Aggh! Winter. There is lots to like about winter, but the short days and weak light isn’t one of them. Yes I know thats a Northern hemisphere viewpoint… but in the absence of anyone fixing the Earths tilt I’ve been trying out the ‘brightspark’ lightbox from lumie.

It gives a strong light that imitates in its frequencies natural daylight. And its the type of light, not the brightness per se that does the trick. I’m using it right now as the Sun sets and the sky darkens to fight off the urge to sleep which always hits me at this point making me lethargic through the late afternoon. Being a night-owl I’ll then pick up into the evening anyways.

I’m well aware of the placebo effect (which in itself doesn’t negate it), but it does seem to have a positive effect and gives the impression of a longer day. It’s also very good when trying to do some drawing or painting in the evening by providing a much nicer light on the desk than florescent lamps, not quite a good studio window but best I can do.