Intention over Intensity

a slow and not-so-steady start to the year

Hello lovely souls,

A long overdue catch-up.

A new year has a way of arriving loudly - full of expectation, pressure, and the promise that we should somehow become more overnight. I’ve never quite known how to meet it like that.

This year began gently on the surface, but with a few bumps beneath. Enough to knock my creative spark more than I expected. So instead of offering grand plans or shiny resolutions, I wanted to offer something simpler. Something honest.

Over the years, I’ve fallen in and out of love with my work countless times. I’ve felt unstoppable - and then completely lost. I’ve celebrated opportunities and sobbed over rejections. Creativity, like life, moves in cycles. High tide and low. Expansion and contraction. Learning to live inside that rhythm is why I keep choosing intention over intensity. Soft consistency over burning brightly and burning out.

I ended last year quietly. I ran the number we’re heading into - 26 kilometres for 2026, which somehow turned into 30… cold, slow, grounding. A reminder of what my body can, and has, carried me through.

That was followed by a little escape a couple of hours outside Edinburgh. Trail walks, icy morning runs, and reflection. Space I didn’t realise I needed. We talked about the year behind us — not just the hard parts, but the pivotal ones — and set intentions for what’s ahead. I returned feeling ready. Hopeful. Enthused for the creative year ahead.

And then I stepped back into the studio… and felt empty.

No rush of inspiration. No clear direction. Just lost.

The endless 2025 recaps and “2026 let’s do this!!!” posts turned the white noise in my head into a chaotic club remix — so loud I couldn’t even hear myself think.

So, in an attempt to continue my story and build momentum gently, I’m not starting a new book. I’m continuing an old one. A thick, well-loved book - pages dog-eared, chapters revisited, pauses welcomed. I want to take my time turning its pages. To notice the small shifts as they happen.

I haven’t felt motivated yet. And I’m letting that be okay. I began with admin, and with intention-setting instead of resolutions - a few words to return to when I drift out of alignment. Guides, not rules.

I’ve shared a visual version of this reflection over on YouTube - with scenes from Scotland and character sketches. Something to watch slowly, or save for when you need a little warm reassurance in the background.

I want this space to remind you that you’re not behind. That your pace and your path are your own. That change doesn’t need to be loud to be meaningful.

That’s all this really is. A gentle reminder. To start where you are. To move slowly. To trust that softness still carries momentum.

If you’re feeling unmotivated, unsure, or quietly finding your footing — you belong here. Thank you for accompanying me as I continue to figure out this strange, beautiful, and somewhat discombobulating life as an artist.

Until next time,