I’m slowly getting back into my habits or ‘Rituals’ for the new year, one of them being writing my three pages in the morning, another digital illustration and then also hand drawing. My sketchbook is going to be used alot more this year I think, and I want to integrate this into a ritual practice I do after my handwriting.

So far the rituals I’ve built are:

1. Handwriting Three Pages in the morning
2. Doing one Digital Illustration
3. Doing something hand drawn (mark making practice or illustration)
4. Reading something (Currently my ART REVIEW magazine but also books and essays)

I’ve been doing all this from the sofa as this year unfortunately my Rheumatoid Arthritis has completely damaged my right leg. At first the doctor thought that it was a DVT from the 9 hour flight back from Saint Lucia, but before I left for paradise my knees were making it incredibly hard to walk and within two days of being back from an absolute pain free holiday, they started to swell again. This time the swelling turned into cysts and then burst down the back of my calf muscle (sorry to whoevers reading this, illness is never sexy)

For the first few days I was screaming whenever I stood up, then I managed to walk with crutches and now I’m managing to hobble along but cannot straighten my leg at all. I’m having a scan on Friday and hoping that’ll rule out anything dangerous and allow me to start doing more things to heal.

So for now, my rituals, habits and practices or all based either in the mind (reading and writing) or solely with my hands which are thankfully unaffected by the arthritis this year. I think maybe due to the fact I’ve kept consistently using them into the winter.

Exercise, walks and videos of nature will have to wait for now. Slowly, I’m developing a practice that adapts with the tide of my body.