For Vashon Island-based artist Darsie Beck, it’s impossible to separate his creative work from the rest of his life.

Beck is a watercolor painter, stone carver, and landscape designer who works out of his studio on Maury Island. He also teaches creativity and journal keeping workshops throughout the Puget Sound region.

He is a proponent of daily journal keeping and for many years has made it a part of his morning ritual. Beck feels that the process of writing  first thing every morning allows him to clear his mind and create a sense of order for the up coming day.

He writes in a free-flowing, unedited manner, and has found that writing helps solve problems, organize time around things that matter most and add structure and overall effectiveness to his life. A part of his morning routine also includes sketching and painting from nature.

He uses a day planner system that holds his appointment schedule and daily journal.

"Our world is fast paced and we are busier then ever. We have become a society of  doers with little time for personal reflection, or simply being." Beck says.

Beck is currently assembling a collection of his sketches, paintings and journal entries into a book-length work. He says, "I want to share my experience in journal keeping, the daily routine I follow and the exercises I employ to engage my creativity. I hope to inspire others to discover their own uniqueness through the rich and rewarding process of journal keeping."