Creative Pep Talk 527 - Visual Journaling: Generate Ideas, Mindfulness and Creative Voice with Samantha Dion Baker
Oct 22, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Samantha Dion Baker, an author and illustrator known for her visual journaling books, explores how sketchbook practices cultivate creativity and mindfulness. She reflects on her transition from graphic design to daily drawing, emphasizing small habits that rekindle creativity. Samantha shares stories about capturing everyday moments, and she reveals how drawing helps deepen presence and find adventure in the mundane. Tune in for insights on turning chores into creative series and trusting your artistic instincts to foster a unique voice!
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Leaving Design For Portable Creativity
- Samantha left a 20-year graphic design career after having children and needed a portable, present creative practice.
- She used sketchbooks to stay with her kids and build a diary of family life while improving drawing skills.
Design Skills Enrich Sketchbook Voice
- Samantha's design background taught composition, color balance, and page design that now inform her sketchbook work.
- These design skills let her value feeling and storytelling over hyper-realistic representation.
Bus Drawing And The 'Call Your Mom' Moment
- Samantha described drawing a woman on a bus while stressed about her son moving into Brooklyn and then seeing a mural that read "call your mom."
- That coincidence became a meaningful sketch and reminded her to notice life’s small cinematic moments.
