A creative refuel

Summer always feels like a time of year when I need to refill and refuel my creativity.

A time to replenish my sense of wonder. A time to be more introspective and less productive. Our creativity can by cyclical and right now, mine is calling for spaciousness, for slowness.

In this season I try and respect this natural rhythm of mine and do things which nourish and nurture my creativity. My creative re-fuelling usually involves some mix of:

Writing and reflecting

Journaling helps me untangle thoughts and tune back in. It’s where I listen to myself. I write about what I’m drawn to, what feels exciting, what I want more of, what I want to leave behind. I ask questions I don’t always have the answers to.

Reading

When I feel creatively tired, reading feels like a nourishing reset. I often turn to books about art or creativity, or stories that take me somewhere unexpected. Sometimes reading about how others see the world helps me better understand how I see it too.

Looking at art

Visiting galleries, paging through art books, sitting with a painting in real life, all of it feeds something in me. Just looking, noticing, feeling what stirs and connects.

Learning

I take classes often, because I love to be reminded that there are always new ways to see and new things to try. I love how even one new idea or tool can unlock something unexpected. It’s often less about mastering a technique and more about opening a new door.

Time in nature and walking in new places

A slow walk, for me is often a return to wonder.. Letting myself follow what I notice: the shape of a shadow, the texture of a wall, a tangle of leaves. Just letting myself be surprised. Letting myself be fed by the beauty of the natural world.

Playing about

Some days I get out materials and just play. No plan, no pressure. I remind myself that this doesn’t have to be anything. It doesn’t have to lead to anything. It can just feel good. It can just be weird and messy and mine. And paradoxically ithis energy and attitude does often lead me somewhere interesting.

More drawing as exploring

Drawing slows me down. It helps me pay attention to the page, to the world, to myself. It’s a way of discovering, embedding an experience in your psyche, connecting head, hand and heart…

So this summer, I’ll be making space for nature, for noticing, for reading, for writing, for playing with art materials with no expectations. I’m not following a plan. I’m letting curiosity be the compass. Letting what feels nourishing and delightful gently guide me in the right direction…

Materials

In this video I was drawing on the beach using two types of pencil:

Faber Castell Pitt Pencil Matt Graphite Pencil 14B

Staedtler Mars Lumograph Pencil 9B

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Let Nature Lead Your Art…

If you’re in need of a little creative refuelling and would like to make art inspired by nature, take a look at Nature and Nurture. This gentle, self-paced course invites you to explore natural forms, playful drawing, and semi-abstract mixed media, all rooted in the beauty of organic shapes, plants, and flowers.

“Each video causes me to think! As ever, your classes cheer me up and inspire me.” Janice

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