The Mess That Made the Magic

On Zuki, Mistakes, and Remembering Why I Create

Written by: Cassie Higgins

I spent days feeling like I had failed.

I wrote this essay — or something like it — over and over again. Through every emotion: frustration, guilt, embarrassment, defiance. Each time, I tried to find the right words. Each time, I couldn’t get past the mistakes.

I kept owning the responsibility. I kept saying things like, “I’d rather have honor than excuses.”

But if I’m being honest — all of that was still me staying on the surface.

Still clinging to control.

Still trying to make the mess look noble instead of just letting it be messy.

Because creating something? It’s never clean.

Look at the process of life.

Or building.

Or cooking.

Or raising children.

Or loving anything deeply.

There’s always a mess. Always something to clean up before you see what you were really making.

Books are no different.

Imaginary worlds that reflect our inner ones are no different.

And the hilarious part is — I knew that.

That was literally my motto going into publishing Zuki’s book.

“We build to see what’s inside.”

Somewhere along the way, I forgot that.

For a week, I ruminated over formatting issues.

A repeated line.

A few punctuation marks out of place.

Tiny things, really — but they felt massive because I had poured so much of myself into every detail.

I could’ve blamed the person I paid.

I could’ve blamed the timing, the pressure, the chaos of everything else around me.

But now I see it: this is the process.

This is what creating looks like.

Messy. Alive. Human.

And maybe that’s exactly what this book was meant to teach me all along.

So instead of hiding the imperfections, I’m naming them.

They exist. They’re in the pages.

And they belong there — as reminders that creation is a living thing.

Because that’s what Discovery Loft was always meant to be — a living container for reflection, iteration, and truth.

Zuki’s story mirrors that back perfectly.

He’s not here to be perfect.

He’s here to show what happens when we dare to keep going anyway.

So yes — The Adventures of Zuki & Mystery Forest is live.

It’s not perfect.

It’s not polished within an inch of its life.

But it’s alive.

It breathes, it mirrors, it teaches — even through its flaws.

And the next run will be better.

But I still can’t promise perfection.

Maybe that’s the point.

Because I’m not here to build a brand on flawlessness.

I’m here to build a world that reflects what’s real.

To stand inside the mess and say,

“This is where I’ve gotten to so far.”

We’re not stopping.

Not over a few typos or a misplaced line.

Not over the fear of being seen mid-process.

Because this is the process.

And the mess?

That’s where all the discovery happens.

Zuki’s story lives.

The Discovery Loft lives.

And we’re just getting started.

The Invitation

The Adventures of Zuki & Mystery Forest and the Co-Creating Coloring Storybooks are now live — and already in the hands of readers.

We’ve received messages that stopped us in our tracks:

“I really saw myself in Zuki.”

“Jeff really frustrated me.”

“I would have never trusted Shimmer.”

And these aren’t just from kids — they’re from adults, reflecting on themselves through the eyes of a children’s story.

That’s the magic of it.

People are already feeling and processing parts of their own consciousness through this story — gently, safely, without shame.

Children are lighting up as they color, creating worlds of their own. Adults are seeing mirrors of their inner landscapes. Families are connecting through imagination again.

And this — this response, this reflection — is exactly why we have to keep going.

Because Zuki isn’t just a story.

He’s a way home.

A mirror.

A guide.

A reminder that creation itself is a form of healing.

We’re not here to perfect it.

We’re here to live it — together.

✨ The Adventures of Zuki & Mystery Forest and the Co-Creating Coloring Storybooks are available now: 👉 https://discoveryloft.co/themysteryforest