Creativity in Hibernation

Looks & sounds like . . .

I’m here with my feet planted firmly in the post-holidays northern winter. It’s still the middle of Yule season (which, fyi, lasts until January 31); one that carries energies of rest, rumination, reflection, and survival.

The dormancy of this season is needed to nurture and recover from the wounds of the past year. The cozier you can make it for yourself, the better. It can be tapped into as a sensory experience, as described beautifully by Meik Wiking about the Danish feeling of ‘hygge’:

“Hygge mainly has to do with
the absence of sounds,
which enables you to hear
even very quiet noises,
such as raindrops on the roof,
wind blowing outside the window,
the sound of trees waving in the wind,
or the creaks of wooden planks that yield when you walk on them.
Also, the sounds of a person
drawing, cooking, or knitting
could be hyggelig.
The sound of thunder can be very hyggeligt
if you are inside and feel safe.”

(from ‘The Little Book of Hygge’)

Letting your main mode of creativity have some rest can be vital to its life-cycle; the dormancy allowing it to gather its energy back again. It’s not time yet to begin new projects, but to live on all the work we harvested from the past year. To reflect, by hearth-light, on how it went.

R E F L E C T :
How did my projects over the past year turn out?

R E S T :
What needs more time to stay dormant awhile longer before it gets renewed?

S U R V I V E :
What are the minimum requirements of my creative work right now?

Even though most of us will be working this month, I’m doing my best to keep things as minimal as possible. Creating in un-plugged bubbles. Reading real books. Baking. Catching the sunlight. Getting ready to learn how to sew.
(Isn’t it refreshingly contrary to all the New Year hype we get at this time?)

Happy hibernation, from my hidey-hole to yours,

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This post is brought to you by my book A COZY WINTER DAY 💛

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