The Light Returns

Finding a spark for small acts of creativity.

To all those who celebrate, I wish you a Merry Christmas eve. It’s hard to believe, but we are officially past the shortest day of the year. The days are getting longer. The return of light has begun!

But… it doesn’t exactly feel like it yet, does it? Here in the Midwest the sky has been a blanket of gray for days. Amidst the gray, I offer you a sky filled with lights courtesy of my friend Dustin who takes incredible photos and videos and posts them on Instagram. Give him a follow, and enjoy this time-lapse reel of a recent meteor shower followed by some incredible star trails:

dujoducom

A post shared by @dujoducom

Seeing the Earth spin underneath the stars and meteors like this simply blows my mind. Can you believe we get to live here under this incredible sky?! Amidst all the horrible and difficult things, images like this help snap me out of negative, creativity-defying stupors. I have to admit, I haven’t been exactly brimming with creativity lately. But as soon as I saw this, I felt compelled to draw something. I took this screenshot from Dustin’s video and got out my art supplies.

To keep the stakes low, I got out small, minimal supplies: 4”x4” toned tan artist tiles, a black micron pen, and a white gel pen.

Here’s what I came up with.

I had so much fun drawing this tiny sky, I kept going and did two more!

Thanks again to Dustin for the spark of inspiration! If you’re looking for visual inspiration, be sure to check out Dustin’s work on Instagram. You’re sure to find something that sparks awe and maybe a bit of creativity.

Thanks for reading

Thanks for being here! It truly means the world to me to connect with you every week. If you are looking for a last-minute gift that is incredibly easy and thoughtful, consider giving a gift subscription of this newsletter! Paid subscribers get printable artwork or zines every week. It’s the perfect gift for the creative, art-loving person in your life.

Paid subscribers, keep scrolling for a printable version of all three sky tiles shown below!