January 2026

I want to try and keep things simple this year. At least one wee sketch a day and one blog post a month.  To stop any overthinking, each blog post will be titled by the month and the year.  I am not using AI or ChatGPT to write anything, I want to keep things as human as possible. (The same goes for my art!). 

The reason for the blog post is to be able to write something a little longer as I am feeling somewhat constrained by posting on reels. To me it feels more sustainable and enjoyable to write in this way too. That said,  I will continue to post on socials although I’m worried that this actually goes against what I actually believe in. Posting on social media does not encourage people to be present, spend time with their friends and family and it takes away time from what people truly think is important. I feel somehow unwillingly attached to it as a means to put my art into the world but we are where we are. This year I’m learning how to use social media a little more sustainably and consciously, without burning out. Presence over perfection should be the mantra! 

So far, (I’m finishing this on the 31st of January) I have managed to keep up with one wee sketch a day. These sketches don’t need to be perfect and they don’t need to be massive moments in my day. It’s more about the habit. I know it’s only one month in but I have already noticed an improvement to how I feel. In a funny way it also feeds into other things I do. Small habits seem to make a big difference! To keep it manageable and achievable I’m using a small square sketchbook and doing three sketches per page. It’s a habit that usually takes between three and six minutes a day.  

January 2026 marks around five months since my girlfriend and I moved from London back to Scotland.  Moving is hard and takes over a big chunk of your time but with the passing months we are feeling more and more settled and looking forward to what 2026 will bring. In the first two weeks of the year we visited Lunan Bay together, catching up with old friends. I went to North Berwick to start work on a residential mural of the Bass Rock. Also in January, we visited Aviemore, to celebrate two family birthdays, mine and my mum’s.  I’m feeling more and more inspired by what Scotland has to offer and I’ll be hoping to do some outdoor painting soon and hoping to create more in the studio. I wanted to do some outdoor painting in the snow in Aviemore but that ended up being a little bit of sketching looking over Loch Morlich and Loch Vaa. London, where we moved from, has its attractions and we really enjoyed our time there over the Christmas break but Scotland feels more and more like home, or should I say hame! 

Moving back to Scotland also brings me closer to the charity Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH). After hosting raffles supporting the charity in previous years a very kind fundraiser from the charity reached out to me to understand more about not only my artwork but me as a person.   We’ve kindly been invited along to SAMH events including The Tall Ships Races in Aberdeen, 2025 and the opening of the Nook in Glasgow. The Nook offers drop-in services for mental health in a non-clinical environment, without the need for an appointment.  When time allows I have been working on a project to celebrate one hundred years of the charity. The piece of art I’m working on incorporates the face of Dr Kate Fraser, the original founder of the charity and the map of Scotland. 

Aside from this, I’ve also moved into my first ever studio space in Kinning Park in Glasgow. I completed my first painting since moving back to Scotland called Welcome Home. Here’s a link to it : www.douglasfindlayart.com/product-page/welcome-home. It’s already found its forever home however! The painting was inspired by a sunset visit to Loch Earn in October 2025 after we spent time with my brother’s family who were awaiting their own new arrival.  

Let’s see what the arrival of February brings!