I'm writing this on Christmas Eve, watching my studio routine dissolve into the particular chaos that holidays bring. Not that I'm complaining about the holiday itself - it’s good to step out of my solitary creative flow to interact with other people. But the deep, focused work I enjoy? That’s scattered when schedules shift and the energy redirects outward. It takes effort to come back in from the creative wilderness, but it also takes effort to find my way back out there too.
Refilling the Well (Without the Precious Language)
Inspiration lives inside you - we've talked about that. But even internal springs need refilling sometimes. When your creative routine gets disrupted, you're not losing your connection to that source. You're just letting the well refill.
Creative energy moves in cycles both small and large. Sometimes you're making intensely. Sometimes you're gathering material (even if it’s just quiet observation or enforced social time). Both are necessary. Both feed the work.
Navigating the transition back into deep creating after disruption? That's part of the creative path, it’s just how it works.
Open Studio: Making Journals from Found Materials
Open Studio is Sunday, January 5 at 2 PM EST. The first session of the new year.
For this one, I'm making journals from product packaging - tea boxes, carbonated water cartons, things with interesting graphics and good paper weight. I go through phases of collecting these, because someone put real thought into making them visually compelling, and they deserve a second life. The recycle bin is full of finds!
I'll be constructing a small journal using simple methods (no special tools needed) and filling it with my own studio ephemera. These journals are useful - they're small enough to carry, substantial enough to hold actual ideas, and made from materials that already have visual interest built in.
Also: I'm doing a giveaway during this session. You have to be there to win, so come and join the fun.
Image here caption: This week's studio materials - packaging too good for the recycle bin! OR Recycle bin finds waiting to become journals - tea boxes, packaging, interesting paper and whatever else catches my eye.
This week's studio materials - packaging too good for the recycle bin
Spring 2026: By Hand and By Pixel Design in Process
I'm working on something new and a little different for spring - a scarf design that combines my analog studio work with digital additions. Taking the marks, textures, and color relationships I create by hand and extending them into wearable art.
This isn't about making my art more "accessible" or whatever the usual justification is. It's about seeing what happens when studio work that exists in one-of-one form is reformed into something that can go into the world differently. More details coming soon, but here’s a peek at one of the designs.
Studio marks becoming wearable - one of the spring scarf designs in process
How is your creativity flowing this season? Reply and let me know - I'd love to hear from you. I read and reply to every message.
Be Bright!
Monette
PS - Open Studio is January 5, 2 PM EST. Show up, watch me turn found packaging into a journal, and maybe win a sample I’ve made. Either this calls to you or it doesn't - but if you're curious about simple making with beautiful found materials, this is where we gather.
PPS - There’s a new video ready for you that has a really important point about knowing when to stop and being intentional about your painting, check it out here on YouTube.