Creativity in Late-Autumn

Seasonal Creativity Contd...

Oct 31, 2024

It’s been really enjoyable to track the creative energies this year, following along with the Celtic/pagan Wheel of the Year’s marking of the 4 seasons and their mid-points. It’s nice to feel into and acknowledge creative shifts as they’re happening, and while each year will be unique and varied, there have definitely been subtle shifts that I think would have normally gone unnoticed.

We’ve hit the second-to-last of the 8 seasonal holidays/seasons, and it’s a fun one. This autumn-winter midpoint was celebrated by the ancient Celtics around Oct 31st with the fire-festival of Samhain (a tricky pronunciation; ‘SAH-WIN’), Gaelic for 'summer’s end’.

At this time, the last of the year’s harvest was gathered and preparations were made for the earth’s rest until the next growing season in spring.

There are neat parallel themes to Beltane in the Spring (which our So. Hem friends are celebrating now!), when the veil between living and dead is believed to be at its thinnest. Passed loved ones are communed with and celebrated, and to ward off potential evil and mischievous spirits, Celts carved scary faces onto turnips and put a burning coal or candle inside to display in windows and doorsteps (the early origins of the Jack-O-lantern).

There’s also a particular seasonal energy of chaos that reigns at this time. I have been very much feeling this, trying to juggle current work projects amidst the launch for my new book ‘A Cozy Winter Day’ (yay!), amidst the general end-of-the-year frenzy that comes in the fall.

So, to work with this seasonal energy in the studio, try treating the next 6-7 weeks as a Creative Whac-A-Mole:

Embrace the chaos - and catch as catch can. Look at projects for loose ends to tie up, and give yourself time for catching up.
Let sh*t go – drop some balls, skip out on some things, don’t try to do it all.
Have some fun! – busy weeks and months suck the joy from creative work, and the best antidote to this is to lean into some art that’s just for play. Create a bubble of time to pull out some non-work supplies, play some music, and mess around. OR, just embrace the creative play happening outside the studio with decorating, pumpkin carving, costume-partying, and feasting.

Alternately, if you’re feeling more into the sacred side of things:

Connect with creative mentors who have passed – appreciate their art works, read memoirs or books they’ve written, listen to or read old interviews. Reflect on how their work has influenced you. Light a candle for them to say ‘thanks’.

Thanks for having a seasonal creative break here with me, Happy Late-Autumn to you!

p.s. and a Very Happy Birthday to my spooky love, Adam.

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