I suppose it won’t be secret after this post, but I spent the month of October having my own Inktober without posting it anywhere on social media. I really enjoyed that! A lot! To be honest, my daily commitment to draw every day had been going on long before October 1st, and I always use ink of some kind, be it a fine liner, brush pen, calligraphy pen, or plain ole Bic pen. I draw first thing in the morning, often in my writing journal, with the same Bic pen that I write with. Later in the day, I draw in my sketchbook and use whatever tickles my fancy. I’ve made a slide show of October drawings, both the morning ones as well as some of the other sketches and drawings from my larger sketchbook. I hope you enjoy this little trip through the previous month. 💖

I continue to draw every morning and at other times too. Life has been a bit busier lately which decreases the amount of drawings in my large sketchbook, but that’s ok. It isn’t about trying to create more and more drawings, but rather to sink into my life with my pens to see more clearly the beauty that surely lies therein, even if I’m having a tough time seeing it readily. There’s some kind of magic that happens when my pen hits the paper. Ordinary becomes exciting. A mess transforms into lovely. Mundane becomes mysterious. Even worry is dispelled as I draw. The final result of the drawing has nothing to do with this transformational aspect of the process of drawing. Time slows. Heart stops racing. The world, at least within the confines of my sketchbook, is set to rights.

And so I shall draw on. And I hope you will too! If you need encouragement for daily drawing, I have a little ebook of lessons and encouragement for how to make sketching a part of your life. The holidays are a perfect time to make drawing a daily commitment. You may think you won’t have time. But if you set a timer to draw just 15 minutes each day, you’ll be amazed at how much it adds up, and sometimes 15 minutes turns into more!

Keep drawing friends! No need to share it on social media if you don’t want to. There’s something enchanting about keeping it private…like a secret delicious treat you allow yourself to indulge for a few minutes every day! Happy Holidays! 😍🎄❤️