Morning Ink and the 100 Day Project
More about my visual version of Morning Pages
I did already talk about this at the start of the month, but I’ve been enjoying this practice so much, I want to talk about it some more and share some of the pages with you – especially for those of you who don’t use the Substack app and therefore won’t see these on Notes (where I have been consistently sharing them, as soon as I have finished every morning).
I also thought some of what I’ve been getting out of it might be useful for those of you about to embark on a 100 Day Project (which starts on 23 February this year).
Inspiration for full pieces
I haven’t made a huge amount from these pages yet, but there are a bunch of ideas rolling around and I know that I will make pieces from these pages – whether more or less direct sketch to illustration, like the Solo Dining piece, or taking elements from a page like these houseplants.
Documenting personal thoughts
Whether it’s remembering someone who is no longer with us, or celebrating a special day, these pages are perfect for that.
They’re also a good place to do a little venting, even if it’s just frustration at there not being enough time in the day.
A lot of pattern play
Some days may be all, or mostly pattern.
And other days there will be some pattern elements interspersed with the rest.
Since I am getting back to patterns a lot this year, there are lots of patterns and pattern ideas in my head, and some days I deliberately concentrate on something related to an upcoming Spoonflower challenge, but also pattern is definitely my go to place for mindfulness and emptying my head.
Exploring themes or other art I have been looking at
I have been looking at a lot of Great Mughal art over the last couple of months (having visited the exhibition at the V&A and finding it wonderful), and I have been looking at different aspects at different times. This has led to me having my head full of trees, and buildings.
I’ve also found some days where I wanted to take a wander around some public domain art (the Public Domain Review’s Infinite View is a great starting point) and some of that has found its way onto the page - sometimes deliberately copying elements from these old pieces of art and sometimes just having them in my head, which then affects what comes out of head.
In conclusion
I don’t think that this needs to be a black ink on white paper practice necessarily, but I am finding this limitation very freeing. Working on paper and in ink, rather than pencil, is an important aspect for me, because it takes away the ability to erase and to zoom in. Using a single medium and a single colour is also useful, because it allows me to concentrate on line and mark-making and shape, without adding the other elements of colour, texture (other than the texture that comes from mark-making) and value.
Keeping all the other aspects of the practice (other than the time of day) fairly free, I think is also helpful for me. I am not committing in advance to drawing a specific theme for a week, nor am providing any other constraints, other than the time of day and the medium. Which is keeping me interested and engaged and wanting to continue doing this daily.
Could Morning Ink work for you?
I am not suggesting at all that this would work for everyone. But, if it sounds appealing, and you don’t find writing Morning Pages helpful, maybe try out some Morning Ink. Or Morning Collage. Or Evening Paint. Or Lunchtime Clay. Whatever practice you think might feed your creativity, calm your mind, provide inspiration and that will keep you engaged and coming back for more. Some people will find writing words the most helpful, some people will get the most out of repeating the same theme for weeks, or even months.
So perhaps use the 100 Day Project to see if you can find your Morning Ink.
Or, if you prefer, ignore the 100 Day Project and just play around and try different things until you find a practice that works for you. Maybe trying something completely new every day is actually your thing.
Or do you already have a daily practice of some kind that works for you? If so, I’d really love to hear about it. I’m very creatively curious (or is it nosy?) like that.
Some links to share
And here are a few links to things you might find interesting or fun. I’ve been collecting these since the start of the year, when I remember, so some are a bit old. But still interesting, I think!
I am usually full on into being healthier and more productive and I almost always burn out or give up by mid-January, because, really, it’s still deep winter and there’s no energy other than the mental energy, which can’t sustain a full-on new exercise routine and so on.
This both inspired me and made me cry. I can’t quite work out where my feelings are about this man (other than really loving the work I see here). I often feel that I might enjoy my creativity more if I just… well… enjoyed it and created. And didn’t try to make money from it. And the freedom, in some ways, of just doing some manual labour and then spending the rest of your time drawing and painting, sounds appealing. Of course, ‘freedom’ is perhaps not the right word when that manual labour doesn’t pay much.
https://pdimagearchive.org/infinite-view/
(Shared in It’s Nice That newsletter – and linked to further up this post, as well) This is an amazing online space to really get lost in. It’s a fount of inspiration, but honestly just a pleasure to scroll through and soak up the colours and lines and shapes. And, if you’re a Substack writer who struggles to find visuals for your publication? Here you go. Never need to AI generate anything again. (Of course, please do consider paying an illustrator or photographer for their work, too!)
This resonated quite a lot. The cocooning over the winter months. The quietening of creative commissions last year. And the desire to live in France. Plus, I absolutely love that bookcase!
And an exhibition I’d love to go and see:
https://www.rwa.org.uk/collections/events/products/paule-vezelay-living-lines
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/feb/13/paule-vezelay-living-lines
Thanks for reading!
Thankyou for sharing my post Tasha. I am glad to have found you here and look forward to your posts and daily patterns
Hi Tasha, thanks for sharing a link to my last post. I’m happy to have found your Substack! I love the idea of journaling life through illustration as you do.