In the spirit of creativity and self-care, S/ presents Keep Calm and Create Art, a series exploring the meditative, rewarding, and soothing practice of making art during uncertain times. For our debut, we are featuring Alyssa Goodman, a Toronto-based artist who specializes in handcrafted watercolour porcelain and prints. Here, Goodman gives a glimpse into her artistic process and what she finds most calming about painting.

How do you create the right atmosphere for your artistic process?

“I like to start in the morning—before getting into a painting, I need to know that I have time all day to work slowly. I also almost always have music on.”

Sharing your work with the rest of the world can be quite intimidating, particularly for young artists. What kind of advice would you give for artists who are struggling to put themselves out there?

“Sharing work is scary for sure, but you have to risk it. The best advice is to keep working and stay optimistic. You’ll keep getting better. Post it online and document it on a site. Your work is worth it.”

Are there any mantras you swear by?

“Be Here Now by Ram Dass has been my touchstone lately. It’s out there, but very grounding at the same time.”

What do you find most soothing about painting?

“I love zoning out. When you were little did you ever sit and watch the rain as it hit the windowpane? Painting is like that; it’s slow, but it builds, and for some reason, it’s worth doing.”

View more of Alyssa Goodman’s work here.