The story so far…
A little while back, I started a practice called Small Happinesses. I was walking my dog and feeling a bit blah when I did something that made me feel a tiny bit better. I bought a cucumber from the local roadside vege stand and chomped on the end as I walked home. Fresh cucumbers. Amazing. They really are delicious.
Earlier that day, I’d read some articles about powerful men in faraway places making decisions that made me feel angry-sad, and I found myself wondering whether they enjoyed the simple pleasures of walking, wondering, and biting into a fresh cucumber.
I decided that probably, they did not.
But that moment itself was quite a gift. A glimmering realisation about the happinesses that exists in the unexpected and most ordinary of places.
Since then I’ve been tracking my Small Happinesses- drawing them, writing them down, making little illustrated records of them in my sketchbook. And I’ve found that the practice of actually making something from those moments really does make life feel, well… a tiny bit better.
Sometimes even more than that.
The truth is, I write and draw almost every day, and have done so for ages, but my Small Happinesses practice has given that daily creativity a container.
And I’ll be straight with you: it’s a joy and a delight that you’ll want in on. That’s not even a sales pitch.
I mean, after all… who doesn’t want to feel a tiny bit better?
Feeling a Tiny Bit Better is centred on small creative acts. Little creative adventures that help you build a relationship with your own attention.
It is not about becoming more productive or more disciplined with your art. It’s not about conforming to a particular style or subject matter. This is not about self-improvement or fixing anything.
It’s about learning how to notice what’s already present, collecting everyday moments in images and words, and building a creative rhythm that supports your body and your nervous system.
And if you are thinking, ‘but Jane, I can’t draw or write’, then I will tell you: This is how you start.
Literally everything I do, I learn on the go.
Want to be the type of person who keeps an illustrated journal (or whatever you want to call it)?
Then you learn how to do it by starting an illustrated journal.
Want to be the kind of person who draws and writes? Then jump in and do it.
This is the playground. The rest, we’ll figure out together as we go.
And if your only excuse is “But I’m no good”, then I will tell you- whether you think you’re good or bad, talented or not talented, with the greatest respect, your opinion doesn’t matter.
Can you imagine the liberation? Of not needing to be “good”?
That world awaits you, and one thing I know for sure: We’re going to have a lot of fun there.
Feeling A Tiny Bit Better is a supported practice week that includes:
✏️ A 90-minute workshop
Live on Zoom. Can’t make it live? The replay is included, with lifetime access to all materials.
Workshop Date & Time:
Monday 30 March – 8:00am NZDT / Sunday 29 March – 4:00pm US Eastern / 8:00pm London
✏️ A week of small creative adventures
One simple way to combine words and pictures each day for 7 days.
Delivered to your inbox, with access also available on the course platform.
👉 Runs from Tuesday 31 March (NZT) / Monday 30 March (US Eastern) / Tuesday 31 March (London)
through to Monday 6 April (NZT) / Sunday 5 April (US Eastern) / Monday 6 April (London)
🤸♀️ Creative Drop In Sessions
Optional live Zoom sessions throughout the week.
A space to bring your paper and your pencils, do your thing, and spend a little time in creative company.
No teaching, no coaching just a place to show up and create if that’s something you would like.
Come to all of them, dip in occasionally, or not at all.
Drop In times
👉 Save $50 when you join before the live workshop (Monday, 30 March NZ Time / Sunday, 29 March Eastern). After that, the price goes up to $147.
Hi, I’m Jane 👋 I’m an artist, writer, and creative mentor who spends a good deal of time thinking about how creativity fits into everyday life.
For the past fifteen years I’ve worked in fields connected to somatic and movement education with a focus on nervous system health, a lens that now deeply shapes how I approach creative practice.
These days you’ll mostly find me at my kitchen table with a sketchbook, drawing birds, writing things down, and turning small moments from ordinary days into words and pictures.
I’m endlessly curious about how attention, the body, and the nervous system influence creativity, and how simple creative practices can help people make art in ways that fit the reality of their lives.
Which is how I discovered that small creative acts – drawing something, writing it down, paying attention for a moment – have a rather nice habit of making life feel a tiny bit better.
This creative adventure is for people who:
This is probably not for you if:
This is a much looser, more curious sort of affair.
👉 Save $50 when you join before the live workshop (Monday, 30 March NZ Time / Sunday, 29 March Eastern). After that, the price goes up to $147.
Very simple ones! Paper and something to draw and write with (you can be as simple or elaborate as you like, but the basics are all you need!). If you want to draw digitally, you can absolutely do that also.
I mean, I don’t believe you (I used to tell myself the same thing) but I understand what you are saying.
I’ll be helping you get started with some basic illustration techniques, but this is really about developing a creative practice that works for you- we’re going to keep it simple!
No, not at all. It’s all there to support you, not create pressure. And what I share is great for low energy and full days- I know the lifey-ness of life. You can dip in and out as it suits!
No problem. The workshop is recorded and you have lifetime access, so you can watch it whenener it suits you.
That’s completely fine. They’re optional and simply there if you’d like some company and a bit of structure. You can do the practice in your own time and in your own way.
Still thinking it over? Want a few friendly reminders? Join my email list below!
You will also be added to my weekly newsletter, Making Things Up, and I’ll keep you updated on my creative courses (including this one!) ✏️ You can unsubscribe at any time.