A seasonal creative review

Why do I think this is important?

Welcome to my wee corner of Substack. I am a seasonal artist living on the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. I am the custodian of approximately two acres of land that includes a woodland, a meadow and my wee garden. I offer a seasonal book arts project for paid subscribers if you are interested and you can read more about that HERE. Grab a cuppa and lets delve into our relationship with the shifting seasons….

For me, this time of year is the perfect time to look back in order to go forward. I do this as one methodology to resist creative overwhelm taking hold of me. In a busy world, where there is so much inspiration, it can be easy to become overwhelmed and this, in turn, brings its own level of creative stress. I like to avoid that. With my Patreon group we have been looking at the process of creating seasonal affirmations as a way of deepening the connection between our creativity and the seasons. Personally, I find seasonal affirmations easier to manage that year long statements. I make affirmations as a way of grounding me with a strong sense of creative intent and these affirmations help to keep me on track.

I have long since fused the process of creating affirmations with a creative process as a way of investing in these affirmations. I discovered that this method allows me to settle these affirmations in the front of my creative mind allowing for easy access. I begin the process by looking back through my art journal pages in search of something that I can hook onto. If I don’t find a creative hook I take my word for the season and create a new art journal page but this is much less likely to happen. I have found that the creative hooks are there somewhere in my previous work. I use my art journal pages but any creative outcomes have the opportunity to offer up a creative hook. It is all in the looking. By looking closely at all the elements of the piece before you you often see things you didn’t notice when you were creating the piece in the first place.

In this art journal page I had already received some useful wisdom at the time but the cleansing nature of the page had stayed with me. When I chose the word ‘cleanse’ as my word going forward I was naturally drawn back. It is in this place that I discover the new. However, it is not brand new. It is a newness that comes with seeing through older eyes and, thus, it is connected to something that is already deep within me and that is important. One of the most important aims of any creative is to find their own unique creative voice. This sort of exercise helps with that process. I like to think of it as a beautiful piece of yarn connecting all our creative pieces together with the intention of weaving our own unique creative voice into the world we inhabit.

From this orginal art journal page I discovered some new words that I believed sat alongside the key word of cleanse. These words then become the fodder for my affirmations. I always record my affirmations on tags so I can hang them somewhere or insert them into a wee handmade book. This continues the process of investing in this creative process and gives far more depth to the affirmations that are the result of this process.

In my mind, I can’t get to this point without the investment. With practice, it is relatively easy to create affirmations but I found they weren’t grounded in my creative soul and I soon forgot all about them as I went off chasing the next creative idea that had popped up in my world. With this reflective and creative investment I deliver myself affirmations that really connect with where I am at that time and support my authentic and unique creative voice. From that comes a sense of self belief. I have learnt to back myself.

It all starts with the looking back and I have come to realise just how important that is for me. It has become a cornerstone of my teaching practice as well as myself as an artist. So, I wonder how it might work for you? Might it be useful to look back at previous work and see what you can discover? That might be a painting, a piece of writing, a collage, a weaving or whatever you have produced that you instinctively feel can offer up more thinking for you. I am, of course, a huge fan of art journaling but that is just one of my creative outlets. That said, it is the one that offers up the most creative fodder when I am in reflective mode. In art journaling it is not uncommon for a page to hold a message or two that you only detect at some point in the future. My work is seasonal so I naturally look back at pages completed in the same season but in an earlier year. I am using 2025 to share some of my art journal pages in order to unpack further the process.

It is in the reflection that we hold onto our unique creative voice and, over time, go on to strengthen it. That has to be worth a lot in a busy world where there are more creative rabbit holes to fall down than we could possibly count. I like the quietness that comes with this reflection and find January to be one of my favourite months to do this sort of work. I hope this piece is helpful.

Until next time.

Fiona x

You might also like the following pieces that relate to art journaling -

Seasonal Journaling

Exploring seasonal ideas

January Journaling