This week has been a fuller one than usual. Our daughter is preparing to move house and I have been helping out here and there. Those little pockets of time add up. So a couple of days have become combined spreads and I am perfectly at peace with that. This challenge has always been at your own pace. Pick it up where you are and keep going.

A heartfelt thank you to those of you who have been consistently showing up, encouraging me and joining along. You have made this month so much sweeter.

I have been reading so much lately about the nervous system and how it regulates when we engage in creative practice. Researchers and therapists are talking about how making art, even simple mark making, helps to calm the stress response in our bodies and brings us back to a place of rest and clarity.

Pappa already knew this. He knew it long before the science caught up. Dr Caroline Leaf, a cognitive neuroscientist and Christian, has spent decades researching exactly this in her book Switch On Your Brain. She found that our brains are not fixed and hardwired as scientists once believed. They are malleable and they change in response to our thoughts, our focus and our choices. She calls it neuroplasticity and she connects it directly to Romans 12:2.

That is exactly what Paul was talking about. Before we can be transformed, we have to stop. We have to come and rest in Him. That is the very thing we tell ourselves we have no time for. I want to say something about busy. BUSY: Burdened Under Satan’s Yoke. The enemy does not want us to know the truth because the truth always sets us free. He wants us bound, rushing, scrolling, producing, performing. A woman who stops and comes to God’s Word to renew her mind is a dangerous woman. She is getting free. The pen and the paintbrush are simply the tools that help her slow down, settle and process what He is saying to her. You can read more about this here: https://thequietyes.substack.com/p/faith-in-everyday-life-rethinking

I have had people share with me that it is amazing what happens when they stop and pick up a paintbrush or a pen. Of course it does make a difference. In that moment of stopping we are saying yes to Pappa and no to the chaos. That is exactly where transformation begins. We just have to build a consistency around it so it becomes a habit we cannot live without. Our daily dose of Pappa. Like plugging in the cord for electricity, He is our power source and the oxygen we breathe.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2. That word transformed in the original Greek is metamorphoo, the same root we get metamorphosis from. A complete change from the inside out. Not coping better. An actual rewiring.

When we come to His Word with our pens and our paints and our simple marks, we are not just making art. We are giving our nervous systems permission to settle and we are giving the Holy Spirit room to renew us from the inside.

I would love to hear from you. What have you noticed in yourself when you have stopped to spend time in His Word this month? Has anything shifted?

One more week to go. We are nearly there!

Download your FREE Creative Devotional and come find me here: https://linktr.ee/transforming_pages

Your creative friend,

Tina

Most of the week I have been unwell. Sleeping during the day, waking up when I had a bit of energy, trying to keep up with June in Proverbs from the couch under my doona. Some days I managed to open Proverbs and make my marks. Other days I just read and let the words wash over me.

And you know what? That is ok. This challenge was never about perfection. It was always about showing up as you can.

When I did have a little energy I picked up my watercolours. There is something about moving paint on paper when you are tired that feels like medicine. It does not ask anything of you. It just lets you be.

A friend dropped off some calamansi, a little citrus fruit, and I had it with salt in hot water. It just hit the spot. Sometimes love shows up in a small bag of fruit on your doorstep.

We also had a big change this week. We moved from my daughter’s house to start a two month house sit looking after Teddy, who has already claimed my lap as his spot.

And those chickens at my daughter’s place? They are the ones who inspired the feather marks on my Proverbs 10 page. I set out to make simple marks and Pappa gave me wings.

Something else has been happening this week too. Even through the tiredness I have noticed my video creating muscle is getting stronger. The consistency of showing up every day is building its own rhythm and I am learning that doing the hard things, even when I do not feel like it, is building discipline I did not know I had. It is not just the pages that are transforming. It is me. This is the quiet yes.

And in the middle of a week that could have felt like a write off, I find myself grateful.

Grateful for the community that continues to tune in and share their verses and their pages. You keep showing up and that means more than you know. Thank you so much.

