“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

– Pablo Picasso

Things I love about November - the cool air, indoor wood fires, apple pie, Thanksgiving, my warm bed, and permission to rest as the days get shorter.

I live in northern Illinois, where we have four distinct seasons. I used to complain about the colder months, threatening to move to Florida every chance I got. As I’ve gotten older, I try to embrace them. I see winter as a time to enjoy the cozy things in life and rest. One of the best books I’ve ever read is The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking. It inspired me to embrace where I live and lean into the seasons, versus resisting them. The cold, dark days still come as a bit of a shock every year. However, I’m not sure I could live somewhere that didn’t have four distinct seasons at this point. Winter has become an integral part of my creative process. I crave the silence and slowness it brings.

Around this time of year, I’m usually pretty tired and in desperate need of a break, which aligns with what’s going on in nature. November is the perfect time to start unwinding as we approach the holidays. For a lot of people, the holidays can be hectic. For me, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are usually the busiest for my shop. That may be the case for you too if you sell art online. That’s why I like to get in extra rest earlier this month. Once things do pick up, I try to make the holiday rush manageable by winding down in other areas of my life. After Christmas, the orders slow down and I take a massive break until New Years.

The reason I like to talk about this topic now, versus in December, is because rest requires planning. We need to block off our holiday rest in advance, so we honor that time for ourselves. For me, preparing for a period of rest means getting the house in order for winter, making sure my supplies are stocked, and getting rid of any nagging to-do’s so I can be present over the holidays.

This month, I think we can all work to approach rest in an intentional way. Let’s think about what rest means to us, both in our personal life and in work. Can we do the holiday season differently this year? Even if you don’t live somewhere with four seasons, can you align with the restful energy of winter?

Doing what I love for a living takes balance. Sometimes art feels restful for me, and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s all in the way I approach it, but more on that in my video lecture below.

Journal Prompts:

1. What does rest look like for me in my personal life? How about when it comes to my art?

2. If you were to have the most restful holiday season this year, what would you need to do?

3. What in your life is stressing you out right now? What feels like the opposite of rest?

4. How was rest talked about in your family growing up?

Sketchbook Prompts:

1. Illustrate a restful scene. It could be a calming landscape, still life, or portrait.

2. Illustrate something that you have no intention of showing anyone. Give yourself permission to make “bad” art and see what happens.

3. Leave a page in your sketchbook blank and write the words “just resting” in the middle.

4. Illustrate a restful pattern - one that you would like to have as wallpaper on your bedroom walls.

Assignment:

Schedule a social media/digital detox break over holidays. I like to unplug from Thanksgiving until New Years. While I know this isn’t feasible for everyone, I’ve found unplugging during the same time every year to be extremely healing.

Fun Finds:

• If only we could all approach art more like Bob Ross. I find his TV show super restful and relaxing. Check out an episode this month. If you don’t have Hulu, many of the episodes are on Youtube.

• My mom used to make this vegetable stew for us as kids, and I’ve loved it ever since. I can’t think of a more healing recipe. And it doesn’t get much healthier. I like making extra and freezing for future occasions.

• The Spa Radio channel on Pandora is awesome. It always brings me peace. If you don’t have Pandora, try playing any type of spa music in your home.

• Ryan recently bought me this Moonbird to help with my meditations. It’s pretty awesome. I like how it tracks data, like your heart rate, when meditating.