Q4 Creative Wrap-Up: Moving from Planning to Action

As the year winds down, it’s always satisfying to pause, look back, and tally up the creative victories. The fourth quarter is typically a time when motivation starts to wane, but for me, it felt like a period of intense focus, where several long-term projects finally transitioned from "WIP" (Work In Progress) to "DONE" (or, at least, "Submitted!").

Here are the major creative goals I managed to check off in Q4:

1. The Patchwork Puzzle Solved: Finishing the Scrap Quilt Top

I am absolutely thrilled to report that I completed piecing my scrap quilt! This project has been hanging over my fabric box for months, and seeing all those bits and pieces finally stitched together is incredibly satisfying.

The initial challenge was combining the wildly disparate colors and prints from my scrap fabric box into a cohesive design, but pushing through that complexity made the final result so much richer. I tried to combine the colours so that they merged from darker to lighter. Using up the scraps felt like a small, personal sustainability victory.

What's Next? Now comes the next phase: the actual quilting! The top is pieced, but I still need to layer the batting and backing and decide on the quilting pattern. It's a whole new set of decisions, but I'm excited to move into the final stages of turning this massive patchwork puzzle into a functional, beautiful blanket. I’m lucky that I have two aunts and my mom who are excellent quilters and seamstresses. They can give me advice.

2. Launching My Art Journaling Online Course

This goal was huge, and I am excited to announce that I have successfully launched registration for my online course on Soulful Sketchbooks, set to start in January!

This course is a true passion project, designed to help people overcome creative block and embrace a non-judgmental, restorative approach to their daily art practice. Developing the lessons, recording the tutorials, and building the platform took immense effort, but the positive response so far has been overwhelming. I can't wait to share the tools and techniques I use to maintain a creative life without the pressure of perfection. January can't come soon enough!

3. The Waiting Game: Middle Grade Novel Submission

Perhaps the biggest moment of Q4 was sending my finished middle grade novel manuscript off to my literary agent.

It’s a mix of excitement, relief, and sheer terror to hit that 'send' button on a project that has consumed my life for so long. Awaiting feedback is always the hardest part of the process, but just making it to the submission stage is a massive creative milestone in itself.

Looking Ahead

Q4 was about bringing projects to the point of completion and preparing for the new year.

Q1 of next year will be all about action: diving into teaching the Art Journaling course, and hopefully, receiving exciting next steps from my agent on the novel! And maybe starting a new writing project.

And of course, always maintaining my creative practise of daily drawings

Thank you for following along on this creative journey! What big creative victories did you celebrate this quarter? Let me know in the comments below!