Today I’ve been in my studio having some little wins and doing some planning in my journal.
It was one of those days where progress felt small but meaningful, like placing nails into a jar (to make ink for my Rust, Ink and Bone workshop in January) and little bits adding up.
I’ve been trying to carve out space for ideas without letting all the ‘must dos’ of life get in the way. It’s something I want to focus on in the new year: showing up, being present, and cracking on with all the creative work I’ve been planning.
This was also an experiment! I tried Substack Live for the first time, dipping into the idea of sharing moments from the studio as they happen. It’s not perfect yet, but I like the thought of sharing more of the process—raw, real, and unpolished. Here’s a little clip in which I talk about jars full of rocks.
I’ve been thinking about how we make time for the things that matter most. It’s easy to let structured events—meetings, errands, rigid plans—fill up the diary until there’s no space left for the important, unstructured time that art needs. I’ve been reflecting on that story of the jar, where rocks (the essentials) go in first, followed by gravel and sand, so everything fits.
For me, the rocks are studio days. I’m starting to plan ahead, scheduling time for my art as non-negotiable. When someone asks, “Can you do this?” I’ll look at my week and protect that space. Art needs downtime, play, and wandering focus—it doesn’t fit neatly around the edges of life.
This is the plan. Rocks in first - little steps toward a bigger structure. Progress feels good, even if it’s slow. And with the new year, I’m determined not to let gravel and sand get in the way.
So, that’s the update. A metaphorical jar full of rocks and such. A real jar full of nails (sans vinegar). A small plan set in motion. Progress made.
What’s next? I don’t know yet, but today felt like a step forward, and that’s enough. Thanks for watching, thanks for reading, and here’s to showing up again soon.
Join me on Thursday for the last ‘Beautiful Garbage Collective co-creation session’ - the link will go out to all my subscribers (including free subscribers) on Thursday morning and the session runs 2-4pm UK time and is free.
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