I’ve been drawing again, this is my recent piece – a small hat shop illustration, drawn in Procreate, loosely inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle.

Just five hats and a little magic in the air.

Drawing it reminded me of why I keep making art, even when life is full.

Art, for me, is a slow and beautiful way of choosing.
Choosing shapes that look balanced but a little playful.
Choosing colours… then un-choosing them… when they don’t quite sing together.

There’s a beauty in all of it, I think. The beauty of struggle, the beauty of wondering if that mint-green bow should be darker, and realizing the answer is try it and see.

The beauty of possibility, how one little shop can hold hats for gardeners, poets, wanderers, and people who don’t even wear hats.

The beauty of identity, because a hat is never just a hat. It’s a decision about who we are today, and sometimes about who we wish to be.

Drawing slows me down enough to notice these things. In the rest of my life, I’m often chasing clarity and alignment, but in art, I get to lean into whimsy and imperfection.

Maybe that’s why I love hats so much, they’re little invitations to imagine another version of yourself.

And maybe that’s what art is, too.