After the shift of the sun at First Light, and the beginning of warmer weather, I’ve been drawn outside to make nature art again.
I found myself making little nests from pohutukawa leaves, and placing white stones into them. Often it’s only after working intuitively with natural materials, and contemplating the final image, that I begin to understand what I was doing.
When I look at the white stones, I think of birds laying their eggs in the coming of spring, or seeds ready for the ground, or something about to hatch. Maybe you see something else in the image?
I like to think that it suggests things I haven’t yet become aware of. This is the one of the exciting things about creative work.
Is there a creativity season?
I’ve been contemplating this question, as I find myself stimulated to explore new things with the quickening of early spring.
In my last newsletter I wrote about how trees and creatures sleep in winter. Yet so many people, including myself, find that winter is also a creative season.
Maybe every season is, but with a slightly different flavour. And in this newsletter, as I remember my northern hemisphere readers who are saying goodbye to summer, I want to write about every season.
So here are my musings, and I welcome yours as well, which you can post here, on my blog.
Creativity in winter
There is something about the quiet of winter that fosters creativity, especially in the form of making things by hand. A friend is doing some beautiful knitting and lovingly making gifts with her needles and wool. Nadezda from northern Germany wrote on my last blog that she sews a new cross stitch piece every winter. My mother was an artist, and winter was her special season, when she could retreat into her studio without being bothered by distractions. Each winter she would produce enough paintings for a new exhibition.
For me, winter is a season of rich contemplation and gestation, when my imagination flourishes. And so winter is the season I set aside to work on my new book. It’s been slow work, involving a lot of revision and editing, restructuring and text enriching. In winter I have the patience that is needed for such tasks. I also enjoy having a satisfying project to pursue when the rain and wind keep me indoors.
Creativity in spring
And then spring comes along. The sap rises and a surge of creative energy rushes through the earth and my own body. It’s the early beginnings of such energy that picked me up and took me to the beach last week to play with leaves.
I find spring the perfect season for new initiatives, and breaking through obstacles. Any task that seems too hard can be conquered in the full-on energies of spring. This is when I’m planning to take the first steps towards publication of my new book.
It is a great season to start a new project, or to reinvigorate an old one.
Creativity in summer
Summer brings distractions, completions and holidays. It’s a good time to bring a creative project to fruition, or to a point where it can be parked—unless it’s something that requires fine weather, outdoor locations and lots of leisure: filming, photography, beach art, painting en pleine air, for example.
I’ve often enjoyed a leisurely summer art project, such as water colour painting, or making installations on the beach—nothing too serious, creativity with a fun element, and an emphasis on pleasure.
Creativity in autumn
The mellowness and serenity of autumn supports the rounding off of a creative endeavour. It’s been my favourite season for a book launch or the mounting of an exhibition. Anything that is potentially stressful will be well placed in the relaxed season of autumn.
Cycles of creativity
Any creative project will have its cycles. Here in the southern hemisphere we are entering the season of new beginnings.
What is surfacing in you as the first inklings of spring appear, and you smell the delicious fragrance of daphne, freesias and violets? Are you listening? Are you attending?
If something is calling you, this may be the season to take note. Because once a year the opportunity arrives to ride on the wings of spring.
Blessings on your dreams, visions and creative spirit,
Juliet
Creativity keeps us fresh; it keeps us alive, keeps us moving forward.
—Rollo May
This blog is an excerpt from my Seasons Newsletter. To receive the Seasons Newsletter, you may sign up on the home page of this website and receive a free audio meditation.
HI Juliet, oh this was beautiful, much appreciated. I also find autumn a perfect time for an exhibition. This year, I’m looking forward to winter and a long painting season, after a nourishing summer full of outside living. Thank you for writing this.
Marie, thank you for your appreciation! I wish you a productive winter of painting and a happy time with your next exhibition.
Dear Juliet
Many thanks for your connection to mother earth. When I saw your insprirational art, I saw something different. For me the stones represent inner self, and the whole picture is of individuals as self.
To me the white stone showed off a purity, which I have taken to mean true-ness. That in the face of many distractions and difficulties we read in the world today, true self is so much more important, and that as best as possible, we return to our true self after examining what is going on “out there”.
In terms of creativity – I am creative most of the year round. I continue creatively with music lessons, and am very proud to have heard from my music teacher that it was time I started putting out the music I play as a forward step to lessons and group sessions.
I have two paintings in mind. Firstly a mysterious tribute to David Bowie, that also has meaningful connection to me. That meaningfulness is the hard part to work through as there is some discomfort in it to resolve. It’s also dark underneath in terms of starting with a black base, then lightening to add a variety of colours. Still, it’s not yet comfortable to paint. The second picture is about Peace. I have large leaves to paint up as an edging, and predominantly I want that to be pink with wofts of light turquoise, lemon and soft blue with white washed through it somehow. Sounds stunning, if I may say so myself!
Creatively as a musician, I have been writing a celtic hornpipe. My creativity is disrupted when I need to rub something out. I always feel loss when I have to ‘remove’ something I have created. Today though, I have managed to do just that, so I can now fill the space with the notes and rhythm I would like.
In relationship to your blog article, I am thinking of extending the celtic hornpipe into a 4 part piece covering the seasons. I have somewhat started with winter in the lower registered notes on my violin. I can hear it move up the register heading for spring. That theme sounds good to continue with. Perhaps, too I can complete a cycle of winter-spring, spring-summer, summer-autumn, finishing with autumn-winter.
I trust you are well. Thanks so much for your insightful message.
Kind regards
Denise
Denise, thank you for sharing your thoughts and your rich creative musings. It sounds as if the muse is very much with you. I love your interpretation of the white stones in my leaf nests; purity and the inner self. I love the purity of the white stones too.
Such a beautiful post and place of contemplation, Juliet – thank you!
For me, autumn is the most alive, creative time of year – a time of inner excitement paired with external projects and undertakings. So much energy! So much possibility!
I realize that, for many, this sort of sprouting creativity is more “spring-like” – moving towards the expansive energy of summer. Perhaps my introvert’s love for wintertime hibernation and reflection makes autumn the most “spring-like” season for me.
Dana, I love your observations about autumn. This is so interesting. It sounds as if autumn ‘springs’ you into your love of winter and the time of deep reflection. Thank you so much.
Beautifully written Juliet. Good luck with your book.I am also creative in winter and writing poetry again. That’s my highlight in winter. As spring arrives and than summer I write less and less as there is a pull to go out and go tramping, visiting markets, holiday, like you :).
Poetry in winter, how exciting Marja. Yes, with your love of the outdoors I can imagine that would be more distracting. Thank you.
Oh, Juliet, this is so lovely and so encouraging as you embrace spring and also as I contemplate fall. I love your phrasing of the “quickening of early spring”. It reminds me of the quickening that occurs in the last stages of pregnancy, when a woman’s body enters the final stages before birthing.
Your nests bring to mind appetizers; an invitation to sample what is currently at hand and to anticipate what will follow.
We are slowly heading into Autumn here. Not quite yet, but, the days are shortening, the shadows lengthening, the birds in a frenzy to fill up before their long flights.
Penny, I love your reading of the nests as appetisers, and your image of the birds in a frenzy to fill up before their long flights. I’m sure you will enjoy your autumn. Thank you.