Have you ever seen a drawing demonstration and thought “wow, she sure does great stuff with that pen- if I had a pen like that…” Here is the truth. No tool is a shortcut. It is not the pen. It is not the paint set. It’s not the journal. It is not the pencil. It’s the pencil miles. It is time in the field, observing, wondering, and drawing.
You probably don’t need to buy more supplies to round out a kit for your journaling. You may have enough materials for a lifetime of journaling in the drawers of your desk right now. Put together a kit of your favorite things. Make it portable. Over time you will add or remove a few items from your kit but what those materials are is less important than what you do with them.
To honor this idea, I am shutting down my online store this weekend from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. I urge you not to go shopping or buy more stuff this weekend. Instead, go outside with your journal, encounter nature, and live your life.