Winds of Change

The winds of change are blowing.

Quite literally, too.

In the past week our weather has shifted from the hot and dusty south-easter to the cool, wet north-wester.  The north-wester is the winter wind; it brings rain and cool air from the Atlantic.  I think this change in season, from summer to autumn, has instigated a change in my routine. I feel like I need to hibernate. All I want to do is burrow under the covers and read novels, and philosophy (or novels that are full of philosophy).

But aside from the change in seasons, there are lots of other changes afoot (which I'll be sharing here in due course, but not right now). I don't do well with change. I always want to start back-stepping when it seems like too much is happening at once.

I'm trying to spend a few hours each morning working on my next book project (very exciting one too!).  I'm still in the sketching and "moodling" stage, trying to figure out how the story will look and feel. I have a big, black, Seawhite of Brighton sketchbook that I'm filling with thumbnails and character sketches. The whole project is due in a few months, so there's not much time for second-guessing my choices.

Once I'm satisfied with the day's work, I curl up under a blanket and pick up where I left off in "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco. It's a medieval murder mystery set in a monastery, full of mysticism, philosophy and intrigue. I'm reading it slowly, because I want to bask in the rich atmosphere and delicious language.  (This is also a change, because I almost never read slowly otherwise)

So, in the midst of all this change, I'm so grateful for the work I'm able to do. I'm so grateful that I can do something that fills my soul and recharges my batteries. I'm not always equally inspired, but I always leave a studio session feeling lighter and happier.

How do you welcome the change in seasons? Or change in general? Do you have any coping mechanisms or tips to share?

Today is.... Rainy

Today is rainy. 

I've always loved rain.  I just love how it makes the world soft and quiet. Things never seem so big or overwhelming. 

I'm taking a moment to sit and gaze at the rain-soaked courtyard. The plants look so green, so verdant; they're almost "super green." Above the rooftops, the mountain is floating in the mist like a something from a Japanese print. 

I'm puttering in my studio and reminding myself to take deep breaths.  

Breathe

....  

I know I've said this before, but I'm always thinking about it. The root for the word

inspiration

is spiro, which is latin for "I breathe."  Inspiration literally means "to breath in." 

So, before you click away and carry on your way, close your eyes, place your hands softly on your lap, and take a deep breath. Now inspiration will follow you with every breath you take today. 

What is your day like today?  Is there one word you could use to describe it? 

 

Another Year Older

Another birthday. 

Another birthday self-portrait to add to the growing series.  You can see the others

HERE

and 

HERE

and

HERE

and

HERE

. 

My goal is to do a self-portrait for every birthday. This year I was inspired by fashion illustrations done in ink (think

Garance Dore

). I'm not sure I achieved my vision, but that doesn't matter. It's the experimentation that matters.

This tradition of painting birthday self-portraits is inspired by Rembrandt. He painted 90 self-portraits over the course of his life. He was very experimental, and often showed himself in a not too kindly light as he aged (wrinkles and all). I'm not sure I'll be brave enough for that!  His self-portraits 

are like an autobiography in art, recording his changing moods and appearance. Maybe I can do the same, in a very small way

A Day in the Life of a Children's Book Illustrator

I thought it would be fun to share a typical day in my life as an illustrator.  Right now we're in Cape Town, but my routine rarely changes whether I'm here, in London or in Canada. It's just the scenery that changes.  

7am: Wake up. Stumble bleary eyed into the blinding sunshine in the kitchen. Pour a glass of cold orange juice and will myself to wake up. 

I wish I started my morning by reading something erudite, or meditating, but I usually end up checking Facebook...

8am: I walk down the hill to the post office to send off the most recent order from my Etsy shop.

Luckily it isn't far to go.  It's already so hot that I make sure to find all the patches of shade on the way there and back. 

This is the view I see on my way back up the hill.  Our house is the one with the brown door in the garden wall.  The frangipanis (also called plumeria) are blooming so beautifully this time of year. There's a wisp of a Table Cloth on top of Table Mountain. That means it's going to be a hot and windy day. 

