Into the Forest
You can’t fill your creative well by staring at the bucket.
This past week, I was drained. Convocation season at work wrapped me in a whirlwind of people, noise, and long days. I kept thinking I should draw, should create, should be making the most of my tiny slivers of time. But when I finally sat at my art desk, the well was dry. I had nothing to give, not a single spark of inspiration
So I stopped trying to make something and went for a hike instead.
We wandered through the mountains, up toward waterfalls. I let my brain go quiet while my feet crunched along the trail. There was cold spray from the falls, the tiniest bird I’ve ever seen, and a lot of glacier lilies. Slowly, quietly, the well started to fill again.
Not with finished ideas. Not with “content.” Just with life.
Creativity doesn’t come from nowhere
We sometimes forget that making art isn’t just about putting pen to paper or brush to canvas. It’s about translating what we’ve seen, heard, touched, felt. And if we haven’t been seeing or feeling much lately, because we’ve been stuck at a desk or endlessly doom-scrolling, it makes sense that the inspiration and ideas dry up.
You don’t get inspiration from forcing it.
You get it by living, then noticing.
How I refill the well
Here are a few small ways I’ve been reminding myself to re-engage with the world:
Get outside – Walks, hikes, bike rides, road trips. Let the sun touch your skin and recharge you like a solar cell.
Touch textures – Bark. River stones. Dandelion fluff. Grass. Your cat. Real life is full of sensory surprises.
Let your brain wander – No podcasts. No input from your phone. No pressure to be productive. Just let your thoughts go where they want to. Being plugged in depletes your imagination
Notice the little moments – Squirrels racing each other up trees. Mushrooms growing on a log. A particularly sassy magpie. These are the seeds of stories.
And then, I draw
Not because I forced myself to, but because I wanted to again.
So if your creative well feels empty, maybe the best thing you can do isn’t to push harder. Maybe it’s time to go outside. Sit under a tree. Let your senses take the lead.
The art will come. But first, you have to live.
~Kathleen
Possessed by Goats (fueled by sunshine and caffeine)
(ps. the store is now open if you are looking for a sticker - or two)