Morning Page, 9/24

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

So today I looked back to Monday’s Morning Page and I was taken again with how much I love it. The shapes, the black and white contrast, the grid even—it just really makes me happy. And I wondered if I would like this set of shapes as much as a representational picture—a botanical arrangement. So that’s what a made today and here’s a side by side comparison:

Monday’s Morning Page

Today’s Morning PagE

I ask myself if I like one over the other. Non-objective or Representational art, which do I prefer? And still I don’t know. Can I allow myself both? Maybe. But I do wish I understood WHY I respond to purely abstract work and why I respond to representational. What about either image speaks to me, or for me? I can’t say. They just both make my heart sing a little.

I am definitely drawn to black and white—and yet, again, I don’t want to limit all my artwork to just black and white. I love color! So what gives? I’m thinking that maybe it’s the high contrast that makes me happy rather than the actual colors (black and white). I think I see more experimentation in my future.

(Speaking of color, this week I tried giving some header space to these morning pages for color studies—but I don’t really like them after all so that’s going to go away.)

On a personal note, next week I’ll be out of town (Maine) and I’ve decided to try to keep my Morning Practice going, but I’ll have less time for detail on these morning pages. Also, I’m sticking with this sketchbook. I considered the blank 8X10” sketchbook I have in waiting, but there’s enough space (30 sides) in this one and it’s a better travel size. Tomorrow is the day before we leave and there will be a lot to get done so it will be a good day to start working faster.

Morning Page 9/23

September 23, 2025

For yesterday’s Morning Page I wanted to talk about the pens I was using, but I didn’t get around to it so I drew them today. I really am a pen addict. I love drawing with ink pens, and I like to have the right pen for the right purpose when I need it. Which makes traveling especially tricky, like for my upcoming trip. I can’t take them all with me, but I want to make sure I take what I’ll need. Hmmm.

As for yesterday, I used a Micron 01, Zig Clean Color brushes for the header colors (a new-to-me pen I absolutely love for their paintbrush like tips), and both sizes of my favorite waterproof black pens: Uni-ball vision. Uni-ball visions are super black, super juicy gel pens that take a little time to dry or they smear, but they absolutely don’t move when they are dry.

The two tip sizes really give a lot of choice in line weight, although I think they are mis-named size-wise. Size “micron” should be “fine” because it is a very fine line, like what would be an .01, and size “fine” is not so fine—it makes a thicker line more like an .08! I laid in all the solid black shapes yesterday with this thicker pen without a problem.

Anyway, I think I’m writing right now as if for an audience, but this is my digital journal and here at least in the beginning of this project, there is NO audience except myself! What’s happening now that I think about it is that I would like to write a post someday sharing everything I know about pens--because I do know a lot about ink pens these days, the different brands out there and how the different types perform for what purposes—but note to self: this is not that post.

Anyway, it took me 38:25 minutes to create this page. I used the stopwatch to time the session because on my trip I can only give myself 20 minutes on mornings to complete a morning page. Today and most days I take much longer than that.

My problem with time—and it happened yesterday too—is that I get really involved in the details of what I am creating. Like today, I could have drawn quick contour drawings of the three pens at a larger scale and called it a day…but no, I wanted to capture the colors of each pen and then I needed to re-compose the page beyond just those three pens to include that quote from my reading this morning (which I think so captures in the utter lunacy of our social media times in just one sentence)…and I. Must. Get. It. All. In.

That’s a problem when time is short. It will be a good practice to force myself to take less time and settle for less detail…and maybe the drawings will be even better. We will see.

Morning Page 9/22

Monday, September 22, 2025

FINALLY indulged my desire to play with shapes in a wonky grid structure. My eye loves this kind of work in color, in black and white, using fabric, or paint or collage—but for whatever reason I don’t do this enough. I did hear a critical voice in my head at the beginning (‘what’s the point?’) but I know that is a lousy thought. Something someone might say who was conditioned by a culture to devalue visual play.

Am I someone like that? Absolutely not! But that doesn’t mean that voice—the Culture--doesn’t exist in my head.