8:30am: On my way back from the post office I like to stop by Vida e Caffe for a cappuccino.  Vida is a local coffee chain with a wacky, energetic feel. I love how they decorate their paper cups.  Which moustache are you?  I also love that they give a square of dark chocolate with every coffee order. I'll save mine for later.... 

{Coffee on the studio table and ready to work}

9am: I'm already hard at work and listening toBBC Radio 3 online. I love how the classical music gives a sense of order to my crazy imagination.

Right now I'm working on a big book project for Magination Press (a job I got through my agents at Advocate Art). The deadline is fast approaching, so there's no time to spare.

When I'm painting I go into a zen state. I focus. I breathe deeply. I concentrate on the colours and patterns unfolding under my hands.

Any work I do in the morning is like double work. It's that magical time of day when my ideas flow and time seems to cooperate with me.

10am: I find myself googling things like "chalkboard brushes" and "monarch butterflies" to look for references for my current project. I also spend a bit of time trying to win a game of solitaire while my paint dries.

{This is how illustrators do their hair... with a paintbrush.}

{Dive into the colour!}

12 noon:  Noon Gun!  Boom! You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I always jump.  The noon gun has been marking midday in Cape Town since 1806.  It's loud; it echos between the mountains; sometimes I spill paint...

It wakes me from my painting reverie and I remember that I should eat lunch.  Wait a second, did I even eat breakfast?  (Usually not). I make beeline to the fridge and graze from last night's leftovers.

12:30pm: Back to the drawing board. Literally. By now I'm starting to lose concentration.

In the afternoon I often focus on smaller projects, or work on scanning or photoshopping illustrations I'd started the day before.

If I don't have pressing illustration work, I'll write blog posts, or brainstorm ideas for new projects.

....Oh dear, my eyes are drooping.

2pm: Time for that square of dark chocolate.  Thank-you Vida! 

3pm: Unless I have a super-stressful deadline, this is the end of my work day.  I take a long bath, to ease my aching muscles.  You wouldn't think working as an artist would be that strenuous, but hunching over paintings can make my shoulders so tight!

After my bath, I unfurl my back muscles with a short session of yoga.

3:30pm: I rush to the grocery store (aptly named "Pick and Pay," I laugh every time I think about it) and figure out what to make for dinner. Sometimes I pop into the bookstore for a little inspiration, or grab another coffee.

4pm: Skype time with my Mom in Canada!  She's finally awake and I can tell her all about my day.  

6pm onwards: I make supper, and my husband and I settle in for a relaxing evening. Sometimes we have a glass of wine; sometimes we watch a dvd; sometimes we read; sometimes we escape the heat and head to the seaside.

10pm: Time to curl up in bed and close my eyes. Tomorrow will be the same, all over again! 

Here's a one minute video I made of me painting... Enjoy! 

Come smell the roses!

{Photo taken with my new

Canon EOS Rebel T4i

}

A warm, warm welcome to

Chasing Happy

readers!  Today I'm guest posting on Kenzie's lovely blog about why creativity is hard (even for me), and what you can do to make writing or painting a little easier. 

Why not pop over and read it

here

? 

And, if you're new here, please feel free to stay awhile. Draw up a chair and we can chat in my studio. 

Tell me, what are you working on at the moment? 

Do you have any tips for keeping the creative juices flowing? 

Swooning in the Cape Town heat {a little animation}

Don't forget to join the 1 picture, 3 stories link-up!

{Swoon!}

It's summer in Cape Town, and it's so hot.

So, so, so hot.

The noon gun has just fired (as it does every day). The air is so still that the reverberations from the blast have shaken the frangipani flowers from their branches, and now they're wafting down in front of my window. Across the street someone is playing sultry saxophone.

