Small Seasonal Creativity

A chance to 'refresh.'

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…..

Summer is my time to work small. The island gets very busy and I tend to retreat to my home and garden in search of small moments of inspiration away from the crowds. For me, ‘quiet’ goes hand in hand with slow and I love searching out this restoring moments. Working on small creative projects has the capacity to calm the mind as they often require a higher level of concentration. Folding, cutting, stitching and painting in small spaces ensures we engage at, often, a higher level. So, I would highly recommend working on some small projects in the long summer days.

Let’s start really simply. I make batches of gift tags in the summer as a way to ‘refresh’ my creative brain and remove any unintentional barriers. Each tag is unique and I then store them away for when they are needed.

I also make tags as the start of a new creative story using words. I often look back at the photo above as these were made during lockdown times. They tell their own story. I keep a corner of my desk for small resources that inspire me and refresh this corner as the summer unfolds.

I can then extract resources as I need to and replace with new small things. I have always loved corners. Of course, summer is the time for flower pressing but I also gather leaves and preserve them first in a glycerine solution before drying and pressing. I noticed the first changes in the leaves in my garden yesterday and got all excited! Using tiny stamps can create small narratives that I create in concertina books.

Tiny stamped references ripple through the books suggesting how folk might use the pages as their season unfolds. Sometimes giving folk a creative prompt can be helpful. I have long since lost count of how many small books have been carefully boxed up and sent to new homes.

Today, in the studio I am working on a small collection of meandering journals made by folding and cutting. The photo below is of some I made a few summers ago adding in sentiments for folk to explore. The work today sees me working with recreated images as part of my ‘Lost World’ collection which will be released in September. I never tire of making these wee books.

For all the joy these projects bring there is one that rises to the top in the summer. Taking a cup of tea and my stitching out to the garden is, perhaps, one of my favourite ways to creatively decompress. Stitching small projects, including wee brooches, seems to soothe my soul and settle me. If you have never stitched an ‘Inchie’ that is to be recommended. Cut a piece of base fabric 1 inch by 1 inch and then start stitching on top. I like to layer my fabrics and finish with beads, a button or a charm. Joyful.

I wonder if you have favourite small moments of creativity perfect for the summer?