A Creative Reset {#2}

Above: An Autumnal collection with little sketches inspired by the season.

Hello dear friend and welcome to this little corner of mine (within the Substack platform) which is where I will be exploring my own Creative Connection with Nature and sharing little snippets of inspiration for you to explore your own.

I am a Mixed Media Artist and most of my time here will be spent sharing the little arty ways I weave nature into my art practice. I wrote a little welcome post here if you would like a little background.

Above: Time in the labyrinth barefoot at the foot of the mountains at Ghost Ranch, Arizona. Photo by Ashley Fincham of A Global Walk

There are so many other creative ways to connect with our beautiful natural world and some of these may also find their way into my writing here.

Creative connection can also be discovered through cooking, gardening, crafting, making botanical potions, teas and tinctures and so much more… even spending time photographing the beauty we find outside can spark a creative path.

Above: A few different ways to weave nature into art

What are some of the creative ways you currently connect with nature?

Are there practices you would like to carve into your day?

I would love to know, so please comment below.

Rest and Reset

I have been giving myself a little rest and reset time whilst back in the UK. For the last year now, I have been splitting my time between Spain and the UK and am still in the process of settling into this new way of life. It is a wonderful opportunity to seek out the best of both places, but the challenge has been switching gears (as so to speak) into a specific routine each time I change my environment. Something I hope that nature can help me with.

Above: Autumn leaf on my beach in Spain.

So this last month or so, I decided to step away from social media a little, take myself on a wellness weekend, get back to my daily walks (many in the rain!) tidying up the garden area around my new UK Garden Studio (huge undertaking!) to make a veggie and flower garden to flourish for 2025. And…. seek out ways I can connect myself back to the natural world no matter where I may be.

Above: A Harvest Heart at the Verve Festival in Wiltshire, UK.

Whenever I feel a creative block, nature always guides me on a new path. Not only can we connect with the healing energy it provides us, it is a constant true friend, full of inspiration for our creative practice. I have gotten a little lost with my creativity of late, so this is the beginnings of that path through the forrest of trees, helping me find my way back. Reconnecting with the love of writing in a blog format (that’s here!) and connecting with you. So thank you so much for being here.

Lets slow down and connect

This October, and we are soon to be in November…..as the leaves are turning here in the UK, days become shorter and flowers turn to seed, lets slow down and spend some time observing nature and capturing its beauty in a creative way. Below are some of the ways I plan on beginning my journey back over the comings months into Winter and I hope they inspire you also.

Please do also comment with some of your own ideas and activities which help you connect back to nature. This is just a starter list of 10…

1. Morning walks, spending as much time walking through natural areas as possible.

2. Really take time to observe nature around me as I go about my day.

3. Savour the changing season, the rain on my face and the wind in my hair. What sounds, smells and atmospheres are being created by nature.

4. Picking up nature and creating little collections. (Something I always loved to do and want to return to).

5. Using my collections as a jumping off point to sketch and create.

6. Press my collection to preserve and use in art later on

7. Identifying natural items I can make things from… (thinking Rose Hips at this moment!)

8. Gather flowers, leaves, and other natural elements, to create prints to use in art or collages later on.

9. Gardening! This is my current project - to create a new area next to my art studio in the UK, full of veggies and flowers for 2025.

10. Writing. Something I am so happy to be sharing here on Substack. Taking my time to flex my writing muscles again and using the inspiration found in nature to do so.

11. BONUS for October! I just signed up to these 52 Creative Classes (many inspired by nature!) for only $75. I am also offering a Clay Botanical Class as part of the Bundle offering! Maybe I will see you there. This offer is only until October 29, 2024.

Above: Making a Creative Meditation for myself whilst raking up the leaves in the garden (for the compost bin!).

I am so thankful to be embarking on this journey.

Above: Although not real flowers, I wanted to bring an element of being in nature into my studio in the UK. I painted the walls blue and I feel a sense of peace and calm, even on those days that are dark and stormy!

This is my UK sanctuary in the garden, where the birds sing, the winds blow and this time next year, I envision a thriving area full of veggies, flowers and creativity abound! I’ll share the state of the garden soon!

Above: Finding a peaceful moment in nature. Photo taken by Ashley Fincham of A Global Walk at Ghost Ranch, Arizona.

Thanks again for reading (or listening) along.