Embracing Our Natural Cycles of Creativity

This article is part one of a three part series. See part 2: Rest vs. Resistance and part 3: How to Embrace Rest in Your Creative Practice

At the beginning of the year I psyched myself up to set goals around the belief that it was going to be another big creative push year, not knowing that I was moving into somewhat of a hibernation phase where my creative energy would hit a low point and the little I did have I'd spend in different ways than I imagined.

Not painting as consistently has stirred up a nagging inner voice that I've had to wrestle with to get to a place of clarity, acceptance, and ease. And I'm going to share some of that insight here because I know it will be helpful for you too (even if you find yourself with a super high creative output right now).

As creatives we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to always be on and actively operating in our craft, to constantly be creating (thank you, social media). But that’s not Nature’s design and it shouldn’t be ours either. Just as nature swings in and out of seasons so gracefully (I don’t think Spring gets emotionally hung up when Summer comes knocking at the door) we need to give ourselves permission to swing in and out of seasons of creating and not-creating, because it’s just that – a short season in the hopefully expansive timeline of our lives here on Earth.

When we are in a creative push phase that spark of inspiration moves through us into our creation so effortlessly and our creative output is high. But the not-creating phase looks like a pause, it looks like rest and recalibration and our creative output is much lower — this is a time when that internal well of inspiration needs to be replenished (and there are so many ways to refill it).

To be super clear: in a season of "not-creating" you are still engaging with creativity, but doing so in shorter bursts or in different ways than you'd consider your norm. For example, painting is my normal expression of creativity, but in this season I'm focusing on illustration and copywriting.

Your social media doesn't have to suffer when you're in the not-creating. Post about what inspires you, who you are, and most importantly – reuse and repurpose old content!

Here are some signs that you might be in a season of winter in your Creative Practice, you might:

have a louder inner critical voice than normal

feel drained of ideas and inspiration (and feel depleted in general)

not be making time to get into your studio (and that's ok!)

feel a little jealous of other creative's success

comparison is stealing all your joy

you find yourself doom scrolling more than usual

If you resonate with one or more of those things you might be in a season where you need to give yourself permission to rest, recalibrate, and soak up new inspiration. Remember, its just a season and this "dry spell" won't last forever.

Here are some simple things you can do to help yourself adjust to a season of Rest:

Let yourself rest. If you find yourself in a fall or winter season of creativity, you probably got here because you were doing to much, carrying too much, holding space for too much. So nows the time to cut back on activities and slow down. Give yourself permission to just be. If even reading this makes you feel uncomfortable start slow, try resting for just one day.

Revisit your goals or intentions you set at the beginning of the year and make some adjustments to take the pressure off

Focus on inspiration gathering: make a list of the people, places, and things, that fill your cup and then do those things

Set some gentle boundaries around your social media time

Talk to a compassionate friend

Be extra intentional about nourishing yourself: hydrate, move your body, eat whole foods, feel the sunlight on your skin, prioritize sleep (because we both know you're not getting enough)

Try playing with a new creative medium that feels totally different than your norm

Collaborate with someone on a creative project, big or small

A beautiful collaboration I worked on during my season of low creative output. A hand painted polymer clay jewelry collection with Kelli from @helloteddyco

Being in a season of low creative energy and output feels completely antithetical to the life path of an artist, but this is where a mindset reframe needs to come into play. We are not meant to always be "on" – while there's something to be said about being disciplined in your practice – I'd like to suggest that embracing your natural cycles of creative rest will only amplify and strengthen you and your work.

The tricky thing is that you don't know what season you're in until you're smack dab in the middle of it. So save this post for when you need it, and if you need it now, sending you solidarity vibes, my friend.

This article is part one of a three part series. See part 2: Rest vs. Resistance and part 3: How to Embrace Rest in Your Creative Practice

p.s. check out my art here

This article was written in May 2023