Starting without a plan
I bought a new sketchbook at the start of the year with no expectations attached to it. No references, no pressure to make anything finished or presentable. Just a place to show up and see what happens.
I have never been great at keeping sketchbooks. I buy them with good intentions and rarely finish them, often feeling disconnected from the work inside. This time, I wanted to approach it differently. I wanted to let the sketchbook be exploratory instead of performative.
Letting curiosity take the lead
Lately, my thoughts have been circling around nature, witches, magic, and imagination. I love the sense of play and nostalgia that comes with that world, the permission to let curiosity lead. That energy pulled me toward creating a Green Witch, placed in front of a harvest moon as a quiet nod to “what you reap, you sow.”
The drawing came straight from imagination, without a plan or destination.
When the work changes shape
This piece did not arrive as a painting or a polished digital work. It showed up as something more illustrative, guided by line, simplified shapes, and a storybook feel. It felt unfamiliar compared to my usual work, and for a moment I hesitated to share it.
Trusting the process
I move through creativity in many directions at once. I want to paint, illustrate, carve, print, sew, sculpt, and explore. That restlessness used to feel like a flaw. I am learning to see it as curiosity.
The Green Witch feels like a reminder to loosen my grip on perfection and let play exist alongside intention. Maybe this sketchbook becomes a place for illustration, collage, notes, and half-formed ideas. Maybe it stays undefined. That feels okay.
Sitting with self-doubt
Even after years of creating and sharing work, I still wrestle with imposter thoughts. I know I am an artist. I sell work, take commissions, and paint murals. Yet the question still shows up: What kind of artist am I?
This illustration feels close to the answer, or at least closer to the question. It came from imagination rather than refinement. It is imperfect and that made it harder to share.
Making space for play
I am not stepping away from digital painting or oil painting. I am simply making room beside them. Drawing with pencil, settling into pen and ink, and finishing with markers felt grounding. I created a small corner in my home just for sketchbook time, a place where art can exist without expectation.
Time is limited, and creative energy shifts. Instead of trying to define myself through one medium, I am choosing to follow what feels honest in the moment.
A parallel path
I do not see this illustrative work as a departure from my paintings or digital art. I see it as a parallel path, one that feeds and informs the others. Sketchbooks are where ideas stretch, styles loosen, and quiet shifts begin.
I am sharing this piece not as a finished statement, but as a snapshot of process. A reminder that growth does not always look refined. Sometimes it looks like curiosity, play, and letting the line lead.
More sketchbook explorations to come.
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