In case you need a reminder…
You are creative.
It’s easy to forget—amid everyday expectations and obligations—that creativity lives inside each and every one of us. Spoiler: it does. And honouring that creativity for even just a few moments is how we calm the mind, quiet the noise, and stretch out time.
Pick up a pencil, a brush, a marker. Draw a line, then another, and another. Connect your breath to your hand, your hand to the pen, the pen to the paper. Listen to the sound it makes. Watch how the lines appear. Feel how your body relaxes and notice how your thoughts soften.
Creativity is how we come home to ourselves.
Hey, I’m Joanne—artist, creative play coach, and the founder of CAMP. I help people reconnect with their creativity through workshops, classes, retreats, and a growing online community.
Whether you’re here for yourself or looking for something meaningful for your team, you’re in the right place.
This is the art of joyful living through creative play.
Where would you like to begin?
In case you need a reminder…
You are creative.
It’s easy to forget—amid everyday expectations and obligations—that creativity lives inside each and every one of us. Spoiler: it does. And honouring that creativity for even just a few moments is how we calm the mind, quiet the noise, and stretch out time.
Pick up a pencil, a brush, a marker. Draw a line, then another, and another. Connect your breath to your hand, your hand to the pen, the pen to the paper. Listen to the sound it makes. Watch how the lines appear. Feel how your body relaxes and notice how your thoughts soften.
Creativity is how we come home to ourselves.
Hey, I’m Joanne—artist, creative play coach, and the founder of CAMP. I help people reconnect with their creativity through workshops, classes, retreats, and a growing online community.
Whether you’re here for yourself or looking for something meaningful for your team, you’re in the right place.
This is the art of joyful living through creative play.
Where would you like to begin?
![: If you noticed the fine ink lines on the watercolour cherries 🍒 card I shared on Wednesday, and wondered what pen I used, this is it… The Uniball Signo DX in 0.38mm black. I reach for this pen constantly—sketchbooks, cards, doodling, journaling—any time I want a clean confident line that doesn’t bleed into watercolour or smear when you breathe on it wrong. It’s smooth, consistent, under $5, and when it’s out of ink, it just stops—no trying to convince it to squeeze out another few strokes. I buy these by the box so I can quickly grab a new one and carry on without missing a mark. What’s your go-to pen for line work? 🖊️Is it the same pen you love for writing? ✍🏼[ If you’d like to receive a collection of Sparks like this one ✨ in your inbox every Sunday, the link to subscribe is in my bio ]](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t39.30808-6/674925512_1555357536597583_3500172632623670821_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=104&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=tk1HI35MUBIQ7kNvwGsmZHq&_nc_oc=AdrNBdCBdNyP9Nh8nffizXy1kiCOIG6yNNjFP4ppkj_n-VHlAWh5Kvq-PioS7GVnDs8&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=FU8BG8QcdebD2f89TN8czw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQEfIGkt78xUsEfuioivL6lYfC80A049KjqxGm9q0yz77NPrzz4oL4lg0X67BT99e6L2C1tJ-Kse&oh=00_Af5GsDAX8ekmlophjoM1NnFvdERGxdkBX99ufvOOyOsBhA&oe=69FBA3E4)
![: A walk along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa last weekend had me seeking signs of Spring. It was a warmish day, but nothing had quite yet popped. Tree buds were still tightly bundled, gardens still covered in leaves and fall debris with few to no signs of bulbs sprouting and peeking through… Everything looked dull, grey, or brown, with the exception of the clear blue sky.Then I saw this shock of green moss growing in a most unexpected place—the concrete footing of the guardrail along the canal’s edge. We’ve seen this before… plants seemingly growing out of concrete, rocks, and pavement. Moss, like this, weeds, flowers, and even some trees. The spores and seeds which happen to land on what appears to be inhospitable property—in just the right crevice, with just enough moisture and light—take hold, establish roots, and thrive. I feel like there is a life lesson here… Message received, Mother Nature! Where could you practice a little more resilience?