You may like to check out their Substack pages, just to name a few:

https://substack.com/@louisematthews858278

https://substack.com/@phoebenoetzel

https://substack.com/@sharonleebee

Grateful that I have had the time to rest and just spend time really working things out in my heart with Pappa. Not rushing, not pushing through, just being with Him in the quiet of it.

And grateful that even though I have been unwell, I have had just enough energy during the day to keep going. Not completely wiped out. Just enough to make the marks, read the chapter and meet Him on the page.

A few verses that stayed with me this week:

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” This verse is one of those foundational truths that everything in Proverbs is built on.

Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” His blessings come without strings attached. Pure gift.

Proverbs 12:1 “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” Solomon does not hold back and I love his honesty.

If you have been unwell this week or life has thrown you a curveball, please hear me when I say showing up does not have to look like what you planned. A verse read from your pillow counts. A mark made with whatever is closest to your hand counts. Pappa meets you wherever you are, even under the doona.

You can still join in at any time, you are never too late. Just pick up whatever you have and come take a seat at the table.

If this encouraged you, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today.

Yes by yes. Page by page.

Your creative friend,

Tina

I honestly did not know if I could keep up every day and that is the beauty of keeping it simple. Two marks. Two colours. A verse in a chapter of Proverbs. I kept it simple and I am so glad I did, I know myself.

Our grandson was unwell and I had him to take care of for two days. It was unexpected and precious all at the same time. I learnt to be more productive during his sleep times and those little pages still got made. That felt like a small victory. I enjoyed my little wins this week.

I want to start with King Solomon’s own words at the opening of Proverbs — because Solomon says it so simply and so well.

“To understand what life means and where it’s going, a manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair.” Proverbs 1:2-3 The Message

A manual for living. That is what we are savouring with this month. Every chapter has been a hearty meal. I kept finding myself slowing down, meditating on it — especially as others gathered to join in and share their verses. That has made it richer for me as well. We are not reading alone. It does feel like we are sitting at Pappa’s banquet table enjoying a meal with Him every day with my sisters.

From the table this week

A special welcome to Sharon @sharonleebee who has just pulled up a chair and joined us for #JuneinProverbs. I am so glad you are here Sharon. Come and say hello to her and make her feel welcome at the table!

Several verses have stayed with me this week.

Proverbs 1:3 TPT “those who cling to these words will receive discipline to demonstrate wisdom in every relationship.” It is wisdom for my daily relationships right in front of me.

“For the wise, these proverbs will make you even wiser, and for those with discernment, you will be able to acquire brilliant strategies for leadership.” Proverbs 1:5 TPT

We often run after things in the world and Proverbs always challenges me to run to the Source. Ask Him for wisdom as true wisdom comes from God.

And then Proverbs 3:4-6. This one is a plumb-line verse for me. I come back to it again and again to check where my trust actually is. In me, or in Pappa? It is easy to say we trust Him. It is another thing to lean not on our own understanding in the middle of a hard day. I often hand over my situation to trust it over to Him and I grab it back and wonder why things don’t change. He tells me I can’t fix things if you are still holding on to it. So I have to keep learning the hard lesson, repent and obey again.

And Proverbs 4:23 NKJV “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” I am constantly asking Pappa to clear out the old lies that have settled there - the ones that quietly shape how I see myself, how I see others, how He sees me. The page is one of the places where that clearing happens. I am learning to walk in my identity as daughter of the King. King Jesus.

What the creating has felt like

Because I created my journal during the 100 Day Project it was already there, ready and waiting. I am so pleased that this journal, originally zines that I didn’t like has now a purpose because I repurposed it. Yes it already has marks so this is what I have been adding to to complete my pages.

This is not about making a perfect product. It is about the daily act of moving your hand on the page with Pappa. Two marks. Two colours. A verse. That is it. It doesn’t have to be a complete page. The photos show some of the pages I made on scraps and a sketch book.

At the end of the month I want to look back at a book of treasure — a memory of community sharing in Pappa’s wisdom and creativity.

It is worship. A slowing down. A breathing. A regulating of our nervous system with Him. No comparison. No pressure. Just you, the page, and Pappa in the quiet of it.

