the creative minimalist

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Myth, truth and creativity at Christmas

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It is said to never begin with an apology. I would like to apologise for this Northern Hemisphere-centric post. Hopefully, no one noticed that.

Some have recently celebrated Yule, others are preparing for Christmas, and there may be some who have just celebrated Saturnalia. Recently there was Hanukkah, and before that Diwali. Oh well, in for a penny, I once again apologise for any other recently celebrated festivals I may have missed.

A common thread here is light. And in the next day or so, many in the UK, will be celebrating Christmas, just after the Mid-winter solstice and just before the New Year.

Watch or read on…

Myth and legend

At this time I think about what was real, what actually happened.

What are the facts? A quick look at Christmas can reveal some interesting things. No donkey is mentioned in the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth… and, I am afraid to let you know… there isn’t even a stable. And as for the date? What may or may not have happened has been… let’s be nice here, embellished.

If the facts around Christmas have been elaborated to make a nice tidy celebration, can we find more meaning in the pre-Christian traditions? Was Christmas just a synchronistic replacement of the ancient ways?

There might be some or even a lot of truth in that, but to be honest there is very little evidence as to what were the ancient ways. Most of our knowledge has been built on myth and legend by modern-day sages.

The point here is that many, or in fact, most of our traditions are built on myth and legend… but, does that make them any less relevant?

Fact and truth

Even a quick and cursory look reveals that most of our Winter Festivals are based on… well, winter. Or more precisely, mid-winter. There is continuity with the season, with beliefs and with traditions:

  • It gets darker
  • We miss the light
  • We call upon the light to return.
  • We wait for rebirth and new life.
  • We celebrate what has been and wait for the blessings of the new.
  • From the Christ child to pantheons, or to simply good intentions and peace for all.

A Creative Blessing

But what has this to do with creativity? I relate to seasonal times and changes and cycles. And have my own rituals… myths and legends attached to them. During this dormant and dark and even frozen time, how can I prepare creatively?

  • I can plan a way ahead.
  • I can clear the dead leaves.
  • I can celebrate what I have made.
  • I can call upon creative inspiration to bring light to future projects.

Whatever your beliefs and rituals, may this time bring creative peace and joy to you.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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Creative accidents Friday Field Notes

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brilliantly big hope art journal page
fig 1 brilliantly big hope – art journal page

Time for a Friday Field Note report from The Creative Minimalist. It seems I have found some creative inspiration. By some, I mean quite a lot. At times, it has felt like one idea has led to another and then another. I am quite certain that creativity breeds creativity. As I began to note what has been happening this past week or so, I realised that my creative cup was very much overflowing.

But there have been consequences. I don’t want you to think that the week’s creative adventure has been painless.

Injuries

blister on my little finger coffee injury
fig 2 coffee injury

Coffee is an essential part of my creative process. However, carrying my French press and cup to the creative studio led to a nasty blister on my little finger. I didn’t realise the cup was so hot until my knuckle began to swell. If you are of a nervous disposition, you might not want to look at the picture on the left… I suppose I should have said this above the picture… sorry.

Songs and music

Seeing my little keyboard in the picture above leads me to report on my music progress. I have four songs that are coming together nicely. The lyrics are almost finished. The latest song is a reworking of a tune from many, many years back (yes, when I had hair). I have been pencilling in and then inking in the lyrics as they begin to work. I will work out how to share some audio snippets for future field note reports, but meanwhile, fig 3 shows you how I work on lyrics in my Music Grimoire journal.

work in progress your touch lyrics in my songwriting journal
fig 3 your touch lyrics from the music grimoire

ATCs and art journal pages

art trading cards
fig 4 ATCs

fig 1 at the top of this field note report shows a journal page that I created. I am not a painter or fine art artist, I do enjoy playing with mixed media and creating abstract shapes. Recently, I have been inspired by Dianne Fago’s ATCs. So, I pulled out the inks and some good watercolour paper and had a play. So far, the results are interesting, but the main reason for doing them is to learn and have fun. It is so easy for me to forget to play. fig 4 shows a selection of the ATCs I have been working on.

But there have been accidents along the way. In addition to my coffee injury, I had an ink spill. It could have been a lot worse. I am so grateful that it didn’t fall onto any of my electrical equipment.

ink spill on my desk
fig 5 the desktop ink spill

Dianne and Darren Discuss

To finish off, here’s a link to our latest discussion video. In it, we talk about creativity and the process, and you’ll see that we’ve both been quite creative in recent weeks.

I’ll be back with another Friday field note report soon, until then, may you find inspiration and may your creations bring you and others joy.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

Discussing inspiration with Dianne

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I had the privilege of discussing inspiration with Dianne Fago(YouTube)  @dianne.fago.art (Instagram). In another of our creative discussions, we look at where inspiration comes from and what to do when it arrives. We’re doing more of these vlog chats, so if you have anything you’d like us to discuss, let us know in the comments here or on the YouTube video (just click the Watch on YouTube link.)

Discussing motivation with Dianne

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Had the privilege of discussing motivation, or our current lack of it, with Dianne Fago (YouTube) @dianne.fago.art (Instagram). We’ve been having these sorts of creative discussions for a while and thought it might be of interest to press record and share them with a wider audience. We’re planning on doing a few more so if you have anything you’d like us to chat about, let us know in the comments here or on the YouTube video (just click the Watch on YouTube link.)