The past few weeks have felt a little like wandering through a creative thrift store. The charming kind where everything is slightly odd yet totally sincere. And December always arrives with a different kind of light. Softer at the edges, a little slower, almost like it’s asking us to notice things we usually rush past. Time does that stretchy thing it does where it’s somehow syrupy and too fast at the same time, and my brain has been equally tired and dreamy (a deeply confusing combo, 10/10 do not recommend, but here we are 😂).
That’s the energy I followed while pulling together this month’s moodboard. Colors that don’t try too hard. Textures that feel like they’ve lived a little. Tiny sparks that show up without needing to become A 👏 Whole 👏 Project 👏
Small Sparks
This month, inspiration kept sneaking in from our
Art Nest crew in that way community tends to do when you don’t try to choreograph it 😍
There’s been this collective softening happening. Posting half-finished pieces without apology. Sketches that are basically vibes and not decisions. That quiet bravery it takes to share something that’s still wobbly and unformed and imperfect.
And the tiny rituals… oh my gosh. Wrapping your hand around a warm mug between brush strokes. The “five more minutes with my sketchbook” negotiations. Letting the page stay blurry because, honestly, clarity might be a January problem.
There’s a beauty in letting things be soft. A kind of honesty in not pretending you’re in a productivity era when you’re clearly in a cozy-fog era.
Also: shoutout to the delightfully unserious moments. A silly prompt turned into a fully unplanned mini-workshop (still laughing). Then came the jars. The shells. The feathers. The stacks of books we swear are “for reference.” And the best part - everyone chiming in with the universal “same,” which honestly should count as a form of creative CPR.
That’s the thread I’m carrying into December: that art can be simple and tender and shaped by whatever is already sitting in front of us.
Gentle Experiments
I keep circling this idea that so much art happens in the in-between. The wandering. The not-sure-yet. The moments where you’re thinking about making something more than actually making it.
I have good news: This month can be permission to not have a polished plan.
To not demand a masterpiece from a brain that’s basically wearing fuzzy socks. To reconnect to creativity through tiny, low-stakes moves.
And if your hands are itching for something, here are a few soft little invitations (only if they feel good, promise):
- Turn your most recent photo into a soft palette
- Add a single mark to an unfinished piece
- Sketch one of your odd little collections
- Make something intentionally silly, just to loosen up
Tiny experiments count. Sometimes they count the most.
Here's Your December Moodboard
This is what’s been circling around my studio lately: soft edges, long shadows, colors that absolutely refuse to shout (who even am I?!).
A little winter cocoon of muted greens, quiet pinks, foggy blues, and warmth tucked into corners.
December’s board grew straight out of what I’ve been watching inside the Art Nest - the blurring, the slowing, the drifting instead of sprinting.
Community members: you’ll see a new post with this month’s “invite softness in” prompt, plus a cozy space to share your slow pieces. I genuinely can’t wait to see what shows up ☕️
Haven’t joined yet? We’re waiting for you
inside!
