It’s a constant source of stress for a small creative business; balancing the business and admin work with the creative. As you get busier it’s so easy to allow the business side to take over. When the world is stressful and filled with anxiety it take less effort to work on the business end.
Creativity, in all it’s forms deserves to be nurtured. It’s so very hard to make that little bubble to allow it to survive though! Creative work requires a still mind. A mind at rest, with the complete sense that those everyday stresses can take a backseat for a while. Given that, it’s not terribly surprising that during stressful times it’s very difficult to find that space.
Over the past year I’ve found a different comfort in my craft. It’s kept my hands busy and allowed a brain that was functioning at half speed to work through simple problems. I focused on simple, comforting projects that gave me peace and functionality. My creative side was operating in slow speed but I accepted that, I needed the time to heal and work through some of the difficult realities of life.
But you know what? I can feel the sparks of life again. It’s like watching a garden in spring time, those first shoots appearing and you know that it’s going to be glorious.
So now I’ve got to keep the frost off those shoots and keep this nurtured. I’m going to start with the little things. just very deliberately slowing down and noticing the textures, shapes and colours around me. And sharing them with you.
So lets start wit this morning. It was -4 degrees (C!) this morning and the condensation on the window with the bright sunshine was so very beautiful.
What do you do to give yourself creative space? Where do you find beauty?
Thank you for this post. I am still trying to get back to creating. Big changes in my life along with Covid have left me flat.
I like how you talk about waiting for spring to come.
I love those socks.
During the gray Oregon winter I find the most beauty in the birds in my back yard. How did that one goldfinch hang on to so much of his yellow color into the winter, when the rest of them have gone dull? That makes me smile, along with the northern flicker that has black speckles all over his back and a flash of orange across his face and under his wings. If I could design a pattern, it would be called Oregon Winter and would be a background of earthy neutrals with some flashes of yellow and burnt orange, for the goldfinch and the flicker.
This entire thought, I only had just now because you asked, so thank you for the mental exercise!
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your burst of inspiration. It is getting me thinking about reviving my actual creative pursuits. Happy New Year.
Dawn’s response made me think- I live in gray Oregon too. The sky is what pulls my attention. All the grays are there- silver, pearly pinks and subdued blues, and the deep gray-purple of a coming storm. The light here is so beautiful when you can find it. It illuminates the grays and they glow. I don’t love winter, but the sky is so much more interesting.
A beautiful blog post. Thank you.
Breathing in the fresh air and taking time to notice the colours in the sky, the rain on the plants and any new buds helps me feel alive.
“Deliberately slowing down” is also working for me and, that you mention it specifically has comforted me that it is OK to do it. The heavy weight of the last year, and more again this week, also dampened my free spirit and creativity. But, the slowing down has also brought me the “new sparks of life” you describe. Thank you for your words. They are comforting and encouraging to me.
You describe so accurately this process of noticing creativity (=life force) arise, and the dance to make it want to stay. It is a delicate dance.
Thank you. Your way with words gives shape to experience many creatives must have. I just didn’t know what it was before. 🙏
Thank you xxx