Finding inspiration & filling up the creative cup

A bunch of positive things I’m doing for my creativity

Hello everyone, and welcome. How are you doing?

This post is essentially a collection of good things that I’ve been doing / feeling inspired by as we head into autumn.

I’d also love to hear how you navigate quieter creative times, and what you do to fill your own cup back up.

Later in the post I share some thoughts which I am currently navigating (after all, no-one’s road is bump-free, and it’s important to share this transparently, as well as our successes).

With the natural turn of the season, and the close of my painting project ‘connecting to the coast’ as well as a series of 70+ illustrations for a book all about the seasons, I’ve been taking a break & breath from focused making - something which for me always ebbs and flows.

Like exercise, after an intense spurt of energy comes a bit of rest, and right now, this is where I’m at. Kind of like a fallow period.

When I’m here, feeling quieter on creative energy, I like (and need) to take time to fill the cup back up. So here’s a bunch of positive things I’m doing to top it up again!

I wrote a little bit about creative cycles in this post ‘meandering paths’ if you’d like to find out more.

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Ample Mulling Time

So, the first thing I’ve been doing is taking the pressure off painting. It can feel pretty tricky to relinquish the brushes, but for me this is good to do, so that I come back to them full of ideas. It took me a while to accept the fact that I am not a painter that paints every single day (for a while, I didn’t think I could be a real artist unless I did this). For me, space makes me a better painter, or a happier one at least.

Photo from a trip to Orkney this month

Saying No to shoe-horning extra projects in

As a freelance creative person, it is very hard to say no to opportunities. Most of the time, we have to take the work that comes our way, and it’s usually feast or famine. Up until now, I have always said yes to everything, and figured out a way to cram it in. This has definitely been helpful for quickly trying lots of things out, and keeping enough work flowing in. But it has been at the detriment of having free time, time with friends, and headspace. This month, it’s been possible to turn down a few things (for the first time ever I think) and that is feeling scary but good. It’s in these moments I feel very grateful that my creative practice has many strands to it, and that I can (in a work sense) lean in to the other areas of my business to bring money in, while my painting creativity gets the rest it needs.

An illustration of ‘The Wheel of the Year’ I made for a recently published book about connecting to the seasons through creativity. The trees are all positioned seasonally too, a little bit of nerdy nature love for you!

Blowing the cobwebs away

If you are a reader here then it’s unsurprising to you that getting outside with my sketchbooks is something I love to do! I’ve certainly blown away the cobwebs with my sketching trips as I’ve been travelling for work, and I’m sharing one of these windy sketch trips in an upcoming youtube video - Stay tuned! After these sketch sessions I’ve been braving the cold for a swim, and the combination of sketch’n’swim is one I highly recommend.

A sketch on Orkney

Reading (not just buying more books)

Anyone else guilty of buying loads of books and not reading them? I’m a slow reader so tend to lean towards audio books, but love the feeling of holding a physical book in my hand. I also love buying books. This month I’ve been reading a book about women walker-writers, which explores how walking impacted their lives, wellbeing, creativity and independence. Each chapter is independent, which helps me dip in and out of it, and actually lead to more reading.

Making in different ways & rekindling a love of crafts

I love working with my hands in lots of ways, and this month I’ve picked up crochet again. Here’s my progress so far! I’ve also bought a sewing pattern for a new project, probably starting next month when I’ve decided on the right fabric for it. (Any sewers made this one before / got any good recommendations for online fabric stores in uk / eu send them my way! 🧵) There’s something so relaxing about following a pattern; something still creative, but with most of the decisions made for me, just to follow the steps.

crochet progress, colour combo inspired by fishing ropes & boats

Practicing on my longboard

I am so so happy I started learning. I love the way the movement feels when I finally get enough speed to roll for a few minutes. I am a total beginner, and that feels in this instance, really fun.

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Transparency about bumpy roads

So, you’ve heard the list of lovely things I’ve been making time and space for outside of work / painting. (It’s also worth mentioning that I have time to fit these things in my life around work, as a person with a partner, two cats and my health, in my mid/late twenties.)

I thought it was also worth balancing that with other things that tend to arise when I’m not knee-deep in a project. These thoughts always come alongside filling my cup back up, and maybe you find these things happen for you too - if so, I hope talking helps normalise it a little 💫

There are two things that often arise when I am between projects in my art. The first thing I find is the sense of being untethered. It is a little bit exciting, a little bit nerve-inducing or uneasy. It’s something I am definitely managing and am pretty fine with, but it’s there, none the less. It’s almost like ideas are simmering under a film, but haven’t revealed themselves quite yet. I know they are there though, and that brings me comfort.

The other thing that I’ve been navigating is comparison; and not with other people, but with myself. When there is less focus on creating, there is more space for other thoughts, and sometimes this is when judgement rears it’s head. Right now I am wondering if what I create will be as good as work I made before, and if I am improving or staying still in my own art progression. These thoughts will be here for every stage of artist no matter how many years we practice, I know. I just wanted to mention it, as I know I talk a lot about finding ease in my own art practice, but it’s not without it’s worries too. When they can be managed, I think these worries can be funnelled towards helpful critique, and actually make my own art better. Right now, I’m at the stage of sifting through and managing these thoughts. I wonder where they will take me next.

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As always, thank you so much for reading and being part of this creative journey. I would love to know how you navigate your own bumpy creative road, or how you fill your cup creatively!

I’m hosting a free workshop on my Patreon The Outdoor Sketchbook Collective. In the session, we’ll be exploring gestural & expressive landscape sketches with mixed media. This session will be about simplifying reference images, drawing with ease and making some playful & confident marks & lines in a loose way!

You can get access to the event when you register as a free member on my page. Register for the event & more info here:

Best,

Orla