On Seasons

We are officially in Autumn.

But I’ve been in winter for at least a month.

What am I talking about?

What I mean is that my creativity has been wintering. It started with the boys being off for summer holidays for about six weeks, during which time my ability to get into the studio and do painting proper is heavily impacted.

I have learned not to fight this so much (a sanguine approach that has taken about 5 years to achieve…). So, this year I was ok with spending less pressured creative time with my sketchbook, as well exploring, drawing and making stories with my boys.

My youngest, Max, started school for the first time this September, and I had assumed I’d burn a path back to the studio to start bringing my ideas to life. I found it was not quite so simple. That school transition was more of an emotional rollercoaster than I had reckoned on, and we had to take things pretty gently for a while.

So, it was only a few weeks ago that I managed to start some gentle ‘scratching’ around my three different ideas, by which stage my creativity was well and truly hibernating, and I needed to slowly slowly coax it back to wakefulness.

But it was worth the wait. Now, my creative wintering has created a necessary order, and I’ve established the space – both literal and metaphorical – so that I can spend these upcoming long, dark evenings sketching, snug with a belly full of stew.

How about you? What creative projects have you got on the go at the moment? Are you in Spring/Summer (reaping the fruits of your labour), or are you still deep Autumn/Winter (hunkered down in the creation process)? I always love to hear what you are up to and to be a cheerleader to your creations, so do share!

Until next time my friends,