Seasons Change. So does your Creative Habit. And that's totally OK

We are already deep into November, and the days are getting darker here in the Netherlands. It’s getting colder here too, and I am rediscovering the warm woolly sweaters that were stowed away in the back of my closet during a very long summer (with friendly temperatures deep into fall) .

With that, I also immediately see how my sketchbook habit is changing. I no longer wish to sit for hours outside, drawing the many people enjoying the weather. No, it’s a little gloomier, the days are darker, and people are packed into their winter coats, hastily moving to go inside again. Faces cranked up against the drizzling rain, shoulders pulled up to their shoulders. So I tend to draw more inside. The living room, my husband, but I also try to make time to pop into a coffee shop for a hot drink and a drawing during my daily walks.

I filled my previous sketchbook and started a new one. I chose a smaller size sketchbook as I have a few busy months. A smaller size can then feel a little more accessible (and more practical too - it fits easier in a pocket or bag when on the road. It’s a Hahnemühle Nostalgie sketchbook, size A6.
It’s a bit of a transition for my sketchbook habit. My tools of choice are a bit different too. I love the inky flow of pen on paper, especially on the Nostalgie paper. The roll of pencils I used to bring with me all the time (to draw greens and lush colors), stayed in my bag most of the times I was out and about with my sketchbook, so I am not bringing that anymore for a while - until I feel an itch for colored pencils again.

I love how you can get really into a certain art material, and then after a while, the material doesn’t fit mood, style, or paper. Until it does again.

Seasons Change. So does your Creative Habit. Answer to the itch to draw. Let go of the material you have been using for so long and now suddenly doesn’t seem to work well for you. Choose a different tool, find something that brings joy. It’s totally OK.