Digital Nightscapes: Capturing Intuition in Dark Mode

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I've been creating digital paintings on my iPhone Notes app, only at night when it goes into dark mode. Since leaving tech work, I've felt a bit remorseful about doing things digitally. I wanted to be as analog as possible because it felt good for my soul. But after two years, things have started to shift.

When I travel, I sometimes don't have the painting tools I want to bring along. I prefer mixed media, and my favorite acrylics are hard to use outside since I don't want to make a mess at someone's place. The Notes app has always been my medium for jotting things down, even though it's risky—things can get deleted, disappear, or get lost. It's not easy to organize, but it's accessible, and accessibility matters for intuitive thoughts to land.

Last year, I picked up an art book My Window by David Hockney, where he captured landscapes from his window using an iPad or something digital. I guess that has something to do with my inspiration. I started opening the Notes app while lying on an uncomfortable couch in my living room, or on a futon spread out on the floor of my cousin's place, or in the dark in my bedroom. A little bit of laziness really represents me and tells a story, doesn't it?

These digital paintings are very momental, capturing my brain like a sketchbook. They also have an element of poetry or short stories that pop up in my mind, which I jot down on the Notes app. I have five digital paintings so far, but I plan to expand the collection.