I have also been sharing my process over on YouTube — a yes I have reluctantly said yes to, learning to walk in this obedience one upload at a time. Come and join me over there: youtube.com/@TransformingPages12

This week stretched my learning curve muscles in ways I did not expect. And I feel like I have grown a lot tech wise. That is exactly what this rhythm does. It is not just the pages that transform. It is us.

And for those who have been asking if you can still join, (my heart is warmed) you are most welcome to join in at any time. You are never too late. Just pick up your pens or paints, open Proverbs to wherever we are and pull up a seat at the table.

If this resonates and you think of a friend who needs a simple way back into God’s Word please share it with her. It might be just what she needs today.

How has your first week been? Share your pages on Notes and tag me @TheQuietYes — I would love to come and see.

Yes by yes. Page by page.

Your creative friend,

Tina

Not yet subscribed? Come and pull up a chair. There is always room at the table.

I’ve heard it said that it takes about 90 days to build a rhythm. I’m past that now — and I’m starting to feel it. The creating most days is no longer something I’m forcing. It’s just what I do. The guilt and overwhelm I used to feel when I didn’t make anything on a given day — they’ve quietly left.

Looking back, I realised my overwhelm came from the pressure of creating every day and when I missed a day it would all be too hard. It was about starting challenges and not finishing them. Always reaching for the next thing, never quite landing in any of them. With the 100 Day Project, I was curious so I set my own goals from the start — and that made all the difference. I knew what I was working toward, and I enjoyed every part of it. If you are new to this series, welcome. Stay around for a cuppa and enjoy this read where I made the project a personal experiment and set out my goals.

This is what I hoped the experiment would do. And it has.

What I made this week

This week’s creating was filled with collaging.

I turned some old zines I’d been holding onto — ones I didn’t love and never quite knew what to do with — into a concertina book. They became something new. Something I actually like. I used up my marked tissue papers to collage, made marks with black acrylic paint and dandelion tea to stain the pages. (I didn’t have any instant coffee)

I did some mark making on tissue paper to restock my supply as they are one of my favourites to collage with.

[Video — mark making on tissue]

I’m also still adding to Betsy Pendergrass’s May collage challenge journal. It took me a little while to find my rhythm with it, but now that I have, I’d like to keep going past May.

I added some of my grandson’s art into a few of my journal spreads. I love the pages more now — his art has brought life to them.

And I prepared a few concertina books from his art ready for Mum and Dad’s birthday soon.

What I’ve noticed and what I’m learning

The 100 Day Project hasn’t made me more disciplined. It hasn’t made me more talented. What it’s done is build a creative muscle. 100 days of showing up — consistency — has turned the practice into a habit.

Creating doesn’t have to look one way. Some days it’s a big page. Some days it’s two marks on tissue. Some days it’s helping someone else create. Some days it’s just noticing. All of it counts.

And the rhythm itself has become the gift. Not the pages, not the projects, not the productivity — but the steady showing up. The morning teacup. The little time at the table. The willingness to keep creating, week after week.

90 days in, I can say — it’s worth it. Pappa meets us in the daily showing up.

Is this something you’d like to do too? I’d love to invite you in.

A small invitation for June — June in Proverbs

This came from my own 100 Day Project experiment — and from a little inspiration from Betsy Pendergrass’s May challenge. Joining a challenge helped me develop a consistent creative rhythm without stress. I missed some days. I gave myself grace. And now I’m in a consistent rhythm, and loving it.

So I thought — let’s keep the momentum going gently, together.

Starting June 1 — June in Proverbs. A gentle 30-day practice. One chapter a day, one verse that speaks to you, and a small page made with 2 marks and 2 colours.

That’s it. Two marks. Two colours. One verse. A daily way to let Pappa’s wisdom land on the page.

No pressure if you can’t do it every day. Some days His wisdom will land quickly, some days life will take over. All of it counts.

I’ll be adding mine to a concertina journal I’ve been building through the 100 Day Project. You can use any journal you have — or just paper.

