December in The Creative Flock

Slowing down, getting my 'Craft On' and sharing small ways we can keep our creative spirit going.

Apologies for the delay in sending out this ‘Welcome to the Month’ post - our internet has been on the blink. The telecomms engineer that came to fix the fault is, in my eyes, Santa and all the Saints rolled into one.

Welcome to December! And hello to all the new people who have joined recently, it’s so exciting to see this community growing and I've enjoyed getting to know you in the chat space and during our drawing sessions. 

In this post I explain more about why I set up The Creative Flock and what to expect from me and my posts.

If you have any questions or would like to say ‘hello’, the comments are open!

This months theme is:

Whilst listening to one of my favourite podcasts – As The Season Turns, December 2023 episode from Ffern and Lia Leendertz, I’m reminded of the creatures who slow down their bodies to see themselves through the winter months. Many of these are sleeping or resting right now, underground or under cover, in gardens, woodlands, hedgerows and ponds.

Sketch of a hedgehog, during a wildlife drawing session with PTES.

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Although us humans don’t approach the winter months in exactly the same way, it’s safe to say that the shorter days, drop in temperature and change in weather make us retreat into cosy spaces and yearn for an extra 20 minutes in bed each morning. 

In an ideal world, winter would be a time for us to rest, just like those savvy creatures. But for a lot of us, December means a hectic social calendar, lists, shopping, more lists, increased demands on our time from others and generally less time to ourselves.

We have to find our own ways to fulfil that yearning for quiet and peace - Lia Leendertz.

During this month, our creative practice needn’t suffer. Here are some tried and tested ways I keep myself creative (and sane) during December. 

I’ve discovered over the years that the key is to keep my creative ambitions small and manageable, so I tend to focus on keeping my sketchbook practice going rather than taking on any new or big projects. Some of the ways I keep up with drawing, even when my time is stretched is:

• Reduce the art materials I use so I have to make fewer creative choices to make (share x3 materials challenge)

• Use smaller sketchbooks (A5 or A6 in size) so I’m not overwhelmed by filling a huge blank page.

• Ensure I have a couple of pencil cases around the house, containing an A6 sketchbook and a few basic drawing materials, for when creative inspiration strikes and time allows.

• Plus, I keep another basic supply of a small sketchbook and pencils for the car or in my handbag/pockets when I’m out and about. Some of my favourite sketchbook pages have come from impromptu drawing sessions whilst sitting in the car!

• I keep a folder of photos on my phone titled ‘drawing reference’ and pop in photos I’ve taken which I want to draw from. I tend to draw from these at home in the evening, comfy on the sofa with a TV show on in the background.

• Sketch your friends and family at Christmas gatherings. I rarely get objections from family members if I sit and sketch for 30mins whilst everyone is watching a Christmas movie or dozing on the sofa. Often the kids will want to join in, which is a lovely activity to do together. 

• However you choose to stay creative this month, try to leave perfectionism at the door and keep your creative process fun and simple.

I mentioned that during December I avoid taking on new art challenges or starting big projects. If time allows, I hope to catch up with some drawing session replays that I’ve missed:

Sarah Dyer life drawing session

Emma Carlisle Tonal drawing session

Beth Spencer of The Introvert Club - Fast Faces

Raj Kaur from Designers Who Draw and The Introvert Drawing Club - Colour Workshop

In keeping with our ‘Seasonal slow down’ theme and knowing how busy everyone's schedules are this month, we won’t have a live drawing session, however, there are recorded sessions in the archive that you can catch up on, and for December i’m opening the most recent Bears and Wolves session to all subscribers.

For my paid subscribers, in place of the drawing session, I will film two videos - a drawing time lapse and a sketchbook share. I haven’t shown you my MANY sketchbooks yet, so I'm excited to pull out some favourites to share with you.

Year in Review and 2024 planning

I got into a good habit at the start of this year with writing down weekly and monthly reflections on life, health and creativity, to keep me grounded, on track of goals and help guide me in future planning. 

Making these observations helped me pinpoint areas that needed more attention (for example more rest and sleep or daily exercise) or what had gone well for me and needed a pat on the back for! 

This habit has lapsed slightly whilst finding my feet on Substack and launching The Creative Flock but they were still hugely valuable exercises and I’ll be looking back through all these notes when compiling my 2023 Year in Review. 

I hope to share this annual review and a preview of my 2024 plans with you later in the month.

This photo is making me hungry..

Christmas time is when I get my ‘Craft On’ and spend more time in the kitchen. My husband is the cook in our household but i’ve always enjoyed baking and making desserts for special occasions. As well as mince pies, I plan to make a HUGE Sherry trifle to take to my in-laws whom we’re spending Christmas with, and some homemade chocolates as gifts. 

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Indulging in craft projects can be a lovely creative outlet and perfect family activity (when I can prise my son away from his computer games that is!). We have a yearly tradition of making our own christmas crackers from recycled cardboard tubes and scraps of gift wrap, popping in a cheesy joke and paper crown.

My homemade Christmas cracker with label made by my son

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As well as the crackers, I plan to do snowflake paper cutting from old book proofs. I have a huge box of proofs and I hate throwing them away, but I saw this tutorial and thought it would be a great way to reuse them.

Screenshot of tutorial

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Last year I took part in a brilliant workshop from Studio Funnel and London Drawing Group to sculpt festive dog decorations. I may not have time to make any more of these this year, however I’m reminded I still need to attach a ribbon to my doggy decoration so I can hang it from the tree, instead of perching it on a branch. 

Two of the fantastic dogs made by Emma Kilraine at Studio Funnel.

Keep an eye on LDG announcements as they might share a replay of the workshop or hold another online session with Studio Funnel.

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My biggest craft project this month will be the making of the winter wreath for our door. I don’t make my own every year, sometimes I buy one from our lovely village florist, but this year, I decided to give it a go. I’ve accumulated lots of wreath decorations over the years and the supply of foliage comes from my father in law, who somehow manages to produce a ton of greenery on request. He has an allotment but part of me thinks he makes covert trips to parks and hedgerows, under cover of night with head torch on and secateurs in hand. 

Do you have any Christmas or winter craft traditions?

As well as working through all the seasonal tasks and crafty plans, I’m aiming for liberal amounts of loafing around the house with a glass of mulled wine in one hand and mince pie in the other. Hopefully with Muppet Christmas Carol on in the background.

Did you know, there’s an option to gift a paid subscription?

Whatever you do this weekend, try and take some time to (hide) and sketch!