Happy New Year 🌱 If I’m honest, procrastination showed up for me last year too. Not because I lost my passion, but because my attention was being pulled everywhere else. Everyone wants it. Everything steals it. And when it came time to focus on the work that mattered to me, the muscle wasn’t always there. Did that happen to you too? What changed things wasn’t forcing discipline. It was learning how to reclaim attention in very small, simple ways. Through that, I got more done last year than I had in a long time, not by rushing, but by building one thing on top of another. That’s the approach I’m carrying into this year. I shared a short video about this here 🎥 https://www.instagram.com/p/DS78bQvDM6M/ These hacks are simple by design, but don’t be fooled, they’re powerful. They’re low pressure, don’t require hours of effort, and are designed to work with your biology, not against it. Each repetition trains the body to want to return to the work with less friction. One of the biggest things I’m grateful for last year was teaching over 100 students in person 🎨 It taught me how to support people deeply and gently as they stay with their creative work. It also gave me stamina. And stamina eats procrastination for breakfast. That experience is a big reason this community exists. One of the most powerful things we’ll be continuing with is our Make It Together sessions here ✍️ These are what I CRAVED when I started working as an artist. Accountability. Company. Focused time to do the work. Bring your work. Use this space. Turn up and move things forward alongside others. You can check the calendar for the Zoom dates. Or we can start a new poll for new dates if that suits the majority. Just comment below. If you’re here and haven’t really engaged yet, consider this your invitation 💬 Even a small presence helps others step forward too. If you feel like it, reply below: one thing you’re grateful for from last year ✨ one thing you want to give attention to in 2026 🚀

@Sheena Bulpitt and @Sylvia Morgan dropped in for today’s Make-It-Together session. Sheena stayed longer and we chatted about exhibitions, open calls, finishing those half-done pieces, and the tricky bits of framing. Where did the time go? We got a lot done. Sheena is working on a previously unfinished painting that’s coming along beautifully. I got through a piece I’ve been developing too (more on that soon), and Sheena shared her first impressions — always so helpful to get another artist’s eye. What a delightful artist Sheena is, generous, open, and curious. Sylvia is part of my online classes in Glasgow with the Loveurart group run by Margaret, and we’re having our end-of-semester exhibition tomorrow of around 30 students. It’s the exciting culmination of all the work the students have been creating, and I’m looking forward to the collective dinner afterwards too. Join us again next Wednesday for another Make-It-Together. If you’ve ever struggled with consistency, focus, or motivation, these sessions will change that. Bring your project, your questions, or just come and soak up the creative energy. You’ll leave lighter, clearer, and ready to create again. 🎨 Show up, make progress, and feel connected.

Open Studio weekend left me buzzing. The conversations went deeper than art. New students reminded me why I teach, and it was a joy to see pieces walk out with their new owners. It felt like a reset, a reminder of why we do this. Since then I have been thinking about what’s next. I am refining directions, developing new courses for the community, and finding clearer ways to bring more depth and energy into what we paint together. Things are evolving in a way that feels aligned. If you would like to drop in, come along to the Wednesday 'Make it together' session. It is relaxed, with tea, chats, and paint everywhere. Comment below if you are joining us. During the last week's session I painted a lemon that is now heading to the Macmillan Cancer Art Exhibition in Glasgow, along with four other pieces chosen for the show. That little lemon has its own adventure now. Feeling grateful and excited for what is ahead.

Hi everyone, Let’s bring the studio energy back to life. Link: https://us05web.zoom.us/j/83682299891?pwd=QFb7QELCaRGWxQVuJ3KSewr9enJhg3.1 Make-It-Together is back today Wednesday at 5 PM UK time, a simple, relaxed space to sit down, draw, paint, write, or just be creative alongside others. 🌿 What Make-It-Together Is About ✅ A calm space to draw, paint, or simply be creative alongside others ✅ Gentle conversation about your artistic intentions, or quiet focus if that’s what you need ✅ Shared warmth, encouragement, and a sense of community ✅ One small reflection at the end, a tiny win you can carry into the week If you can’t make Wednesday, tell me which day or time would work better for you. I want this to fit around real lives, not the other way around. And if you’ve been away for a while, this is a gentle way to return, open your sketchbook, grab a pencil, and start with one mark. 🖋 Comment below: - What are you working on right now? - What’s one creative goal you’d like to finish this week? - Let’s make this a mid-week moment of calm, focus, and flow. See you soon, Sarmed.

Hey everyone Yesterday the Art With Courage community became monetised for the first time and already we have our very first paid member — Dr @Sylvia Morgan. Please join me in welcoming her. I honestly haven’t even promoted the page yet, so it was a lovely surprise to wake up to this morning. Thank you all for being here from the start. Everyone who’s already here has complimentary access as part of the founding circle. I’m deeply grateful for your support and energy. New members joining now at $5/month will also keep that rate for life as founding members, even when prices go up later. Have a little patience with me as I build the next phase, an exciting 'Art of Attention' webinar which I’ll share with you soon, along with new lessons and challenges inside the community. And don’t forget, Wednesday is our Make It Together session. Please check the calendar tab for live calls schedule. I hope to see you there so we can create art together and build real accountability. With gratitude, Sarmed.