I hope you are all doing well and are enjoying creative times!
You probably have noticed that the blog has been a bit slower than usually recently – I’ve just been very exhausted in recent months, due to work and health stuff, and haven’t found the time to write blogs or create a lot of sketches for myself. And that is so important for me. But what to do when the very thing that usually helps you relax (like art) feels too exhausting? I think this is the right time for a break, focus on what’s immediately important, and then find that creative spark again.
So in the coming weeks I’ll focus on my own well-being, some reading, and on the last month of summer – with or without sketchbook, we’ll see.
So – I’m giving myself the permission to take a deep breath, put my technology away, and appreciate nature just as it is. That has always helped me. I hope to find back to my sketchbook and to a more playful approach of making art. Recently it’s all been very structured because I’ve been creating so many teaching materials – I absolutely love it, but sometimes it narrows the focus so much and leaves no room for playful exploration. I wanted to finish another big class this summer, but with everything else going on I just didn’t have the energy.
So I’m taking a short break and will be back in September. I will show you a new project I have worked on then, hopefully have fresh blog ideas and more energy for new classes, and there will also be another round of the Sketching Fundamentals class with feedback in autumn, too!
For those of you who want to do a bit of summer reading, below are some of the blog posts that are well-liked or I find worth revisiting.
Enjoy your August and happy sketching!
- Art and life lessons from Leonardo da Vinci
- Getting started with watercolor, part 1 and part 2
- An introduction to watercolor pigments
- How to get better mixes with watercolor
- How to get better at drawing (+ pep talk)
- How I use colored pencils for sketching
- Why I quit social media
And of course there are always the complete blog archives and my self-paced classes!
We all need a rest and/or a break from routines in our lives. I will be praying for you, your health and overall well-being. Looking forward to your September post. Enjoy what’s left of August!
Many many thanks Margret!
Enjoy your break Julia. It is well deserved. You put so much thought and work into your blog posts and teaching and it is much appreciated and inspirational. Enjoy being with nature – it is so lovely to just relax and take it all in.
Thank you so much Val!
Please take a break and restore and refresh! You are always so generous with your knowledge and skills. Please make your own well being a priority. Thanks
Karin
Have a wonderful summer break, Julia! I just went through your class on Painting Clouds and Skies and enjoyed it very much. As always, your content is excellent and inspiring and well presented. I hope you have a lovely well-deserved vacation and will look forward to reading your blog in the fall. Best wishes, Laura
Your priorities are spot on! Self-care is so important. Take care Julia …… I know you’ll be back in full creative mode soon.
I so honor your decision to take a break Julia! I too, have taken a break from my work (I’m an herbalist) and just need some time to care for myself too. I’ve been feeling exhausted and not taken time for play ~ which we need! Or to do “nothing”, just be present soaking up the life in Nature all around me, it is so nourishing and can come back with more to offer others when I fill the well. So sending you off with warmest blessings for peace and nourishment and look forward to hearing from you again when you return renewed. <3
Your newsletter is always a wonderful surprise in my email inbox! I want you to know that your blog has encouraged me to pick up a watercolor brush for the first time at 69 years old. I am planning to take a personal retreat in my little camper this fall (if it ever cools off in Texas), and painting along in one of your classes is something I’m looking forward to doing. I pray that you will be refreshed in your sabbatical, and applaud you for giving yourself permission to step back.
Enjoy your break! Look forward to having you back refreshed in September!
Have a well deserved break, you have helped and inspired me so much, thank you for all the hard work you put into your teaching. Rest and get strong.
Te deseo que mejore tu salud, descansa y encuentra entretenimiento en la lectura, la naturaleza, el paisaje y todo lo que te pueda aportar tranquilidad y paz. Cuídate mucho y mímate. Busca ánimo en todo lo que te rodea, disfruta. Un abrazo y un beso desde Cantabria (España). Te espero este otoño con las baterías a tope. A mi me has ayudado mucho a retomar mi camino con otro ánimo y mucha ilusión.
I hope you will enjoy your break! It is so important to know when to stop and rest. I hope you will have lovely weather and the possibility to walk in and observe nature until your heart is to filled all you want to do is create 🙂 Take care!
Enjoy your break, Julia! I pray you will return from it refreshed and restored. Love the wild chicory at the top of this post. It’s all over the place here in northeast Ohio right now.
Dear Julia,
Please enjoy your break – we all need to nurture our inner being. Thank you for your generosity. I got as far as negative space in your course – and am still dancing with it in every flower and tree that I see – months later. It has changed the world as I see it. Leaves, petals – everywhere! Come autumn, I’ll return to the course.
Smiles,
Barbara
I hope all will be well with you after your much needed break. Thank you for continuing to share through this blog. I hope to be able to take some of your classes soon. God bless you
You know best what you need. We will be here when you are ready to engage again. Rest well and as my art friend always says ‘ notice what you notice’ and let that be your peace.
Loved the sketches you showed here. Best wishes to you. Hope you have a lovely long break to renew yourself and your creative energies. Best wishes.
Julia, it’s so important to take time for yourself and recharge especially when you’ve been busy with work commitments and health issues. When I find myself struggling to find time to create, I remember the insights you shared about how taking time to fill our “creative inventory” is just as important as creating. Enjoy the rest of summer and see you in September!
Julia enjoy your blog break. Will miss your posts but looking forward to your return in September.
Dear Julia,
Hello from me in Sarasota, Florida.
I have been enjoying the video of your sketchbook this evening as I have been since I first discovered your blog the beginning of this year, 2023.
Your sense of color and detail is so lovely and refined.
Thank you so much for sharing your gift.
And, I wish you great inspiration and energy as you engage in this wonderful endeavor called art.
Many good drawing and painting days!
Best wishes. Barbara Frickel Sarasota, Florida
Thank you so much, Barbara, I really appreciate it!