Coloured Pencil Chronicles | Chapter Thirty-Three

October Reflections and Creative Adventures

Hello, everyone! October has been quite the eventful month, filled with new experiences, a touch of self-discovery, and some exciting creative projects.

It all started with a truly inspiring Leadership Retreat in Portugal, led by Nicholas Wilton and his partner Sheree. It was a creative retreat centred around the chakras, and it was just the kind of refresh I needed. There was plenty of painting, and while I don’t always feel as comfortable with a paintbrush as I do with a pencil, I absolutely loved it! I met incredible people, learned so much, and left with a few paintings to show for it—each one bright, colourful, and meaningful. It was life-changing in the best way possible.

Back home, things have been very busy! I came back from both Austin and Portugal with a bit of “frizz flair” in my hair from the humidity, so I decided to smooth it out. It’s looking a little flat at the moment but much shinier, so I’m pleased with that small, fresh change! On the business side, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes. I’ve been diving into email marketing and deliverability, working with an expert to revamp how we do things, and it’s been a fascinating learning curve. There’s so much more to it than I ever realised, from structuring emails to understanding the psychology behind them. We're also moving some systems over, and I’ve been busy sorting out tags and sequences to make everything work smoothly for you all.

On the creative front, I’ve been enjoying seasonal projects like our ghost dog and kitten in a cauldron—cute, quick, and just right for October. They’re fun, lighthearted tutorials that I can’t wait to release to you, even though they’re not the super-detailed work I typically do. Also, I’ll soon have a new tutorial to share that I’ve been working on with a big company—stay tuned for that next week!

I’m down to just a couple of commissions to finish by year-end, and as always, I’m thinking ahead to my next big piece, ready for another round of learning and doing what I love.

Thank you all for being part of this journey with me—here’s to a very inspiring November!

If you'd like to hear more about my October, make sure to click the video at the top of this page.