Q4 Creative Wrap-Up: Moving from Planning to Action
As the year winds down, it’s always satisfying to pause, look back, and tally up the creative victories. The fourth quarter is typically a time when motivation starts to wane, but for me, it felt like a period of intense focus, where several long-term projects finally transitioned from "WIP" (Work In Progress) to "DONE" (or, at least, "Submitted!").
Here are the major creative goals I managed to check off in Q4:
1. The Patchwork Puzzle Solved: Finishing the Scrap Quilt Top
I am absolutely thrilled to report that I completed piecing my scrap quilt! This project has been hanging over my fabric box for months, and seeing all those bits and pieces finally stitched together is incredibly satisfying.
The initial challenge was combining the wildly disparate colors and prints from my scrap fabric box into a cohesive design, but pushing through that complexity made the final result so much richer. I tried to combine the colours so that they merged from darker to lighter. Using up the scraps felt like a small, personal sustainability victory.
What's Next? Now comes the next phase: the actual quilting! The top is pieced, but I still need to layer the batting and backing and decide on the quilting pattern. It's a whole new set of decisions, but I'm excited to move into the final stages of turning this massive patchwork puzzle into a functional, beautiful blanket. I’m lucky that I have two aunts and my mom who are excellent quilters and seamstresses. They can give me advice.
2. Launching My Art Journaling Online Course
This goal was huge, and I am excited to announce that I have successfully launched registration for my online course on Soulful Sketchbooks, set to start in January!
This course is a true passion project, designed to help people overcome creative block and embrace a non-judgmental, restorative approach to their daily art practice. Developing the lessons, recording the tutorials, and building the platform took immense effort, but the positive response so far has been overwhelming. I can't wait to share the tools and techniques I use to maintain a creative life without the pressure of perfection. January can't come soon enough!
3. The Waiting Game: Middle Grade Novel Submission
Perhaps the biggest moment of Q4 was sending my finished middle grade novel manuscript off to my literary agent.
It’s a mix of excitement, relief, and sheer terror to hit that 'send' button on a project that has consumed my life for so long. Awaiting feedback is always the hardest part of the process, but just making it to the submission stage is a massive creative milestone in itself.
Looking Ahead
Q4 was about bringing projects to the point of completion and preparing for the new year.
Q1 of next year will be all about action: diving into teaching the Art Journaling course, and hopefully, receiving exciting next steps from my agent on the novel! And maybe starting a new writing project.
And of course, always maintaining my creative practise of daily drawings
Thank you for following along on this creative journey! What big creative victories did you celebrate this quarter? Let me know in the comments below!
My week in Drawings 13 January 2023
It has been a quiet week. We are slowly resuming our school and work routines. I can’t wait to get back to my big writing project! Let’s open those notebooks!
Books I read in 2022
Happy New Year, dear friends!
I have kept a record of every book I read since I was a teenager. (Read more about that HERE) Sometimes I have scribbled down the titles and author names in notebooks, sometimes I have kept a digital note in my phone and added a book every time I’ve finished. The only consistent thing is that I have consistently kept the list going.
Below is my list for 2022.
I read a lot. I haunt my local library.
Whenever a see an interesting book mentioned online or one is recommended to me, I check if my library has it, and if not, I order it in via the interlibrary loan service. I also use the Libby library app to read ebooks.
This means that I have a book to read any time, either in paper copy or on my phone.
When looking through this list, I realized that I read a lot of non-fiction this year. I think it is because I read non-fiction quite quickly. I get to the point, I learn something new, and then I move to the next book. Whereas, I read fiction very slowly; I savour the plot and characters; I reread portions when I want to figure out how the author constructed a chapter, or a plot twist, or just wrote something particularly beautiful.
I sip fiction. I gulp non-fiction.
And also, we still read every evening to our daughter. I have read loads of classic chapter books to her, and I don’t include those in my list. Though perhaps I should?
This list also doesn’t include the multitude of books I’ve read as reference or research for various writing projects.
Maybe I should include sub-lists?
In 2023, I am resolving to read more poetry.
Please comment with your favourite books of 2022. Are there any that I should read?
“Please comment with your favourite books of 2022. Are there any I should read? ”
Here is the list….
Devotion. Patti Smith
The almost zero waste guide. Melanie Mannario
This is Marketing. Seth Godin.
Why I write. George Orwell
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. Jeanne Birdsall.
Paris Match. John von Sothen.
Once upon a wardrobe. Patti Callahan.
Intimations. Zadie Smith.
The zero-waste lifestyle. Amy Korst
I didn’t do the thing today. Madeleine Dore.
Utterly Dark. Philip Reeve.
Down and out in London and Paris. George Orwell.
Hashtag Authentic. Sarah Tasker
God’s Joyful Surprise. Sue Monk Kidd.
War of Art. Steven Pressfield.
The rose garden. Susanna Kearsley.
The visual MBA. Jason Barron.
100 selected poems. E. E. Cummings.
State of Terror. Hilary Clinton and Louise Penny.
Write it all down. Cathy Rentzenbrink.
How we got to now. Steven Johnson.
Anything you want. Derek Sivers.
Practising Simplicity. Jodi Wilson.
My money my way. Kumiko Love
Better than before. Gretchen Rubin.
