After a few years of wishing I could return to making art more consistently, I decided on New Yearâs Eve that 2026 would be the year to find out whether the self-discipline Iâve built through run training could carry over into my creative practice. Since then, Iâve been painting in watercolour or sketching every days, and I can feel the habit starting to take root.
Keeping something on the go at all times gives me a focal point each evening â even if itâs just 30 minutes. To ward off painterâs block, Iâve been choosing subjects drawn from moments that recently sparked a sense of wonder: something I noticed, or a photo I took. For a while, I was captivated by the thin white line along the horizon of lakes and explored that theme across several paintings.
Now, two months into the year, Iâm still at it â with 20 paintings completed so far. Iâve even ordered a larger watercolour pad to nudge myself into working at a bigger scale, sometimes fitting two paintings onto a single page.