If I slouch in my chair (as I often do), I can see the top of Table Mountain peeking above the roof of our house.  It's shimmering in the heat today.

It's so hot that I think the paint is melting on my palette before I can even get my brush into it.

The heat always brings out the diva in my characters; they always seem to have minds of their own. This little girl was frustrated that I wasn't paying enough attention to her heat-induced swoon, so now she's swooning over and over and over again.  Ad infinitum.  

The grass is always greener on the other side isn't it?  I envy all you readers who are cozily cocooned in  winter.  Oh!  For the snow and the hot chocolates and the great big fuzzy scarves.  Enjoy it while you can!

{Note #1: I posted this little girl last year, but as I have so many new followers, I thought some of you might enjoy seeing her brought back to life)

{Note #2:  I'm not sure if the animated illustration works for email subscribers, so you might want to click through to the blog to see it.}

Sending a little Love your way

{Sand Valentine - Cape Town}

Just living is not enough, one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower. 

H.C. Andersen

I tried to write something deep and profound to accompany this image, but words failed.  I'm spending the majority of each day hunched over my studio table, and when I finally emerge at the end of a long day I feel like a dazed mole seeing the sun for the first time.  My mind is a whirlwind of colours, inks, and paintbrushes; it is thinking purely in images and not words.

Sometimes life seems to be more stressful than it ought to be.  I think we all have an internal gauge, each one calibrated differently, as to how much stress we can handle.  What do we do when the needle rises dangerously high?

Right now, because I'm so tired after each long day's work, all I can do is sit in the evenings and breathe.

Oh, I'm so grateful I don't have to think about breathing.  

I take deep breaths and say to myself, "that's one less thing to worry about."  I make lists of everything that feels abundant: the love of my family, the food on the table, books to read...

So, no matter what any of you are experiencing right now (I'm sure some of you are serene, and some of you are stressed), I am sending blessings over the land and across the seas.

Take a deep breath.

We can do this!

The sun will keep on rising and setting

{Full Moon - Camps Bay, Cape Town}

Just a little note to say: 

- I arrived home, acquired a vicious head cold, and immediately dove head-first into work towards some looming deadlines. 

- I'm resolving to do more landscape sketching/painting, and this is the fruits of my first effort. Yesterday the full moon was spectacular, inspiring, uplifting.  

-  The moon always reminds me to breathe deeply.  The world is bigger than we imagine, much bigger. There are possibilities of all description beyond our reckoning. When we're worrying about our little patch of earth (our careers, families, etc), sometimes a larger perspective is important.  As Anne of Green Gables said, "The sun will keep on rising or setting, whether I fail geometry or not."  

'Til next week!  

Oh, and I'd love to see you over on

Facebook

or

Twitter

.  Come say hello!  

The Year in Review

Happy New Year!

Last New Year's Eve I decided that my life needed more momentum.  I knew that I needed to move forwards at a quicker pace, but I wasn't sure how to go about it.  I decided to re-open my Etsy shop and start blogging once a week. I thought that maybe if I made more of an effort to get myself into the world, the world would meet me with equal energy. It was an experiment.  

Did it work?  

It did!

I was blown away by the response.  You readers are amazing, and make my life brighter each time I hear from you.  You make my solitary studio feel like it's full of friends. Thank-you so much for spending time with me! 

Thank you also for everybody who supported my work this year through

my Etsy shop.

 I'm grateful for each one of you and for the new friendships that we've made. 

The Word for 2014

I've noticed that instead of making New Year's resolutions, a lot of people are choosing a word or mantra to encompass all their wishes for the coming year.  This idea resonated with me, and I immediately knew which word I would choose. When I whispered it to myself I felt it strumming my solar plexus like a guitar string. 

Build. 

To construct; to increase or strengthen; to add value to; to progress to a maximum, as of intensity; to develop according to a plan. 

I want to build on the strong foundations laid in 2013.  Building my career. Building friendships and relationships.  Building my future.  Building stories. 