“Here are kingdom revelations, words to live by, and words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life, written as proverbs by Israel’s King Solomon, David’s son.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭TPT‬‬

If you’d like to join me, start reading Proverbs 1 on June 1. No sign-up, no rules. Just show up when you can.

Share your pages on Notes with #JuneInProverbs — and tag me @TheQuietYes so I can come see.

Where would a daily 10-minute creative rhythm meet you this season?

Your creative friend,

Tina

A slower kind of rhythm this week. Caught up with some friends over matcha, time with my grandson, and finding my routine with the morning pages.

Some mornings I sit down with the page and a teacup before the day starts. Other mornings family is up early and the page waits. Some days I only get to write a couple of lines, and it’s okay.

Bringing it to the page

This morning I slipped into a place of self-sabotage — restless, heavy, all the old patterns rising up. I needed to pull out God’s word and speak it over myself, quickly.

I sat down with the page for a journal dump and creativity session. Wrote out what was true. Wrote out what wasn’t. Reminded myself of who and whose I am from His word. I wrote out His Word. I collaged. I kept going until I felt steadier — lighter, giving it to Him to carry for me.

And then — the surprising bit — I sat down to edit some videos I’ve been working on for women. As I was editing, I found that I was being ministered to — the very truth I’d been teaching was the truth I needed to hear today.

A nanny nap, and back to the page

I needed to refresh after all that, so I had a nanny nap. If you need a power nap, take one. It truly refreshes.

The rest of the week

After lunch I worked on some pages for Betsy’s Making in May — still two colours, collage, and a botanical. A still life and a row of flowers. Sheet music scraps, torn book pages, a quiet yellow with paynes grey and a posca pen. I noticed that Betsy used circles last week and I used circles in a different way.

I also made some scones for the family for morning tea. The family always look forward to me coming home to cook — there’s something about a warm batch of scones in the kitchen that holds a house together. I love using an oven when I can, too — we live in a bus on the road, so home kitchens are a small luxury.

What I’ve noticed and what I’m learning

Some days I sit with the page for an hour. Some days I write a few lines and that’s enough. Some days my hand reaches for paint, others for the pen. All of it counts. The page is always there to come back to, whether for a long sit or a few quick words.

And rest counts too. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is lie down for twenty minutes and let Pappa refresh us.

Where have you needed to come back to yourself this week?

Your creative friend,

Tina

I missed Week 11. Travelled back to Sydney to see family. Full days with my grandson — a joy. Quieter, harder days with Dad — watching him age isn’t easy. The week held both

One thing I did start again this week is my version of Julia Cameron’s morning pages, from The Artist’s Way — some longhand writing and collage first thing in the morning, before the day asks anything of me. Abiding with Pappa and creativity in the morning grounds my day.

I’ve been creating most days this week, but not always for the 100 Day Project. Different projects, different pages — all of it part of the same daily rhythm.

The May challenge by Betsy Pendergrass

A few of us are joining a small collage challenge through May, run by Betsy Pendergrass. The parameters Betsy set: limit yourself to two colours, work in collage, and include a botanical somewhere on the page. I’m joining in when I can, not every day — and I took her parameters on as my own so I didn’t have to think about how to start. (You can absolutely choose your own parameters if you want to join in.)

I took my journal outside one afternoon, the light low and grey, and made four spreads on a single open journal.

Across the four, I wrote phrases that have been quietly running through me — praise is the highway, the joy of the Lord is my strength, love the Lord your God with all your heart. The sheet music scraps and golden-yellow washes felt right for that.

100 Days — finishing what I’d already started

Two pages this week from the 100 Day Project — both were pages that had been begun weeks ago and were waiting. I’m continuing to finish projects I’ve started.

These two were inspired by Laura Horn’s Marks and Rhythm — a course I’ve been working through and really enjoying.

A new watercolour book

My Creative Abstract Watercolour by Kate Rebecca Leach arrived this week. I’ve been wanting to play with abstract watercolour techniques for a while, and this book has been a gentle, joyful way in. I’m loving it! I read many great review on this book.

The pattern exercises this week — a whole spread of small watercolour patches, each one trying a different mark.

