It’s that time of the year again… That time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, strange days where I forget which day of the week it is…. But these are days where I can take time of from office without feeling guilty… Days where nobody is expecting me to work. Days where I can just reflect, journal and draw, thinking about past year, and thinking about next year…
How was your year?
Mine was quite good, except for the grief of my best friend Samanta… Grief that will stay with me. And that’s OK.
I finished my book about Portugal, I think. (Unless I get comments from my editor ;))
Some attention points I take away for next year:
- Celebrate Everyday Beauty in my sketchbook: Through simple objects like stacked teacups, art transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, reminding us to find inspiration in the mundane. Apparently, anything can be art—so start looking at your messy desk as “creative potential.”
- Diversity in Subjects and Landscapes- Nature vs. Urban—Why Not Both? From the vibrant urban charm of Porto to the serene Alentejo trees, embracing different environments enriches creativity and allows for dynamic storytelling. This diversity in subjects will boost your sketching skills
- Diversity in Sketching Tools: Adding other media to watercolor to challenge sketching methods and try new things. Color Pencil, Gouache, ink,….
- Emotion Through Color and Detail: Just use the colors YOU love most and draw the details YOU find important and interesting
- Mistakes Are Just ‘Happy Accidents’: If something doesn’t turn out as planned, just call it “artistic freedomt” and watch people nod in admiration. Growth is all about learning to laugh at your creative experiments.
- DRAW DRAW DRAW every day! Like Cennino Cennini said to his pupil.
An attention point I want to work on and get better at is communication: in the office, and in my teaching. I need to learn to structure my thoughts better… As I will start teaching drawing and sketching to architecture students at Brussels University in February I will have to work on my communication now!
Tell me if there’s anything you want to learn specifically?
Happy New Year! May your 2025 be as colorful and joyful as a freshly cleaned palette (because let’s be honest, they rarely stay that way, and actually, I almost never clean it…).
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