If I had chosen a word for last year it might have been "hope." All that hope brought me here, to this moment, and I'm so grateful.  

Words are strong; they have the power to change who we are. 

What's your word for 2014? I'd love to know. 

2013 in numbers:

Number of book fairs attended: 1

Number of agents: 1

Number of book contracts signed: 1

Number of books out this year containing my illustrations: 2 (

Flat Water Tuesday

, and

Playing with Sketches

)

Number of flights: innumerable

Number of cities visited: 5 (Cape Town, London, Winnipeg, Montreal, Windhoek) 

Number of weddings: 2

Number of funerals: 1 (so sad to have lost my grandpa)

Number of books read: 58

Number of prints sold: 118 (

Thank-you everyone!

)

Favourite Posts of 2013:

Be gentle with yourself

Jet lag and the art of time travel

Unleashing your inner creativity

The art of living

Take a deep breath

I almost gave up

Dream Big

Follow your Effort not your Dreams

Merry Christmas!

{Mr. Tumnus and Lucy in Narnia}

Aren't you glad we live in a world where it isn't always winter, but never Christmas (like in Narnia)? No matter how dark and cold it gets, there's always the promise of warmth and light.  

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

I'm taking a little break from blogging for the next two weeks.  I want to focus on embracing time with my family.  I haven't had a Christmas at home for 3 years, and I'm loving every minute of it.  I can't get enough of festive singing, coffees with long lost friends, walking through glittery snow and hugs a plenty.  

Merry Christmas!

Follow me on

bloglovin

/

facebook

/

twitter

/ 

One Picture, Three Stories

{Skidding on Laurie Lake Manitoba}

Story #1:

 My grandpa spent the winter of 1942/43 working as a Conscientious Objector. As he was a Mennonite Pacifist, it was against his convictions to become a soldier during WWII.  Instead, he aided the war effort by cutting lumber at a camp on

Laurie Lake

in Northern Manitoba. He was an avid photographer, and all the pictures documenting his time at the camp were carefully pasted into an old photo album.  The young men must have had a lot of fun, as many of the photos are of the games and pranks they played.

Story #2:

Ever since I was a young girl, this picture has been an inspiration to me.  I want to live my life like that young man hanging on the back of the tractor.

I want to hitch myself to the world and let the forward momentum sweep me off my feet.  

Story #3:

My Grandpa died last week. I will miss him dearly. He was a quiet man; always the one observing; the one behind the camera. Did he know that when he took this picture 70 years ago that it would inspire his granddaughter?  

I've often thought that there are many layers of meaning to the photographs we take.  There are so many stories woven into each moment.

How many stories can you tell with just one photograph? 

Do you want to join in on your blog? Choose one of your pictures and tell a few of the stories that surround it.

Feel free to link to your post in the comments below! 

{Scene of the lake from a treetop: which means Grandpa must have climbed a very high tree!}

A few things I'm loving right now

Here are a few things I'm loving right now: 

-- Cups of coffee with my mom. 

-- Lighting a candle in the darkness before the winter dawn.

-- Watching the snow fall gently in the evergreen tree I planted when I was five. 

-- Spending time with my aunts, uncles and cousins. We sing; we laugh; we sing and laugh at the same time. 

Christmas: it's time to hold on tight

It is almost the bleak midwinter.  The frosty wind is whispering at my window. Snow has been falling all day; snow on snow. Soft flakes flutter down like confetti thrown from heaven.   

It is the darkest time of year, and yet we celebrate light. 

We light candles; we dispel the darkness. 

Each day we move from darkness to light.  We sleep; we wake. The sun rises and sets.  We have good days and bad, and through it all, we lean on the support and love of our family and friends.  

No matter how many gifts I have to wrap, or how far I've travelled, I'm going to make sure I hold on to those I love. I'm going to give them big hugs; I will tell them how much I love and appreciate them; I'll share happiness, laughter, and joy.  