What I’ve noticed and what I’m learning

Daily creating doesn’t have to look the same every day. Returning to pages I’ve already started is just as much practice as starting fresh. Community keeps me creating — even when we’re scattered across the world, joining someone else’s challenge means we’re moving together. And starting the morning with Pappa changes the rest of the day.

Where are you meeting Pappa creatively this week — is there a small rhythm that's been helping you?

Your creative friend,

Tina

Last week we left Tasmania, and we’ve made our way to the Southern Highlands in New South Wales. I’m so pleased that we were able to catch the beautiful colours of autumn before all the leaves fell — but the cold has come with us.

This week I tended to a few things that had been waiting.

I’d been wanting to learn some new skills, and I’m a visual learner — I need to see someone do a thing before I can do it myself. So I chose my teachers carefully. Women whose work I genuinely loved, whose pace felt like mine.

Continuous sketching.

I’d done a little continuous sketching before, but this week I revisited it with Andrea Garvey from Making Zen. She encouraged 10 minutes a day, and that little daily rhythm has been sweet with no criticism.

You don’t lift the pen. You let the line follow your eye, loose and scratchy, over the petals, around the leaves, back through the stem. I followed her composition — soft pink-purple petals on sage stems, a wash of yellow behind, the words “Tea Rose” in her hand-lettered style. I copied what she did as I didn’t have any flowers or pictures. If you are interested you can find her work on Youtube.

Doodling over old watercolour pages.

I have a lot of watercolour pages from earlier in the experiment — painted but never finished. So this week I returned to them with a pen and started doodling over the marks. It quiets my mind. The hand moves, the marks appear, and somewhere in the rhythm I find it easier to pray and worship.

Darning.

I had a hole in my favourite jumper that had been waiting for a long time as I didn’t know how to darn. So this week, doona over my legs, I sat and learned. I followed Erin Eggenburg from Making Zen (this was the reason I joined Making Zen to be honest) as closely as I could, learning a visible mending weave — two colours of yarn threaded through the hole, one warm pink and one closer to the jumper’s natural cream so it almost disappears into the cashmere. The pink shows. The cream blends in.

I was pretty pleased with my first attempt. ✨

(I didn’t even see the little heart shape until someone else pointed it out. I was just following the lesson, doing my best with the yarn. But there it was — a little pink heart of repair on cashmere. Another quiet touch from heaven.) ☕

A café spread.

I always carry a travel kit in my backpack — watercolours, a water brush, a couple of pens, my journal — so whenever I’m at a café and I have a moment, I can pull it out and make a page even with the tiniest space.

This week I sat in the sun with a teapot and teacup beside me, and enjoyed playing and making a mess. It was cold and the wind had other ideas. Pages were turning. My collage papers were flying. I still managed to make something. At one point my acrylic marker made a big splotch on the page, so I turned the mess into something else. It was a satisfying morning. I love that I can take my creative worship where ever I go.

What this week taught me.

That the line doesn’t have to be perfect to be alive.

That creativity is one of the easiest doorways into being with Pappa — creative hands, quiet mind, prayer and praise.

That I quite enjoyed darning. I don’t usually like mending especially knits. So I was quite surprised.

That sometimes the unexpected is the most fun — splotches, wind, flying papers and darning.

And maybe most of all — that tending to what’s already started feels good in the bus. Less clutter. Less waiting. More finished. More peace.

Page by page. Stitch by stitch. Yes by yes.

May you find your own quiet yes with Him today.

Love, your creative friend,

Tina

A quick reminder — for my experiment, I’m using up papers I’ve already gathered and finishing projects I started a while back. It’s been a sweet way to honour what’s been sitting half-done and to use what I already have as well as trying some new things. Can I experience consistency for 100 days and be ok if not.

This week didn’t feel like I did much. We did a lot of driving and sightseeing, and on the surface it felt like the experiment had taken a back seat.

But when I look back, there was actually quite a lot.

Before we caught the ferry back from Tasmania to the mainland, I had a beautiful day. My heart was so full of gratitude I had to journal it onto the page — I wanted to savour this day and create with joy. The sun was out, and I set up outside and made a mess with acrylic paints. There’s something about painting outside, with no real plan, just play. I was feeling bittersweet about leaving and had to focus on my gratefulness for this opportunity to experience Tasmania, waking up in different towns.

