Article 1:
Right, I want to talk about the seasons, every single one seems to mean another thing to add to my to do list and honestly that thing needs no help growing! From new year’s resolutions to drawing challenges, I can get so overwhelmed by the pressure to do what the season/ month dictates. But why? Why do I let some made up *requirements* make me feel like I haven’t achieved? It’s so stupid!
Diving right in with winter, now the first half (up until new year’s) is my absolute favourite season. I love the cosiness, the enjoyment of making presents, illustrating Christmas cards and going to festive craft fairs. Don’t get me wrong, it is stressfullll! And honestly who doesn’t find themselves a week before starting a whole new project… But I want to talk about the second half, the after Christmas slump :( Now I admit, I do get excited for a reset, that initial feeling of ‘ooo what am I going to do this year?’ Making aesthetic new year goal bingo sheets (shout out to last Januarys BIG trend) It seems like I’m trying to kid myself that it will squash that inevitable disappointment that I haven’t completed the unrealistic goals I set myself. So, I have decided I won’t be doing that anymore… LIAR! Of course I will, but as a creative I need to start deciding these resolutions based on where I want to take my practice and not where other people think I should. This January I want to choose 5 realistic things that I want to do, maybe one will be a big goal but actually one might be as simple as having a prompt word of the month and set myself a goal to create something, anything based off that word. I think as creatives there’s a fine line between aiming high and stressing yourself into creative block, not that I have ever done that! So, idea, be creative with it, visualise your goals- illustrate, paint, collage, whatever. Make them fun and appealing, you can display this as a reminder or leave it in your sketchbook, again do what works for you!
When we move onto spring, I feel like this is normally when I have a big inspo boost, I feel fresher and less pressured by the new year. However, I do very easily get into a slump. It’s nice that you can start getting outside more, I like to take this time to draw on the new life in my work. Maybe start a new project or try a new hobby. I don’t know why but these things seem to stick more (for me!) in spring. Maybe it’s the lack of new year’s looming or the change in the weather but whatever it is, it seems to work. I think this year I want to spend more time outside documenting and incorporating nature into anything creative, I might make spring cards or do some texture rubbings to use in a collage. I’m not sure, but I know I want nature to be my focus :)
Ok so summer, my partner thinks I am so weird, but it is definitely my least favourite. This season, I feel has so much potential and I always have so many ideas and plans, but genuinely this is the place my creativity goes to die. I am a cold weather girl I admit and so I am possibly biased, however it seems I’m not the only one. For me I think my issue is somewhat self-inflicted art block, grand or overly complicated ideas just keep getting put off. Really taking advantage of time is so important, including creativity in plans can be a good way to do this. I’ve done sketching picnics, craft evenings, seaside drawing trips - these have all been really lovely ways to make the most of the summer and be creative at the same time and you can do these with other people or on your own. Another super lovely way is creating custom postcards, you could send these to other people, share as a project on your socials or keep them as a document of your summer.
All the way back around to Autumn, another favourite season of mine, probably on par with the beginning of winter. I think of all the seasons this is the one that, as creatives, we are inundated with prompts and creative challenges, and the pre-Christmas stresses start creeping in. I get so overwhelmed! I find there’s always the pressure to take part in inktober or any of the affiliated drawing challenges, realistically I never keep up with these because life and work get in the way. I know the point is to carve time out each day, but I can’t be the only person that has days where it’s like I’ve never picked up a pencil in my life! Instead of trying to do one drawing per day, last inktober I combined 3 prompts at a time until I had completed them all. Do you know what, I created some of the most fun and weird (in a good way) illustrations, really letting my creativity take the drawing in whatever way it wanted. This way of interpreting the challenge is something I will continue going forward using it as a creative reset rather than another way for me to disappoint myself. Maybe if you’re finding this too overwhelming or you find yourself dropping out part way through, this might be a way to take part in a less stressful way.
Ok so let’s review… realistically there will always be the societal pressure on each of the seasons but as creatives we need to try and remove this or take control. My main source of creative block is being overly hard on myself, so I need to start taking my own advice and STOP STRESSING! The seasons don’t need to mean anything more than you want them to so as best you can embrace creativity and try and shut out the nagging voices! (Ooo that was a bit preachy)…