On Creative Rituals

I’m in my (temporary winter) studio today. Beside me, on the table, there’s a cup of hot Lemon & Ginger tea, I’ve lit a candle and I’m gathering my tools: today it’s a mix of pens, pencils, sketchbook, Apple Pencil and iPad as I’m working on a client commission for an upcoming book.

This setup isn’t just a workspace. It’s a little cocoon of safety to be creative in whatever messy imperfect form that takes. It’s taken me a fair few years now to discover that my best work doesn’t start with a blank page – it starts with a ritual.

Each session, I begin with the simple act of clearing my desk. Sweeping away the clutter and clobber makes space for possibility.

In the words of Sebastian (y’know, from The Little Mermaid), ‘first, we gotta create…da mood’: some tunes. At the moment I’ve discovered LoFi beats on Spotify at the moment which is great for chilled concentration. Lastly, that spark of the match for the candle is my grounding moment, a chance to breathe in – quite aside from the candle, I love the smell of the match!

These small acts seem so inconsequential, but they’ve become the anchors of my creative progress, signaling to my mind, heart and hand that it’s time to let go of distractions and dive into illustrations.

And so I go – sometimes tentatively, nervously, sometimes boldly – into the world of my characters and stories. Some days, the ideas come easily and it is like watching magic unroll onto the page (today, dancing pizzas turned out to be a LOT of fun); other days, it’s more like wrestling a crocodile (if the crocodile was my mean ol’ mind telling me it’s not good enough).

But, that ritual is always there to come back to and give me a starting block.

So, as always, I end with a question: what rituals help you to step into your creative flow? A favorite drink, in a favorite mug? A particular playlist? Or maybe just a moment of quiet? I would love to hear how you spark your magic.

With love,