I missed making journals, so I returned to that too. I made some junk journal signatures. I keep coming back to how much I love working with paper that was never meant to last. Things the world would throw out, made into something to hold a quiet yes.

I practised coptic stitching — a smaller, thicker journal this time, made with the recycled papers I picked up last week. The ones from the local paper maker — towels, jeans, hemp, paper with forest floor twigs and leaves, huon pine, and yes — paper made from wombat, kangaroo, koala, and bull poo. I ran out of embroidery thread in the first colour so I finished with a different one. Oh well, not achieving perfection here. The practise was laborious. I admire those who practise the art of bookbinding so well.

And in between — watercolour doodles. Nothing precious. Just play.

It’s funny how a week can feel quieter than it was — until I sit and remember. The painting in the sun. The journals stitched at the table. The recycled papers that started as towels and twigs. The doodles. Our time in Tasmania.

I’m so grateful for the week that’s passed.

Have you taken time to reflect on what you’re grateful for from your past week? I invite you to share.

Love,

Your creative friend,

Tina

May you find your own quiet yes with Him today.

This is week eight of my 100 Days of Experimenting.

The past couple of weeks have been a little slower, as I wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t share a Week 7 update. I’m simply picking up again from here.

Working on my sink and stovetop in the bus - experimenting with salt on watercolour.

Coming back into creating felt slow and a little laboured, but inwardly I couldn’t wait to begin again. It made me realise just how much I need creativity in my life.

While I wasn’t well, we had about ten days of rain, and reflecting on it now, I can see how my serotonin levels must have affected my energy and mood. It made me more aware of how much creating lifts me.

I’m noticing that creativity isn’t just something I enjoy — it’s something that supports me, especially in slower or heavier days.

It was so good to simply sit and play with watercolours again, watching the colours blend together and learning to let go of expectation. I enjoyed exploring with one of Laura Horn’s classes.

During my travels, I also had the opportunity to meet a local paper maker who creates paper from things like old towels, jeans, and even recycled wombat poo. It was such a unique and inspiring experience.

I used some of those papers to make my own watercolour journals. I love the deckled edges that handmade paper gives.

I also finished the most of the circles that I’ve been slowly working on.

There were also things stirring in my heart during this time, which I’ll share more about in another post.

This week has reminded me to keep leaning into Pappa. He loves me even when I don’t always feel it.

I’m learning to choose Him not based on my emotions, but because I know it’s right.

And when I lose consistency, not to get down on myself, but simply to begin again.

Have you found ways to keep showing up, even when you don’t feel like it?

Love,
your creative friend Tina

May you find your own quiet yes with Him today.

This is week six of my 100 Days of Experimenting.

This week felt a little slower. I continued working on the circles I cut out last week adding marks and embellishments.

There wasn’t a lot of time for creating, as we spent quite a bit of time driving to the west of Tasmania. We are getting close to the end of our time here.

I also noticed a bit of resistance come up, especially as I wasn’t feeling that great one day. I don’t enjoy not feeling well, but I’ve noticed it does slow me down in a way that causes me to reflect more deeply.

On the days I wasn’t well, I didn’t push myself to create. Instead, I went for slow walks, simply observing and appreciating nature. It’s lovely and serene here.

I didn’t put pressure on myself until I had the energy, and that’s something I had already factored in at the beginning of this experiment.

I found that the rest actually helped restore my energy. When I did have a full day to create, I felt refreshed and able to enjoy it — allowing the creativity to flow more freely.

My husband was kind enough to go to work in a cafe so I had the bus to myself where I could play with my supplies and acrylics. I often work on a few projects at once so things can dry in between.

This week was a gentle reminder that this isn’t about forcing something every day, but about showing up in a way that feels sustainable and achieving what I set out to do.

Have you noticed how rest affects your ability to create or show up in your day?

Love,
your creative friend Tina 🌿

May you find your own quiet yes with Him today.