Pressing on anyway, I quickly discovered (and rediscovered) what makes this kind of work valuable to me. Simply the pleasure of drawing with ink would be enough. But it’s also great practice in composition and shape language. Beginning with single line to draw the grid and shapes, top to bottom, I had to then keep going back and around to layer in different line weights and values, responding to the whole page for a final composition. And also, I started getting excited about how I could develop some of the shapes and patterns I created into other work. My mind was spinning by the end.

I am pleased with the final result. I love the wonky, hand-made quality and it just makes me happy to look at!

I also want to incorporate quotes I might stumble on that day in these Morning Pages, and this morning I included what Adam Ming said in his newsletter, The Ten Minute Artist: “Claire Powell says when you find your tool you find your style and I think there is a lot of truth to that.”

As a mixed media artist who couldn’t choose between ALL the art mediums, I have definitely honed down to my favorites, which are collage, gouache and yes, ink.

Tools I used today: Uniball Signo gel pens, fine tip and extra fine tip, .01 Micron fineliner and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Brush color ink pens.

Morning Page 9/21

SUNDAY September 21, 2025

It is the Fall equinox, and also the day of a partial solar eclipse though we cannot see it in the West. A very good day, say astrologers, to start something new. I hadn’t been aware I’d chosen this particular date to begin. How interesting.

I’m excited to begin this project. I know I keep starting something new, keep developing new routines and processes…but instead of beating myself up for all these start-stop-stops, maybe I can see that I’m honing in on a Morning Practice that works for me and is sustainable long-term.

Today I copied some of the botanical shapes that Tasha Goddard made in her sketchbook (9/20) where she copied those shapes from a piece she’d photographed at a museum. Like she says, studying other artist’s work is an excellent exercise for learning techniques and developing our own ideas from those ideas.

I decided to devote today’s morning page to studying these shapes because lately I’ve been obsessed with shapes! I find that I just swoon over shapes. I love purely non-objective (abstract) works built on shapes, and in my own art practice I am leaning into drawing and painting with abstract shapes. I recognize the value of drawing realistically to learn to to see and draw so I continue to draw what I see for practice, but I mean no shade to artists who love realism, it’s not how I want to draw. I’d take a photograph instead.

I’ve found that' it’s harder to simplify and abstractify real life rather than draw it as it is and it does come down to shapes, so I’m always trying to find new approaches and new ways to create and combine shapes. And here was such a lovely opportunity to practice. I do love these abstractified botanicals very much and I’m thinking how I can push those ideas further.

Oh, and also, I think it would be fun to play with color in daily headers so I think I’ll continue this practice.

Meanwhile, can I just say that it is just so pleasant to sink into drawing. Between shape obsession and deep satisfaction in the drawing moment, today’s page is filled with bliss.

[that took 20 minutes to write).

Digital Journal The Beginning

Visual Journal 9-21-25

This is the first day of what experimenting with an approach to visual journaling that will fold in neatly with my life. Part of a regular Morning Practice (MP) that I want to establish in my life. The idea is that mornings are my most precious creative time so I want to devote that time to myself. 

I have always started my days with coffee and reading. I used to read the newspaper, but for at least 15 years I read articles and essays mostly the form of blogs and now newsletter posts. My sleepy brain needs this time to wake up and my creative mind responds to this wellspring of human creativity and often wisdo with my heart and mind wide open. It’s like I’m a fish at feeding time.  I gobble it all up.

Truly, what I gain in insight, ideas, expertise, experiences outside my own holds so much value for me.  I love this part of my day and would never give it up--so that’s where the Morning Practice begins.

Lately, if I have time I follow up with some journaling.The day takes me away. But what I long for, actually, is to take that morning time and extend it. To not only journal regularly after reading, but also to create in response regularly, to capture what comes through me in a visual journal, and finally to take the extra time to share what I make by uploading it to the web. A digital journal.

Longing is not too strong a word. My heart yearns for this creative morning space, even as I tell myself I just don’t have time for this.  So many other life things vye for attention, not to mention all the other art projects I hope to get to…but maybe this project, this Morning Practice, should take precedence.

I should at least try it.

So here I go.