[ If you’d like to receive a collection of Sparks like this one ✨ in your inbox every Sunday, the link to subscribe is in my bio ]](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t39.30808-6/678688324_1555346463265357_7698488493868185789_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=103&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=CALmEQhTnSwQ7kNvwG6ngRu&_nc_oc=Adp6mx-5e55micWRe4bjHfJ2LZqyrqI5iw5k1N4uqSkFpNk3yIpZpbbLn8wBdX2m2XI&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=FU8BG8QcdebD2f89TN8czw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQE5rjrTS3b4ZG3C5Yswy8tWrNF-T9WuxF3ewGitboXmW6wAYYlDj8yf4T8oczUohfbLaEptCBeo&oh=00_Af4JfVPKAD_3JUZwLcz7K7GVcfM-frzQQbXfL8YxIYw3YQ&oe=69FBC16F)
![: I did NOT want to get on this swing.I wasn’t afraid, I just wasn’t feeling it. It had been a long, hot day adventuring around Bali in October 2023, and I was tired and grumpy.[ Imagine being grumpy in Bali!? What the heck was my problem!? ]I said no at least 537 times. And then, with some cheering on by my friends and a healthy dose of self talk, I said yes.Arms out, face to the sky, high above the rice terraces. Pretty sure I giggled the entire time, and even sassed it up a bit for the photographers. Fast forward to April 2026…Try Everything by Shakira has been on repeat in my studio lately, because some weeks I need a reminder that showing up even when I’m not feeling it is still showing up, and that trying is the whole point. The swing is always worth it.This song is the “Something I’m Loving” from issue No. 2 of Sunday Sparks ✨—my weekly love note about creativity, noticing + play. Link in bio if you’d like it in your inbox every Sunday. 💕[ I couldn’t resist adding the clip of me with Lina, the fruit bat… I couldn’t wait to hold her! 🦇😂 Would you!? ]](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.71878-15/670865295_829130573001518_7711386536624749537_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=107&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0xJUFMuYmVzdF9pbWFnZV91cmxnZW4uQzMifQ%3D%3D&_nc_ohc=sc87ATpe110Q7kNvwEfURSh&_nc_oc=Adrbumj6k5-3Zx39HFh8zErfqZ5pVY2MD4sL6qw0vBPFmYLRtRhkv-72kx6VJ0v8F-0&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=FU8BG8QcdebD2f89TN8czw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQG3KASUfyWM74XE7tBhJmm4FBFUDir1ItX_cDCXHq7VgAWIsd9bfIzmcmxeHnLvwdAKOjosyF0y&oh=00_Af7DLq46WQaQ4tbeF0nx0PxD4JJ0k2rxBV-5ruzvoM6-xg&oe=69FBB83D)
![Last Wednesday was the first of my five-week Sketching Around Town classes. Three lovely ladies are joining me at various locations throughout Ottawa to learn the foundations of urban sketching—line confidence, drawing what you see, perspective, and watercolour. We started in IKEA’s cafeteria for an intro lesson, then I sent them off to find vignettes to sketch in situ. While they sketched that, I sketched this: hanging paper lanterns offering a warm glow on a rainy day, and on page one of my new, little sketchbook.[ If you’d like to receive a collection of Sparks like this one ✨ in your inbox every Sunday, the link to subscribe is in my bio ]](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t39.30808-6/670523679_1549374000529270_591122459226539617_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=100&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=Lda2NMLPsxEQ7kNvwErkYn0&_nc_oc=Adr8ZCxNVvA0hxqSLAhZmLQcVyed34SF-YEGeAGhCCO8ASASBbTeqUkIIuG0oa5bJs0&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=FU8BG8QcdebD2f89TN8czw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQG1N3-yDT0S8chyP7ILZ4FS255rKR5W0UTdkUhjqQ047_aTloZCDEuFaTpGr2jk46i9ltAS-Zs1&oh=00_Af6QhMthJzqZlVYn0sC_-YFHq12OWBXIYa95EueQD5b1EA&oe=69FBC1D1)
