New Beginnings in Lesser Winter
21 December - 4 January
Hello, and thanks for reading my newsletter on art and life, according to the seasons. I use this space to share some of the things I’ve observed, contemplated, enjoyed, and drawn over the past few weeks.
This is my first post of 2026!
The short, wintry days of January can seem a bit bleak once the Christmas decorations come down. Many of us feel a bit of the ‘January Blues’ around now, in this latter half of winter as the festive energy dies down.
In the face of this, I find counting microseasons a rather optimistic way to rethink of this time. We’re entering an exciting time of seasonal change. Slowly but surely the light is once again extending here in the Northern Hemisphere (check out this Sunlight Optimism Calculator if you need a pick-me-up) and - in the UK, at least - the first signs of spring bulbs are peaking through the ground. Give it another couple of weeks and you'll start to see some snowdrops.
The New Year has begun frigid and glorious. We’ve taken some wonderful walks over the holiday, taking in the crisp air and golden winter light.
These times have reminded me how much easier birdwatching is around this time, thanks to the bare branches. We’ll be participating in the Big Garden Bird Watch again this year - likely from the comfort of our own home!
I can’t resist the impulse to think of New Years as a time of making resolutions. I know that these often result in goals unfulfilled, but I find the extended holiday time allows for enough time to step back and recalibrate.
This newsletter, in some ways, began as a resolution. A few years back, my husband and I dubbed 2023 as a ‘Year of Nature’, as we made more of an effort to spend more time appreciating the natural world around us. It was the year that we properly embarked into the world of birding, and I set about bringing my sketchbook along with me on nature walks every microseason.
Life looks a bit different for us now, but the premise is the same - to encourage me to get out, notice things, write about them, draw inspiration from them, and share them here.
This past year has been one of the busiest of my life, and likely the most life-altering. As a result, I think I’ve lost a bit of my momentum, creatively (Though, as a friend reminded me, I was just busy creating life, rather than art!).
I’d like this year to be one of returning to simple goals that refill the creative well. In this vein, I really like how Katie Moody put it in her recent video about developing a sketchbook practice: a habit doesn't just mean doing something every day but the action of coming back when we fall off a bit.
Here are three creative goals in setting myself:
Getting Outside
This is a bit of an over-arching goal for myself - after a more sheltered season in the newborn bubble, I’m remembering how restorative it is get outside everyday. So, I’m setting myself the goal to do just that - even if it’s just a walk around the block.
Reflecting on the Microseasons
I’ll likely open up Lev Parikian’s Light Rains Sometimes Fall again this year - a delightful read about one writer’s observations from his own London neighbourhood during Covid; there’s a short entry every microseason.
I’m going to try and challenge myself to something a bit similar this year, jotting down notes in a newly gifted notebook every microseason, as a fuel for my creative practice.
Opening my Sketchbook Everyday
I want to get back into a habit of keeping my sketchbook near to regularly stretch my creative muscles. It might only be five minutes, and it might not be pretty, but that’s okay!
Some Other Goals…
Reading my Bible more regularly
Drinking more Water
Reading 30 books
Limiting phone time
Making more clothes than I buy
Do you have any creative goals for the year ahead?