Returning to Creativity
What I've been reflecting on lately
Hey there, I hope you’re doing well! For this post, I’ll talk about what a healthy, realistic creative practice looks like.
My current theme for reflection is: Returning to Creativity. 🎨
“Returning to Creativity” resonates deeply with me. During the pandemic, I made a conscious decision to step back from my regular art-making routine. Like many, I had to find ways to distract myself or simply do the bare minimum to get by. As we adapted to the “new normal” in these post-pandemic times, I gained a broader perspective on what my artistic practice truly means to me.
The pandemic was challenging.
I’m still healing from the burnout I got from the past few years. To recover from the extreme isolation, I discovered what helped me:
Writing in a journal for 10 mins every day. Not stopping until the timer was done.
Taking long baths + creating a bathing routine inspired by Japanese bathing rituals.
I made quick sketches and thumbnails (instead of my usual extra intricate art pieces)—one step to keep moving vs. having an “all-or-nothing” mindset.
Before the pandemic, I realized I was trying out so many different things that led to an ultra-fast-paced spinning wheel of business to nowhere. The lockdown, though challenging for everyone, thankfully provided me with pockets of time to reflect, which still is an active process today.
Coming out of the pandemic, I feel refreshed now. All that time and reflection gave me the energy to restart things - all while grounding myself amidst many new changes that can overwhelm people, especially creatives who need a safe space.
New ideas guide me through new possibilities.
How are you Returning to Creativity?
Here’s a frame design you can download. If it suits you, you can:
Create a word bank of what your year’s theme means to you.
Draw your self-portrait actively doing an activity/being in a place that translates a “return to creativity.”
Though this month was a tough one (developing one of the worst seasonal allergies I had), I’m looking forward to continuing to care for myself for the rest of the year and slowly easing into projects I have not dared to take on lately.
Let’s make the most out of the times and marinate in those feelings and thoughts (Also, I’d love to see your frame designs. Send them in a reply or via an IG DM.)
Happy Spring!
Love and light,
Clarisse
