As June draws to a close...

Its the 30th June 2026 and I am sat in my studio at BV, its a slightly rainy summers evening but the light is beautiful and soft. It’s been a busy day, as always as a mum of three, yet here I can hear myself think. On the way over I was counting the things I still had to do, things that will roll over to tomorrow now anxiety building but when I get into my space all I can think of are the things that interest me, that excite me. I check in on the painting I worked on yesterday. I had thought of doing another layer tonight, but maybe its good as is. I’m sitting in my chair at my desk and the only person asking things of me is me. This has felt indulgent in the past but this month has taught me it is necessary and I am grateful.

June is closing. The month long commitment to turning up is coming to an end too. I am pondering what I have learnt if anything. I have achieved so much this month both inside and outside this space. I hosted an arts trail, I went to London, I honoured midsummer and the year anniversary of breaking my leg, I went to see Alanis Morissette and Skunk Anansie perform at Powderham Castle AND for the most part I turned up for my art. It felt the more I gave time to this space to my art the more I had time for all this other life. I didn’t come to the studio everyday, the busy weekends and the HEATWAVE slowed me down but I think I scored 25/30 which I am taking as a big win.

This challenge has taught me about the power of continuing, string together thoughts and actions throughout a week and a month and things move on. This seems obvious now I am writing it but it feels very powerful to acknowledge it and want it. Before this, I have had this feeling, like a flow state when I have been working towards a deadline. But this comes with a feeling of stress and burn out and the cliff edge of post deadline. With this daily showing up I am operating in a calmer flow state. I am holding ideas and taking them forward but not in that rush of decision making that a deadline forces.

So, will I continue the continuum? Yes! I have realised how much time can be found in a day when you set a priority alert in your brain. In order to have done this month I had to set the intention. Once I said it has to happen everyday I starting imagining highlighting slots of convenient time. I started understanding that if I was going to be doing something in the evening I would have to make the most of the morning at the studio. It’s the same way I plan for other things in my life, like child care and meal prep, I had just never set time at my studio as a high priority which mean it often got bumped. This was and is my creative exercise. Going forward, I think it will be a case of thinking daily how can I come to the studio, to keep it top priority even if it won’t always be the case that I can come here.

In the studio in June I have:

• Worked on four paintings and developed thoughts around shadows and light

• Cut a lot of glass leaves for ‘Fall’ which I exhibited as part of the BS4 Arts Trail.

• Worked on two sketch books

• Set up a work bench for a stained glass window project

• Written

• Read In Praise of Shadows

• Sat and day dreamed