self-care feels like another item on your never-ending to-do list. And meditation? You've tried it. Your brain won't shut off.

You're not broken. The system is.

We live in a culture that glorifies hustle, rewards overwork, and treats rest like something you have to earn through productivity. But here's the truth: Rest is a right, not a reward.

That's why The Happy Apricot exists.

I create beautiful mental wellness tools—specifically CalmLines art—designed to help overwhelmed women like you pause, breathe, and remember that you deserve rest. Right now. Not after everything is done. Not when you've been productive enough. Now.

Welcome. I'm so glad you're here.

MY STORY (Why I Had to Do This)

For years, I believed rest was lazy. That my worth was tied to my productivity. That burnout was just... part of being a responsible adult.

I was wrong.

In 2020, I was stuck in a soul-sucking design job that left me feeling trapped, used, and deeply unhappy. I kept telling myself to push through. To work harder. To earn my rest.

Then I got the news that changed everything.

My cousin—a brilliant, hardworking woman in a male-dominated industry—made the heartbreaking decision to end her life. Work had beaten her down so completely that she couldn't see a way forward. She literally couldn't live one more day.

I looked at my own life and saw the same patterns: feeling worthless, trapped, and convinced that rest was something I had to earn. I realized that if I didn't make a change, I was heading down a path I never wanted to be on.

So I quit my full-time job and launched The Happy Apricot.

Not as a business. As a lifeline—for me, for my cousin's memory, and for every woman who's been told that her exhaustion is just the price of success.

What I Create

I started creating CalmLines—single continuous-line illustrations designed specifically for stress relief and anxiety reduction.

Here's how they work: When you slowly trace a CalmLines design with your finger or eyes, you activate your parasympathetic nervous system—your body's natural "calm down" response. It's art therapy meets meditation, simplified for real life.

No apps. No subscriptions. No hour-long practices you don't have time for.

Just beautiful art you can trace when anxiety hits, when work overwhelms you, or when you need a 60-second reset.

I turned these illustrations into bookmarks, stickers, calendars, and apparel—tools you can keep in your planner, on your desk, or in your pocket. Portable calm for overwhelmed women.

Every product exists to remind you: You don't have to earn rest. You deserve it right now.

What I Stand For

The Happy Apricot is more than a small business. It's a quiet revolution against hustle culture.

If you've ever felt guilty for resting, questioned your worth because you're tired, or wondered if burnout is just... how life has to be—this community is for you.

Let's fight hustle culture together.
Let's normalize rest.
Let's choose calm over chaos.

  • Rest is a right, not a reward

    You don't have to be productive enough to deserve a break.

  • Burnout isn't inevitable

    It's a systemic problem, not a personal failure.

  • Self-care shouldn't be complicated

    60 seconds of intentional calm is better than an unattainable "perfect" routine.

  • You're allowed to say no

    To overwork, to hustle culture, to the idea that your worth equals your output

  • Small actions create big change

    Tracing a line won't solve everything, but it's a start
JOIN THE CALMSQUAD

My Process

  • Sketch

    I start every CalmLines with a sketch. I love the feeling of putting pencil to paper, creating something out of nothing, using my brain to take a formed image and simplify it down to one single line.

  • Vectorize

    Once I have a general sketch, I move to the iPad. I take the solid line from my sketch and draw it out. Then I fill in some funky color spots to really make the image shine.

  • Share

    Every time I create a new CalmLines I will either share it out on Instagram, or I will use it to create a new product for you! You'll see CalmLines as stickers, bookmarks, suncatchers and calendars.
SHOP CALM ACCESSORIES

Why The Happy Apricot?

Okay, storytime. Years ago, I casually mentioned to my Grandma that I loved dried apricots. From that moment on, I received apricot-related items for my birthday. Every. Single. Year.

Fast-forward to 2020: I'm creating these calming line illustrations, trying to figure out what to call this new project. My dear friend suggests the name "The Happy Apricot."

It was perfect.

Apricots symbolize joy and warmth. They're sweet, a little unexpected, and make people smile. Just like I hope these products do for you.

Plus, Grandma would be proud. 💛

Ready to choose calm?

Want to try CalmLines? Our bestselling bookmarks are the perfect place to start. Keep one in your planner, book, or bag for instant stress relief.

Join the community on Instagram for daily reminders that rest is your right.

You deserve rest. Not someday. Right now. Thank you for being here. Thank you for choosing yourself. Thank you for believing that rest matters.

With so much calm,
Carrianne
Founder, The Happy Apricot