This is week five of my 100 Days of Experimenting. It’s been a full and somewhat hectic week — flying back to celebrate our two-year-old grandson, catching up with family, and navigating time with ageing parents.

There hasn’t been the same space for long stretches of creating, but I’ve found myself taking hold of the small pockets of time when they’ve come. In those moments, I’ve continued working on the projects I began back in week one, gently adding to what was already there.

At the end of the day, I found myself drawn to quieter moments, sitting in bed with my journal. I would take my watercolours and make simple washes on the pages ahead, as I love writing on coloured pages. It’s nothing special only therapeutic for my heart.

It became a soft way of releasing the day, especially as some days felt emotionally heavy. I’m noticing more and more that this consistent practice of making small marks helps me to unload, so I’m not carrying things I don’t need to hold onto.

Overall, I think I wrote more in my journal than I created this week. I love writing prayers to Pappa, much like David did in the Psalms. He is my refuge and my strength, and He cares about every detail of my life — and yours. I’ve also felt a deep sense of gratitude this week as we celebrate Passover, remembering all that Jesus has done for me — how He has removed the hidden darkness in my heart through the blood He shed on the cross.

As @betsypenergrass said, “Creating is sacred work. Don’t underestimate how much it matters.” For me, it has become a kind of therapy — a way of processing, releasing, and being held in His presence.

I saw a quote recently that said, “One day, or day one.” It really stayed with me. It’s so easy to think about creating, to gather supplies, or to wait until life feels less busy. Sometimes we compare ourselves or feel like we’re not ready, and we never quite begin. I know I’ve been there too. But this experiment is showing me that consistency — simply practising and showing up in small ways — is what makes the difference.

I’m really loving this 100-day experiment. It’s helping me create consistently, and it’s becoming part of my life — even when things feel chaotic or out of routine. I’m deeply grateful.

Have you found ways to keep creating, even in the middle of a full or emotionally heavy week?

Or are you ready to begin — even if it’s just by making a small mark today?

Love,
your creative friend Tina

May you find your own quiet yes with Him today.

This week I created a little almost every day, which was my plan for this experiment.

Some days it was very simple. Even if it was just a watercolour wash on a page, I still showed up.

But along the way the voices came with self doubt.

Those quiet thoughts that ask, What are you doing? The feeling of comparison creeping in, and the temptation to question whether any of it is worthwhile.

I noticed those voices, and I brought those thoughts to Pappa.

This little experiment was never about producing something impressive. It was about returning to the page, using what I already have, and allowing creativity to nourish my soul again.

Sometimes that nourishment is found in the simplest marks — a wash of colour, a page in a journal, a few quiet moments of making.

This week I also realised how much I enjoy creating colour swatches with my watercolours and water-soluble inks. I spent some time experimenting with my Gansai Tambi – Kuretake watercolours and my Derwent Inktense pans.

I love playing with the Derwent Inktense pans (they are the same as the pencils just in pans like watercolours) because they are water soluble and beautifully intense in colour, and once they dry they become permanent.

One of my favourite things to do is create swatches — small patches of colour — on old book pages. I often use them to clean paint from my brushes, letting the colours build up naturally on the page. I also like to write scripture verses over them, and later the pages become collage paper in my journals.

It felt good to simply explore the colours without any pressure to turn them into something finished.

I’m learning that showing up gently and consistently - not posting everyday.

These small moments of creating are becoming another way of spending time with Pappa. I’m also grateful for the simple privilege of being able to create.

I hope you were able to experiment and play this week. I find that slow creating, deep breathing, prayer, and gratitude have helped me through what has been quite an intense week.

How has your week been? Were you able to experiment or play a little along the way?

Love,
your creative friend Tina 🌿

May you find your own quiet yes with Him today.

This post is part of my 100 Days of Experimenting series.
You can start from the beginning here: Week One — Beginning Again.

Week two has looked a little different.

I’ve returned to the bus and we’ve been moving around a bit, so there haven’t been many days of creating this week.