Love in an English garden. Victoria Connelly.
Dear reader. Cathy Rentzenbrink.
Make Time. Jake knapp and John Zeratzky.
Outer order inner calm. Gretchen Rubin.
The four tendencies. Gretchen Rubin.
Orcadia. Mark Edmonds
The girl who talked to trees. Natasha Farrant.
The search for wondla. Tony Diterlizzi
A hero for wondla. Tony Diterlizzi
When the war came home. Lesley Parr.
Kid gloves. Lucy Knisley.
How to raise successful people. Esther Wojcicki
The universe has your back. Gabrielle Bernstein.
Everything I learned about life I learned in dance class. Abby Lee Miller
Nevertell. Katharine Orton
Think like an artist. Will Gompertz.
Crusade. Elizabeth Laird.
Why we get fat. Gary Taubs.
Practising simplicity. Jodi Wilson
How to break up with your phone. Catherine Price.
Super attractor. Gabrielle Bernstein.
Apricots on the Nile. Colette Rossant.
Wanderland. Jini Reddy.
Light over London. Julia Kelly.
The divine matrix. Gregg Braden.
The field. Lynn Mctaggart.
The intention experiment. Lynne Mctaggart.
The great circle. Maggie Shipstead.
Flow. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
Pages and Co. Tilly and the book wanderers. Anna James.
Walking to the end of the world. Beth Jusino.
The Embroidered Book. Kate Heartfield.
Free. Lea Ypi.
Rich Dad Poor Dad. Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter.
Stolen Focus. Johann Hari
The Matrix. Lauren Groff.
The Vanished Days. Susannah Kearsley.
Ducks. Kate Beaton.
The Tea dragon society. K O’neill.
The tea dragon festival. K O’neill.
The russlander. Sandra Birdsell.
Writing as a way of healing. Louise de salvo.
Herself. Madeleine L’engle.
Every good boy does fine. Jeremy Denk.
Productivity Project. Chis Bailey.
Hyperfocus. Chris Bailey.
Je Ne Sais Quoi. Lucie Arnoux.
A year in my English Garden: December 2022
Two weeks ago the roses were covered in snow (see photo at end of the post), and now there are still brave buds emerging for the New Year.
One of the things I love about living in Southern England is that I can have something blooming in my garden every month of the year. The winter garden is one of texture and details. One has to pause and look closely to find them. It isn’t the brash floribunda of the summer, but I like its quiet confidence.
The little winter plants continue bravely, despite the cold temperatures and storms; despite the lack of light.
They are an inspiration.
A brave rose bud.
My bonsai oak tree.
Lacy hydrangea flowerheads.
Heather blooming.
Skimmia.
The garden in the snow.
Writing in the car
I am a mom-chauffeur. But that’s ok. I write in the car while I’m parked at school pickup. Or clubs pickup. Or lessons. The car is another studio space for me.
Academic badge ceremony
Academic badge ceremony.
End of school year!
So many emotions.
Her first school year with no home school.
It’s only up from here!
Buckle up and pack the trunk!
I have wonderful news!
CBC kids has listed Every Home Needs An Elephant as one of 7 of the best kids books for a road trip in the summer of 2022!
Every Home Needs An Elephant one of CBC Books best books!
Let’s Celebrate!
I’m so excited to tell you that my book "Every Home Needs An Elephant” has been included in CBC books list of the best picture books of 2021! This is a dream come true. The list is full of the most amazing Canadian books, and I am so honoured to have my book lists alongside them. Sarah and Mr Smith, the elephant, have such big hearts, and I’m so glad they’re making friends with so many children across the country.
You can see the entire list here: https://www.cbc.ca/books/the-best-canadian-picture-books-of-2021-1.6293446
Advent Drawings
It has been a quiet week. School is out for the holidays, and we have intentionally slowed down. We are reading books, doing crafts, and getting the house ready for Christmas. And taking lots of naps.
one dust ball at a time
Today has been a day for sorting, organizing and cleaning. I have made lists of things to do my studio. I have made lists of dreams for the coming year. And I have cleaned in preparation for a house guest. It’s amazing how putting things in order in the house can also help one’s mind feel more at ease as well!
Winter Sunrise....
This morning the sunrise was like jewels sparkling on the horizon. It was a moment of beauty in a week of storms.
And I realized that I have been painting these winter sunrises for three years in a row, always at the beginning of December!
Advent sketches!
This weekend we put up some twinkle lights on the hedge in our tiny front garden, and enjoyed the school Christmas play! When I asked my 7 year old daughter if I should do her hair in a special way for the play, she said, “It doesn’t matter Mommy, I just have a tea towel on my head anyway.” Ha! She was a shepherd.
I am drawing a joyful memory of every day of Advent this year, to remind myself that there are moments to be grateful for even when life can feel hard and complicated!
Laundry for the soul - 3rd Day Of Advent 2021
When the world is full of worries, I often do laundry. I separate colours. I wash. I fold.
It helps me to feel that I am returning order and beauty to the world, if only in my little corner.
Search Posts
Archive
Featured Posts
-
February 2024
- Feb 25, 2024 February Sketchbook Feb 25, 2024
- Feb 1, 2024 January Sketchbook 2024 Feb 1, 2024