Things I learnt in November
Busyness, integrity, and the pursuit of ease
As the end of the year approaches, I’m met with a familiar sense of unease.
There aren’t enough hours in the day. I can’t relax. I can’t sit still. My mind races with all the things I need to do—all the things I could, should, be doing better.
I felt this last year in the lead-up to releasing prints ahead of Christmas. The year before, it was a collection of paintings. This year, Matteo and I are releasing something we’ve created together. There’s a deadline, and there’s a lot to do. And yet, here I am in the most tranquil part of Italy, feeling stressed. Asking: What’s the rush? This pull to the end of the year, this race to the finish—what’s it for? Who’s it for?
I keep coming back to my word for this year: ease. It’s my guide.
Here’s what I’m learning 🕊
Things I learnt in November
01. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, pulled in a million directions—that’s the moment to stop. Step away from the to-do list. Take a break, a walk, even the day off. It will feel insane in the face of everything you have to do, but it will give you the space to breathe. To recalibrate. To zoom out. Ask yourself: Where can I cultivate ease? What is most essential? What can I let go of?
02. If you’re sharing your work with the world, there’s pressure to be everywhere. Substack, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok. And within those channels, there’s pressure to do it all: post daily, start chats, follow trends. It’s too much. It’s unsustainable. And it distracts you from your why. Come back to that: the reason you’re here, the art you want to share. Lean into the channel that excites you. Speak in a way that feels true to you. Let go of the rest.
03. Having a deadline can be useful. It builds momentum and helps you focus on what’s essential. But it’s a dance—between not letting perfection stall you and not letting impatience undermine the work. If the deadline hinders rather than helps, push it. That’s not perfectionism; it’s integrity.
“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
— Blaise Pascal
04. We are always doing. Always busy. Squeezing the most out of every moment—on our phones in line, opening laptops on the couch, going to bed exhausted by what we didn’t finish. The doing never ends. It’s a kind of addiction: to busyness, to drama, to stress. An avoidance of the discomfort that comes with sitting still. Stop for a moment and ask yourself: What are you running from?
05. Ease isn’t something you find; it’s something you create. It’s showing up as yourself in the small, daily moments—choosing to honour your voice, your pace, your values. Follow ease, and you’ll feel limitless.
06. You have a knowing deep inside, an artist within, with a voice that is yours alone. It is sometimes quiet, often easy to overlook, but always there. Get still enough to hear it. Be brave enough to trust it.
JYK 🤍
Things I shared in November 🕊
01 is so hard to do in the moment but always worth it. Well put! X
Love this! Resonate with number 2 especially. I'm currently thinking about my word for next year x