Instead, my time has been spent working on my Substack posts, creating with friends online and quietly observing the beauty around me. Sometimes creativity doesn’t always look like paint and paper. Sometimes it looks like slowing down enough to notice.

The changing sky,

the roar of the ocean at the edge of the world at Arthur River on the west side of Tasmania,

and watching of baby penguins waiting patiently for their parents to return from feeing on fish all day to feed them.

Even though I haven’t created as many pages this week, I have journaled most mornings and doodled with watercolours, and I can still feel the quiet nourishment that this slower rhythm brings. My heart has expanded!

As I was driving, I spent a lot of time in praise to Pappa. I love those alone moments with Him. At one point I pulled out and suddenly heard a loud horn. In that moment I truly felt the Lord’s protection and was reminded of His Word:

“For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.”
— Psalm 91:11 (NIV)

For the rest of the drive I found myself quietly meditating on Psalm 91.

I’m learning that experimenting doesn’t always mean producing something. Sometimes it simply means paying attention.

How was your week? Did you notice anything beautiful around you?

I’d love to hear your reflections in the comments.

Love,
your creative friend Tina

May you find your own quiet yes with Him today.

Playing with colour is so fun. I find that the pigment inks are so wow to use. Watching them come to life when I spray water on them.

I love watching how alcohol inks interact with the substrate and other mediums.

Then the activated pencils responding and blotting them.

I always want to add more. Bright colours make my soul come to life. I encourage you to use the colours that you love.

This to me is my worship as I play.

Creativity has become one of the ways I slow down enough to listen to God.

Do you ever pray or reflect through creativity?

Love your creative pray partner

Tina

And I’ve created most days.

Nothing elaborate. Just small bits here and there to use up what I have and finish projects that I have started.

In my last post in The Quiet Yes, I shared that my soul needed nourishment. This daily creativity has been exactly that. It’s there to read in Substack.

Last week we flew back to Sydney for a wedding and also spent time with our grandson. He is just beginning to love the feel of paint between his fingers. I took the opportunity to place my franken papers under his hands to soak up his hand prints. These are precious moments. I even found his mum adding to the papers with the remnants of paint.

I was creating from what was tucked away in storage boxes — distress oxides, a gel plate, alcohol inks, pigment powders, stamps and stencils. It pushed me to think differently. I had a roller, a plastic fork — but no brushes.

At first that felt limiting.

It was fun to play and create differently. I used the distress oxides on the gel plate and eucalyptus leaves to monoprint on tissue paper and fabric.

But it’s actually made me think differently. I’ve been using scraps. Trying combinations I normally wouldn’t. I had a few master boards in progress as well so I’m using the 100 days to finish these projects too.

I am playing in 2 locations so I don’t have to carry supplies when we fly back again next month. I did miss my pencils and markers though. I’ll continue these papers next month. The momentum is satisfying.

So far, this experiment feels simple.

Just showing up.
Using what’s here.
Creating with ease even on days when I don’t get to create.

We’re on Day 8.

I’ve been enjoying watching others create too and taking part.

If you’re participating in the 100 Day Challenge, I’d love to hear what your week looked like.

And if this resonated, tapping the heart helps it find someone else who might need it.

And this week, I started something new.

I’m participating in the global 100 Day Project (I’m calling mine 100 Days of Experimenting). Creatives and non creatives around the world use these 100 days to try something — to show up consistently, to test ideas, to explore.

Here’s how I’m doing it:

For 100 days, I’m creating daily using only supplies I already have. Scraps of paper. Half-finished journals. Unfinished projects that have been waiting patiently.

No buying more.
No pressure to produce something impressive.
No rigid expectations.

Some days I’ll do more.
Some days I’ll glue one page.
Some days I may not create at all.

And that will count too.

This isn’t about performance.
It’s about tending to what I’ve already started.

I’m aiming to share weekly reflections here as these 100 days unfold — what I’m noticing, what feels easy, what feels resistant, and what’s shifting.

If you’re also participating in the 100 Day Challenge, I’d love to know what you’re experimenting with.

And if you’ve been craving a softer way to create, you’re warmly invited to follow along — or even join me.

We’re on Day 3.