NURTURING CREATIVITY IN WINTER
Adapting creativity to the seasons feels like an intuitive choice. Here we are at the very beginning of winter and much like the rest of the world, I find myself wondering what the months ahead will look like. Creativity might seem an odd thing to focus on right now but I’m learning to appreciate the weighty value in a healthy distraction.
Winter has always been a sticking point when it comes to the ebb and flow of my creativity. In winters passed its resembled a sleepy dormouse - stuffed full from September exuberance and a love of autumn, by the time we hit December it’s ready for a long winter’s nap… with no firm plans to surface until spring.
I used to think creativity was synonymous with drive and motivation and unless you possessed those feelings by the bucket load, it wasn’t possible to achieve anything remotely creative. That theory becomes problematic when, in winter, my attention span grows shorter with the days and my energy levels drop to those of the aforementioned dormouse. Do you have those days when all you want to do is retreat inwards, avoiding anything that might bring you into the line of sight of others? I do… and they seem to occur en masse from December through to the end of February. When I’ve failed to acknowledge this seasonal dip and tried to maintain a forced creative momentum throughout winter, the consequences have invariably come back to bite me at some point down the line.
I’m mindful that, this year more than ever, a creative business operates on a totally different level to the creative pursuit on the side. In a business, whether winter fatigue sets in or not, there are stay-afloat essentials that must happen, and they require colossal amounts of effort and tenacity, especially amid a global pandemic. I take my hat off to every single small business clawing their way through these colder months and hope that they come through the other side intact.
Whether you want to keep the creative flame alive in business or within a pastime, there are a few ways I’ve found it can still be nurtured and encouraged amid the lethargy of winter.
Reflection Time
A season that ushers in silence feels like a good time to reflect on creativity. In a world that continues to champion the cult of busy, stillness can sometimes feel like a precious commodity. Slowing down as temperatures drop provides time to contemplate and consider what the road ahead might look like in the season that follows. The reflections from this year are bound to be vastly different than before but one thing we can agree on is that getting this far by living one day at a time is an achievement to be proud of. The mantra I’ve had in my head since summer began is “Time is precious, use it wisely” and because creativity feels like a fulfilling way to spend time, I’m learning to make more space for it.
Staying In…Again
Most of us have been doing a lot more of that this year. Despite what happens on the ever-changing restrictions front, many more (myself included), will continue to stay in until there’s evidence that things have vastly improved. Staying in goes hand in hand with creativity - reading, cooking, making, writing, dreaming up ideas that might become future realities. All of this can be done at home and all have the ability to transport you elsewhere in complete comfort.
Dark Inspiration
This year I’ve been looking for the beauty within the realms of dark, cold and moody and seeking inspiration from the moments spent wrapped up in it. Before it gets light in the morning, I pull on a woolly hat and throw a blanket over my PJs, let the dog into the garden and take a mug of tea out onto the deck to stand and listen. The birds still sing, the leaves sound like rain as they come rustling down and sometimes, I can spot the glowing slivers of first light as they appear on the horizon. It might only be a three-minute window in the day but it feels magical and makes room for inspiration.
On the flip side, actively seeking the light helps too. Notebook scribbling amid a blanketed moment of downtime in a corner lit by candles and fairy lights feels as good as getting out for a walk in nature to soak up vitamin D. Seeking out light and spending time in it reminds me that winter passes and blue sky is always up there, even when you can’t see it for grey clouds.
Thinking (And Hoping) Ahead
As we near the end of this year and dare to look toward 2021, like many I alternate between a state of optimistic hopefulness and practically reality. I fully admit to hanging copious quantities of hope on the potential for the imminent vaccines to begin quashing this god awful pandemic. At the same time, I try to be realistic about the scale and time it will take and the stages we’ll have to traverse before life can return to a new semblance of normality.
Whilst I’m not a paid-up member of the Stay Positive/Make The Most Of It tribe - instead believing that it's healthier to ride the waves of happy and sad as they break and recede - I fully embrace hope whenever it presents itself. It doesn’t distil down into something as specific as goals - the urge to issue a sharp slap to anyone who used the G word in my vicinity would be hard to suppress right now! Hope feels broader than goals and a lot less specific. If nothing else, this year continues to teach me about living in a state of impermanence, so a little non-specific daydreaming feels like a healthier option. Notes scribbled in a book, images of inspiration pinned to a secret board, the mantra that done is better than perfect - who knows what fruits they might bear in the spring?
Thinking of the possibilities that can occur when we’re finally able and ready to emerge again feels like a kind of creativity in itself. The kind that I intend to nurture all winter long.