Before you click away... close your eyes, place your hands softly in your lap, take a deep, nourishing breath and then let out a gentle sigh. Let the love of those around you be a brilliant light piercing the darkness. 

Perseverance, Routines and a Cup of Coffee

{I've ordered you a coffee, why not stay a while?}

This is one of those weeks when I wish I could invite all you blogging friends around for coffee.  We'd sink into big, comfy couches and chat about our lives, our goals, and our dreams. 

Life has been pretty routine around here.  Each morning I sit down in my studio and work on illustrations for a picture book that will come out next year (yay!).  Then I eat a small lunch, usually left-overs from yesterday's dinner.  After a short break, I go back to work in my studio. By late afternoon I'm ready for a coffee or hot-chocolate, and some quiet time with a book or your wonderful blogs.

Is there any individual moment of these routine days worth recording? The days are a little like the leafless trees of winter.  There are all sorts of colours and variations of texture if you look closely, but the outlines and structure are pretty simple.

I think it's these routine days that build our dreams.

It's the perseverance to keep working; to keep showing up at the drawing board; to not give up; and when things go wrong, to start all over again.

Routines are wonderful, because then showing up isn't a choice, it's a habit. It's not something you have to decide on every morning when you wake up, it's just something you do.

Gradually, after days and days, all those dreams will start to become a reality.  It's like dropping pebbles one by one into a lake.  At first it feels hopeless because the pebbles sink below the water and seem to disappear; but they don't. Each time you drop a pebble into the water, small ripples expand over the surface, touching everyone you know. Your small routines, your daily pebbles, are part of the essential fabric of this world.

Eventually, if you keep dropping pebbles every day, the underwater pile will grow large enough to form an island on which you can stand firmly.  Then, you can plant your flag and say, "This, finally, is what I've been working towards for so long."

What are we building with our daily routines, dropping pebbles one by one into the lake?  Maybe a career, a blog, a marriage, a family, a healthy body.... ?

I would love to know what you're working towards! 

And, if you want a little diversion, here's an aria from J.S. Bach's "Coffee Cantata" where the soprano rhapsodies about her overwhelming love for coffee.  

It's beautiful

Today is... Dreamy

{Bougainvillea and Table Mountain}

Can you believe it's almost the middle of November?  Where has the year gone? 

I've had my head down all year, working on illustration projects in my studio.  When I enjoy my work, I often forget the time. I'll look up from my paintings and suddenly it's almost supper time.  

Or.... suddenly it's November!

This is the beginning of the social season, and our calendar is filling up with parties, gatherings, weekends away, and the prospect of a wonderful, summery Christmas in Cape Town.  While I miss Canadian snow a lot, I'm actually beginning to get used to Antipodean Christmases. 

So, I'm dreaming of bougainvillea, hot sunshine, and time spent with family.  

I've spent the last week reading, reading, reading.  Currently, I'm reading the Diaries of Virginia Woolf. I found the entire set (several volumes) at a used book store a few weeks ago.  It is compulsive reading. She writes about her creative process, insecurities, and triumphs.  It's wonderful to see her world, and London, through her own eyes.    

I've also been reading poetry on my ereader. To be honest, I find it difficult to concentrate on an entire novel on an ereader.  I always feel like something is missing; I end up turning the ereader over wondering, "but... where is the rest of the book?"  It's ridiculous.  It feels like the moment when you show a mirror to a kitten, and when it sees it's own reflection, it runs around to the other side to find the other cat. I keep trying to turn real pages, or skim forwards, which can't be done!      

As poems are shorter I can read a few, and then do other things in between, so I don't get exhausted by peering at the screen.    

So, that's my dreamy day.  

Tell me about your day.

 What's the one word you would use to describe it? 

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all

--Emily Dickinson

{I'm sending you a hug across the miles...}

Living Spherically: Being Multi-Passionate

You have to live spherically, in many directions. 

