New Year's Eve is a fun time to look back on the year and see all that you've accomplished, explored, created, and felt. Capturing all of the best highlights of the year and packaging them into a nice little memory box, and don't get me wrong, it's so important to look back and celebrate. 

New Year's Day however, has the ability to make you feel like all of that wasn't enough. Like you need to scrap it all and re-create your whole entire identity into something more productive, more useful, and more successful. There's pressure to become an entirely new person just because the calendar shifted and personally I'm really not feeling it this year. 

2025 Year in the Studio. The year to THRIVE. I’m not sure I'm able to declare that I was successful at thriving, I did manage to keep working. To continue doing what I love. What you don't see are the stacks of paintings that were scrapped because they didn't feel quite right, the self doubt that comes with building a small business, the many tears, and the endless hours problem solving. But there were also hours spent soaking in the beauty of nature's inspiration and creating beautiful work that I'm deeply proud of. You see, despite all of the struggle and heartache, there truly is NOTHING else I would rather be doing to support my family. 

A collection of original gouache landscape paintings inspired by winter in the Canadian Rocky Mountains as snow blankets the earth and a restful peace covers nature.

The rhythm of the studio was interrupted by school strikes and closures in Alberta. I'm patting myself on the back because even with the uprooting of my work schedule, I was able to release The Wild Pacific Collection, and a new print! I'm counting it a big win.

Christmas Art Markets in Alberta, the gift shop reopens, and custom work is now available for preorder.

A collection of original coastal watercolor landscape paintings inspired by Canada’s rugged West Coast in Tofino. The Wild Pacific collection by Rebecca Sobbi is now available to collect. Bring home the beauty of Tofino.

Is it just me or did September fly by in a blink?! We have been blessed with such beautiful warm weather in Alberta for the whole month of September and I've enjoyed the changing seasons, the leaves turning colours, a return to routine, and evening walks with my son as the sky turns to gold.

Wild Pacific Collection inspired by Tofino’s rugged coast coming soon!

All of my kids are officially back to school and I am back to work in a more full-time position. It's always a little bittersweet to return to our normal rhythms but it feels good to tackle the giant list that has been accumulating on my phone of all the things I need to accomplish in my studio practice. 

August was a very full month spent in Chicago and Southern California…

I'm not quite sure how July is already over, but it was a very full and fruitful month. My time in the studio was mostly spent printing for wholesale orders including the addition of a new shop in Emerald Lake! My time and attention was turned to the Banff market each week which was often an adventure in itself. The weather this month has been so unpredictable, and very rainy. I personally love a good walk in the rain and will gladly accept this weather to a smoky season of forest fires. 

I'm so grateful for your support during my annual birthday sale. July is always such a busy month despite the fact that my children are home from school and there really is no actual schedule. Can someone please tell my brain that, as it continues to wake me up every morning sometime around 7am.

My time and attention to nature has been abundant this last month. Time in the mountains, time caring for the garden, and time in my very own neighbourhood. We had so many beautiful rain showers in June making the earth green and lush and full of wildflowers. The fawns are gaining more independence, wandering further away from their mother's care. I truly love this time of year. The season of attention and care which blossoms into abundant summer fruition. 

Life is such a strange, wild, glorious thing filled with experiences that can strengthen us, break us, and provide us with the most profound joy. People all around the world are simultaneously experiencing the best days of their lives and the absolute worst and somehow we're exposed to all of it. To the real, raw humanity of the world.

Spring is by far my favourite season and has brought so much refreshing energy into my life and creative practice. Who knew that consistent time in nature would feel so good and provide so much refreshment?! I'm so thankful I challenged myself to spend each day in nature for 30 days.

I've been enjoying the slow process of creating my next collection Wild Pacific.

I get a little bit vulnerable about what it means to run a creative business in 2025 with the ever changing global business landscape and reaching for creative goals.

May in the Canadian Rockies brings with it the welcome return of warmer weather, glorious green leaves, and long sunny days. My creative energy levels always crave the month of May and the return of summer.

I've been tucked away in the studio creating original watercolour paintings for my next collection: Pacific. I've spent the last week painting a 24x36" watercolour of a beach in Tofino that I'm still undecided how I feel about. Some paintings are finicky that way. Thankfully I've been doing this long enough to know that not every painting needs to be an immediate success and some paintings take their time to grow on you. 

I'm excited to share this collection with you that I have yet to set a release date for. I'm carefully taking my time with each painting, resisting the urge to rush through the creative process.

It’s no secret that I’ve been in a creative rut lately. I don’t know if it’s burnout, 45 year old brain fog, or too much time scrolling on my phone that’s causing it, but it’s likely a combination of all three. 

 To combat this funk I’m giving myself a 30 day creative renewal challenge! From Monday to Friday for the next 30 days I’m going to paint for at least 30 mins, walk for at least 30 mins, practice a new creative hobby for 15 mins, Read a new book, and journal each day.

I’m excited for this 30 day challenge. I know it will be just the medicine I need to refresh my creative practice and my mind.

This March has felt like a bit of an energetic funk for me personally. It could be the fact that the weather really never knows what it's doing this time of year, but I think the recipe I'm craving is more time in nature. 

I stumbled on this quote yesterday which is something I think we all need:

"Movement is medicine for the body.

Nature is medicine for the mind.

Art is medicine for the soul."

I spent a lot of time procrastinating a fairly difficult commissioned watercolour painting last month, which meant spending a lot of time behind the scenes on the less glamorous side of a creative business.