Studio Intentions with the New Ensō Collection from Pilot Pen

(Thank you to Pilot Pen for kindly sponsoring this post! All opinions are honest & completely my own. I never work with a sponsor or product that I don’t love. <3 )

On most days I can be found working to balance multiple painting projects, a commission or two, website updates, art event planning, house remodeling adventures… things can get a little chaotic here relatively quickly. To combat the pull of the messy, paint-y abyss I keep a studio planner and strictly manage my time, but that only covers the physical, actionable parts of the tasks and goals I have set.

One of my goals for 2019 was to work on visualizing the emotional, bigger picture, intangible and abstract responses to the day as well.  In the same way I would brainstorm and examine how to tackle a project, brainstorm and examine my hopes and plans for my painting practice.

So I started recording my studio-intentions.

I mean ‘intention’ here in the way a yoga instructor might; these non-concrete thoughts that embody the ideals for the day, week, year or beyond with essences that I can reach for and visualize. These serve as a reminder that though there are physical steps to complete projects, frame of mind is just as important. Some are solitary words, some are short sentences. What matters is how I connect with and reference them throughout the day.

So when Pilot Pen reached out to me about working together, I knew exactly how I would use their new Ensō Collection of Watercolor Brush Pens.

The kit features 7 super vivid and precise felt tipped pens (black, brown, red, orange, blue, pink, green) and a black pen with a very long brush tip for sweeping lines and shapes. Using these with varying amounts of pressure I can create a number of different lines, exploring and defining the nature of the word, learning from it and emblazoning it on my practice for the day. I’m able to just play and create knowing the pen is going to give me amazing control and beautiful color.

The pens write beautifully and effortlessly, letting me focus on the design and nature of the word. I record these in a number of different sketchbooks; scribbled on top of old paintings, hidden in the margins, wrapped around sketches and the rich, vibrant ink allows the words to stand out in the chaos. The fine-tip allows me to be precise when I want to create fine lines, while applying a bit of pressure helps to create bold, broad lines.

Using the Watercolor Brush Pens as my tools for these intentions has become a little bit of a ritual at this point. Get into the studio, make coffee, find a good sunbeam (or comfortable spot by a plant) and use the Ensō Collection Watercolor Brush Pens to design the intangible goals for the day.

Again, big thanks to Pilot Pen for sponsoring this post, these new pens were fast favorites of mine. Do you have a practice of recording your studio intentions? Do you also love writing out words with really beautiful pens? Leave me a message, I’d love to see how you work these into your practice.