Never lose your childish enthusiasm

and things will come your way. 

Under the Tuscan Sun Movie

It's a rainy day, and that suits me just fine.  The world is quiet; all I can hear is the patter of raindrops on the roof.  Rain always makes the world feel intimate and manageable. I find I can concentrate better when the the distractions of the world are muted by soft rain.  

Speaking of distractions: I have a habit of thinking that I have to focus on just one "really important" project at a time.  I get overwhelmed when I have too many items on my to do list. 

 I sometimes wonder, if I simplified my life, and put all my energy into one project, would I reap larger rewards than if I worked on many different things at once?  

I'm not sure this is the right way to go about things, though. Wouldn't life become flat and one-dimensional? Surely pursuing more than one avenue makes life more interesting? Why can't we be multi-passionate? I love illustrating; I love writing; I love blogging. I think they all make valuable contributions to my creative life. 

I remember an episode of Dawson's Creek where Dawson was talking to someone about his love for films and film-making.  His bedroom was papered from floor to ceiling with movie posters.  The friend asked if he had any other interests.  

"No," he said, "Films are my life."  

"If you're not interested in anything else, what will you make films about?"the friend asked. "You can't make films about films." 

I guess that means we need to pursue our chosen path with single-minded enthusiasm, but also leave doors open for other interests to enrich our lives (and our creative projects).  Who knows where the next opportunity will come from? 

So, I'm resolving to live life

spherically

this week.  I will pursue all my passions with childish enthusiasm, and I won't let all these balls I'm juggling overwhelm me.  

What do you think?  Do you think if you have lots of passions you are diluting your energy? Or is having lots of passions a good thing? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Finding a Home for a Nomad

{This is not my home}

When I first met my husband I told him that I was a nomad and a homebody.  What a contradiction! But it's true.  There's nothing I like better than being on the move.  The body absorbs amazing kinetic energy when travelling.  I love discovering new places, new people, and new ideas.  

I also love being at home.  I love sitting in a sunbeam with a cup of tea.  I love the quiet daily routines that knit the days together.  

As much as I love being a nomad, the past few years have been difficult, because neither of us are sure where home is.  Our lives ricochet between Canada, London and South Africa.  London is the fulcrum, around which the trans-hemispherical movements pivot. 

Making lists to get things done

Every Sunday evening I sit down with a glass of wine, my moleskine planner and a favourite pen.  It is a moment of quietness; a moment in which I can visualize the coming week and all the tasks I need to accomplish.  

A few weeks ago my writing and illustrating group had an email discussion on how we plan our projects. It was refreshing and enlightening to hear everyone's perspectives.  So, I thought I'd share my process with you here on my blog, and I'd love to hear your planning ideas in the comments!

This is how I schedule my life: 

On the blank, right-hand page of my Moleskine planner I write down all the things I need to accomplish that week. I divide the list into 5 sections, corresponding to the 5 facets of my career: illustration, writing, blog, etsy and other.  

If there are specific deadlines or events, I'll schedule them into the calendar portion. If the deadline is still upcoming I'll often write something like "2 weeks left" beside the task in my list.   

When I have ongoing projects, I make a note of exactly how much I need to accomplish each week. For example, for my current illustration project I have basic tasks outlined for each week until the deadline at the end of this month. 

This system gives me a structure to know exactly what needs to be done, but also freedom to do it at my own pace as the week unfolds.  

You might have noticed from the photo that I use the pocket moleskine planner, and not the full-sized one. Even though it's half the size, I can still fit all my notes onto the pages, and the smaller size reminds me to keep my to-do lists and expectations simple.  There literally isn't enough space to keep writing tasks ad infinitum. Also, it fits easily into any sized handbag. 

I love broad margins in my daily routine. I crave blank, unscheduled time when I can reflect on my creative journey and the world around me. Idle time is golden because it's when I get my best ideas.

