The Quiet Joy of Friday Night at My Art Table

Friday nights used to feel like the finish line.

I'd get through the workweek, come home tired, and think about everything I still needed to do. There were errands to run, laundry to fold, emails to answer, projects to finish. Even when I wasn't working, my brain was.

Somewhere along the way, though, Friday nights started becoming something different.

Now, one of my favorite ways to end the week is walking into my studio, turning on some music, pouring warm cup of tea, and seeing where a blank page takes me. It wasn’t something I planned but it slowly became ritual.

And honestly, I don't think I realized how much I needed it until it became part of my life.

Misty of Creatively Misty adding marks to a mixed media art journal page filled with floral collage, layered paint, vintage book text, and vibrant pink and turquoise accents during the creative process.

It Isn't Really About the Art

Most Friday nights I don't have a plan.

I'll wander into the studio for a few minutes, pull out a handful of paints, flip through my art journals, or reach for whatever supply catches my eye first.

Sometimes I make something I absolutely love and sometimes I end up with a page that’s nowhere near done. And both are perfectly okay.

I've learned that those evenings aren't really about finishing anything. They're about slowing down long enough to breathe, recenter and come back to myself.

After spending an entire week responding to schedules, responsibilities, emails, and the needs of other people, there's something incredibly comforting about spending a couple of hours responding only to color, texture, and curiosity.

Misty of Creatively Misty stamping circular marks onto a mixed media art journal spread layered with floral collage, acrylic paint, vintage book pages, and bold pink and turquoise details.

Choosing Myself

I think somewhere along the way, a lot of us started believing we have to earn evenings like this.

We'll make art after the kitchen is clean. After the laundry is folded. After we've answered every email. After everyone else has what they need.

The problem is, there will always be something left on the list. ALWAYS! There will always be one more chore, one more responsibility, one more thing asking for our attention.

One of the biggest things that's changed in my life over the last several years is that I stopped treating creativity like something I had to earn.

These days, I have a pretty simple philosophy.

Art BEFORE responsibilites.

Not because my responsibilities don't matter (they'll always be there waiting for me). But because I've learned that if I always wait until everything else is finished before I do something that fills me up, there's a good chance it won't happen at all.

Misty of Creatively Misty using a stamp to create straight lines across a colorful mixed media art journal page layered with floral collage, acrylic paint, vintage book pages, and bright pink and turquoise details.

My Favorite Kind of Evening

People sometimes ask me what I do to relax.

The funny thing is, my answer probably sounds like work to someone else.

I paint, collage, scribble, get paint on my hands and lose track of time. And somewhere in the middle of all those little things, I stop thinking about everything else.

By the time I clean my brushes and turn off the lights in the studio, I almost always feel lighter than when I walked in, not because I created something amazing, simply because I gave myself permission to create.

Finished mixed media art journal spread by Misty of Creativity Misty featuring layered floral collage, vintage book pages, neon pink paint, turquoise circles, stamped patterns, and expressive mark-making in a colorful botanical composition.

Maybe Your Friday Night Looks Different

Maybe your version isn't an art table. Maybe it's knitting in your favorite chair. Maybe it's tending your garden as the sun goes down. Maybe it's baking bread, reading a novel, writing in a journal, or taking your camera for a walk.

The activity itself isn't really the point. The point is having something that belongs entirely to you. Something that isn't productive. Something that doesn't need to become anything. Something that simply reminds you what it feels like to enjoy your own company and do something that fills you up.

I think we all need a little more of that.

I'd Love to Hear From You

What does your perfect Friday evening look like?

Maybe it has nothing to do with paint.

Maybe it has everything to do with finally giving yourself permission to spend an evening doing something simply because it makes you happy.

I'd love to hear about your own little rituals in the comments.

Sometimes the smallest traditions end up becoming the ones that nourish us the most.
We practice responding instead of overthinking.

Hi, I’m Misty

Mixed media artist, creative guide, and passionate believer in the power of fearless self-expression. After years of playing small and settling for a life that didn’t feel like mine, I chose to rewrite my story through art — and I’ve never looked back.

Now, I help women just like you break free from perfectionism and self-doubt so you can reconnect with your creative voice and boldly explore what lights you up. Whether you’re picking up a paintbrush for the first time or returning to art after years away, my mission is to help you step bravely into your own magic — one joyful, messy layer at a time.

Let’s create a life (and art) you absolutely adore. 💙

If you’d like to explore mixed media with me, explore ways we can work together here.