How large does the month need to be on an illustrated A4 calendar? I’m weighing up visibility against artwork and space for people to write.

Building a creative business rarely follows a straight line. The tools, ideas and old versions we leave behind still help us find our own pretty way.

After almost two weeks of trying to make the trees and water work in my January calendar illustration, the answer arrived at 3am: the cassowary didn't need them. Sometimes the solution is taking something away.

Most people who think they have nothing to share are not boring. They are living too close to their own lives to see what is already there. When everything feels familiar, the moments with meaning often disappear first. This reflection looks at why ordinary weeks are rarely empty, and how noticing creates the distance needed for stories to emerge.