Why I Always Carry a Sketchbook | From Bamburgh to Barbados

This is a completely unscripted chat about something that’s been quietly essential to my painting life for years — carrying a sketchbook. In this video, I flip through four of my sketchbooks filled with rough ideas, half-formed thoughts, failed drawings, notes, and visual memories — everything from Bamburgh Castle to sketching abroad in Barbados. None of this work is polished. That’s the point. Sketchbooks are where ideas start breathing — before they become “paintings”, before pressure, before expectations. They’re where mistakes are useful and freedom still exists. If you paint, draw, or make anything — this one’s for you. Let me know in the comments: Do you carry a sketchbook… or keep meaning to? #Sketchbook #ArtistLife #PaintingJourney #ArtProcess #CreativeProcess #NorthumberlandArtist #Bamburgh #TravelSketchbook