The South Island in New Zealand offers some extraordinary vistas and astonishing weather events. The clouds can suddenly come over in the blink of an eye, and all of a sudden, the view has totally changed.

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This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it offers a smorgasbord of ever-changing, enticing things to look at, as was the case when this photograph was taken. I loved the way the mist draped itself like a veil across the hills.

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This year,  like many other creative people I have spoken to, I was stuck in quite a creative funk.  Drawing seemed to be the only thing I could get up the energy to tackle, and although I began this work in mid-April, I only picked up the brush again and finished it in late October.

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There seems to be a general malaise amongst the people I meet - their energy is down, and they feel lacklustre and somewhat lost. I believe this is a longer-term effect of the last two years' lockdowns and strain on our mental and emotional health - something that is generally quite debilitating for our creativity.

I also spent the last year writing an ebook titled 'Journaling for Mental Health.' It is a study in how we can support our mental wellness using a creative approach and how you can do that using different journaling techniques, among other things outlined in the book.

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On a lighter note, I love the light in this painting and it is what drew me to painting it in the first place.

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