Returning to an artistic practice after a break is rarely simple.We often believe that picking up where we left off will be easy—but very quickly, something resists. The gesture feels unfamiliar, confidence has shifted, and expectations are often higher than before. Over time, I’ve come to realize that the biggest obstacle isn’t a lack of skill or inspiration.It ’s the quiet expectation of immediately recovering what once felt natural. Reclaiming an artistic practice is not about going...

Structuring an artistic practice can feel contradictory to the very idea of creation.For many artists, structure sounds like constraint, rigidity, or the loss of spontaneity. And yet, over time, I’ve learned the opposite. In my own practice—between painting, surface pattern design, and the creation of creative tools—structure is not what limits freedom. It is what makes it possible. It reduces mental noise, removes unnecessary decisions, and creates space to actually create. Here are 5 simple...

Welcome to the new Jodoin Studio  blog My name is Manon Jodoin . I am a painter, surface pattern designer, and editor working in service of fellow visual creators. I create from my home studio in Montreal, Quebec—a space that is both intimate and structured, designed to support exploration and creative focus. I have been painting for many years, primarily in watercolour. Painting has always been, for me, a place of freedom: a way to slow down, observe, transmit, and allow what cannot always...