How do you schedule your week? Do you have any tips and tricks for staying sane when tasks and deadlines pile up? What kind of calendar/planner do you use? I'd love to hear from you! 

Are you interested in reading more about the subject of balance and getting things done?  Here are a few amazing blog posts I've read recently.  Take a moment to read them, they might just change the way you look at life.

Truly.  

Thanksgiving: opening my eyes to the wonders around me

For all that has been, Thanks.

For all the will be, YES.

Dag Hammarskjold

One thing about living far away from home is that I miss celebrating holidays with my family.  This coming weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving.  

As a child Thanksgiving was one of my favourite feast days (literally). We would push two huge tables together in Grandma and Grandpa's dining room and squeeze all the aunts and uncles and cousins into the room to eat wonderful food. The table groaned under the weight of roasted turkey, amazing salads and pumpkin pie.  

Before we could eat, each of us young cousins was given a chance to list a few things we were thankful for. It seemed hard at first, but once we got started the lists became endless.  There was so much,

so much

, to be grateful for! Sometimes the lists were serious and sometimes there were silly. We'd make our silly lists as we ate: pens, paper, raisins, bread, orange juice, disney movies! 

Now that I'm older, I forget to be thankful. I forget to look around me and acknowledge all the blessings in my life.  Gratitude takes nothing for granted.  Gratitude opens your mind so that it is constantly awakening to new wonders around you.  

I always wonder... why doesn't the rest of the world celebrate Thanksgiving?  Surely giving thanks is one of the most important things we can do? Just a thought:  

If we don't give thanks for the little things, we won't be able to receive the big things.  

Here's a small list of the things I'm thankful for

this very moment

: 

1. The sunshine streaming through our living room window, painting a golden square on the wooden floor. 

2.  A wonderful, warm, comforting cup of tea. 

3. My amazing agents at Advocate Art, who are working hard to sell our illustrations at Frankfurt Book Fair as we speak. 

4. Illustration work that is fulfilling and challenging. 

5. Skype.  All the better for keeping in touch with far flung family and friends. 

6. Blogging (all you bloggers are such an inspiration to me! 

7. A bookshelf full of books. 

8. Beautiful shoes.  

9. My amazing family, who are always there when I need them most. 

10. My husband: I still thank my lucky stars for him every day.

11. London, my favourite city in the world.

12. And a few less serious things: scarves, sunscreen, pillows, hot water bottles, cameras....

I can no answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever Thanks.

Shakespeare

What are you thankful for in this moment?  

Slowing Down

{Peter Harrison Asleep. A watercolour by John Singer Sargent. 1905}

If last week was a blur, this week has been a delicious slowing down. 

I'm lying in bed with my laptop on my knees.  A bird is singing merrily in the garden, enjoying a late afternoon splash in the birdbath.  

I haven't had a day off in three weeks.  I worked every weekday and every weekend, from dawn until dusk, hunched over my studio table, paintbrush in hand.  By the time I'd finished the project, my hands were so stiff I had to practically pry my fingers off the brush. 

This one deadline may have passed, but there are still a few more fast approaching on the horizon.  I spent the morning making a schedule for myself.  A gentle schedule. A schedule sprinkled generously with down time. 

I resolve, going forwards, to honour weekends; to take at least one day off each week.

You don't realize how important it is, until you're deprived of the luxury.  The worst isn't even the physical fatigue, but the mental burnout. It's absolutely impossible to generate original, interesting ideas when your brain feels like mush!

I also want to get back into doing other things, like playing the piano, dancing and reading all your fantastic blogs.  New activities add so much richness and inspiration to life.  

So here's my quote for the week, because Eddie Cantor can say it way better than I can: 

Slow down and enjoy life.  It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast--you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.

I going to spend this weekend curled up with a book, just like Peter Harrison did in 1905 (see above), dreaming of all the gorgeous illustrations I intend to paint in the coming months.

Do you have any special rituals or favourite things to do on your days off?  I'd love to hear from you! 

.