Inviting Light Back In

Creative ProcessArt ClassesArt JournalingIn my journalInspiration

Jan 3

Hello sweet soul,

To me, New Year's Day was a quiet time, and I spent most of it creating my "woty" (word of the year) page for 2026. My new woty is “Light” and I look forward to seeing how it unfolds in the coming months. After such a dark and heavy year in my personal life, and in the world, I want to invite in more light, and lightness too. That's what this page is all about.

What about you? Have you chosen a special word for yourself too? Has it already inspired your art?

A portal from shadow to light

This time of year, on this side of the planet, we can already feel the days growing longer, and light taking over the darkness. I think this might be one of the reasons why the New Year is such a perfect time for new hopes, dreams and wishes, as well as a time to take stock of what burdens our soul, so we can let it go.

I always find art to be the perfect way to celebrate and anchor this transition. Every year, my "woty" page carries this energy of new beginnings and possibilities.

It feels like a magical portal that allows me to step away from the past, and re-emerge into something new.

This year, this idea of a portal felt just right. A portal from shadow to light:

My inspiration

The Frozen 2 song, "The Next Right Thing" has stayed with me throughout the struggles and grief of 2025, and it was part of my inspiration for this page. Especially when, around the end of the song, Anna sees a portal of light, a way out of the dark cave where she'd been trapped.

My other inspiration (and source of collage material) was a page from a Christmas home decor catalogue. I love the star as a reminder of our innate light and magic.

After all, we're all made of stardust!

Step by step…..

It may sound counter-intuitive, but to create this page about light, I started with a really dark background of black and Payne's Gray. First, as a symbol of the darkness I so wish to leave behind, but also because I knew it would make the light stand out even more.

It's a very simple page, really: light, dark, collage, paint. And a few words to express thoughts and emotions, and invite inner guidance.

Here are some of the stages it went through:

A conversation with the Universe

I tried a few different phrases until I found one that felt right. What these words are saying is not that I need to find my light back, or trust my light, or create more light in my life. To be honest, I feel exhausted and have zero energy for the "shoulds" of New Year resolutions.

No. What these words mean is a promise. That the light and magic of the Universe are making their way to me, looking out for me, willing to bring me comfort and peace, to support me, heal me, lift me up and at some point, light me up again.

The truth is, we don't always have to strive to be better, do better, do more. We're already enough, worthy, and loved beyond measure, just as we are now. Even when life forces us to put on our armor, to be strong and resilient, to face challenges and loss that feel way too big for our hearts.

In those moments, it's OK to pause, rest, and let higher forces do the heavy lifting. Because when we let go, we create space for light and magic to show up for us in unexpected ways.

Some of the soul whispers I experimented with:

Finding your "word of the year" and letting it speak to you through your art journal is a very special, magical way to start the year. The next twelve months are a blank page, a blank canvas. There's no telling what you and I will create, where we'll be twelve months from now.

But I do hope that light, magic and inspiration will carry us forward, into new beginnings and possibilities that will grow and flourish day after day.

I wish you a truly beautiful, creative and love-filled 2026!

Light, Love & Fairy Dust,

Featured

Inviting Light Back In

It may sound counter-intuitive, but to create my “word of the year” art journal page about light, I started with a really dark background. First, as a symbol of the darkness I wish to leave behind this year, but also because I knew it would make the light stand out even more. It's a very simple page, really: light, dark, collage, paint. A few words to express thoughts and emotions, and invite inner guidance to show up…

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