February Round-up
Discover the best of February in The Creative Flock + studio highlights
https://thecreativeflock.substack.com/p/welcome-to-february-tiny-worlds
Hello and if this is the first post you’re reading, welcome! I share these posts with all subscribers at the end of each month, It’s a lovely way to highlight all the things we’ve done in the membership and share some behind-the-scenes snippets from my studio*.
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February: Exploring Tiny Worlds
This month in the membership, we explored the theme of Tiny Worlds, and I’ve enjoyed delving into this topic, exploring its creative possibilities, and reflecting on why miniature spaces are so captivating.
Childhood play and imagination
As I explored this theme, I found myself reminiscing about the miniature worlds that fascinated me in childhood. I was transported back to days spent playing with my Disney Magic Kingdom castle, where I would be absorbed into an imaginary world with my toy figurines, or watching The Borrowers, one of my favourite TV shows as a child, based on the classic book by Mary Norton. There was always something enchanting about these self-contained little spaces, filled with endless possibilities for imaginary play.
The Comfort of Small Spaces
I’ve pondered on why are so many of us drawn to tiny worlds. What is it about the miniature that sparks such joy in adults as well as children? Part of the answer, I think, lies in the sense of control they offer. In a world that can often feel overwhelming, there is something soothing in being able to craft a space where everything fits, where nothing feels too vast or uncontrollable.
Even as adults, many of us are still drawn to these small-scale spaces, whether it’s through the collection of vintage dollhouses, intricate LEGO sets, or model figures. In a busy, modern world, these tiny universes provide us with a way to escape from the everyday.
Creative Challenges and New Discoveries
Miniature worlds provide us with an intimate, manageable universe, where we can arrange, create, and tell stories on our terms. For this reason, one of my favourite prompts this month was creating a story from a photograph, a challenge that pushed me to think more deeply about storytelling. Writing has always been something I want to do more of, and this exercise was a wonderful opportunity to flex those creative muscles.
My research into vintage dollhouses sent me spiralling into a delightful rabbit hole on Pinterest, uncovering beautifully detailed, hand-crafted miniatures that felt like entire worlds unto themselves. Along the way, I also stumbled upon fascinating articles about artists and philosophers who have explored the importance of miniatures, not only for their cultural or historical significance as objects but as a way of understanding ourselves1. These perspectives helped me see the theme in a new light, expanding my appreciation beyond aesthetics and nostalgia.
All the prompts are available to Creative Flock members:
What Did You Discover?
If you participated in this month’s prompts or took on the 1x1-inch challenge, I’d love to hear about your experience! Did anything surprising come up for you? Did you find yourself drawn to certain aspects of miniature worlds more than others?
Share your thoughts, reflections, and any tiny worlds that inspired you this month!
Small Drawing Challenge
Thank you to
for taking part in the 1x1-inch challenge this month and sharing her whole set of drawings! I love the detail you’ve captured, the sense of place you’ve brought across and all the joyful moments in nature. It’s such a wonderful collection!You can also find Vivien on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/violetteminto/
Notes that caught my attention…
- Garden Bliss sharing this natural, living sculpture 💚‘Under the Surface’ drawing session with Creative Cocoon Art Club.
We had a wonderfully chilled drawing session, in collaboration with La Scarlatte in her Creative Cocoon Art Club. It was themed ‘Under the Surface’ and featured creatures and plants that live, hibernate or emerge from under the earth’s surface or from cocoons.
Thank you to everyone who made the live and to Pauline for the collab 😊 Replay link is below, if you would like to share your work, please use this chat thread.
Some of the artists who joined have kindly allowed me to share their work here, I love seeing how everyone has approached the same photos and how differently we tackled them, I learn a lot from this!
A trip to London!
One of the highlights of this month was meeting up with
in London. We visited Cornellisson & Son’s Art shop, went for lunch followed by cocktails in The Coral Rooms and then headed to The British Museum where we met with the lovely ! We went straight to the Grecian exhibits and spent over an hour sketching and chatting, it was bliss and I could have happily stayed longer if the museum wasn’t about to close 😆I plan to put together a little video sharing the sketching materials I packed for my trip vs what I used and also a video sharing my art shop purchases.
Co-Sketching sessions
We had two more co-sketching sessions this month, thank you to those who came along!
I wouldn't have created these drawings had I not blocked out that time, that’s what’s so good about co-working, it holds you accountable. Thank you to Emma Carlisle for introducing me to these!
There’ll be two more free co-sketching sessions in March, available to all subscribers and I’ll share details in my Welcome to March post, which is coming next. Subscribe to stay updated.
Nature highlights from my neck of the woods…
Below: my first buff-tailed bumblebee sighting of the year, making the most of the early spring crocuses! Watch (or listen) until the end for a sweet little buzzz…
Below: A rare sighting of a Sparrowhawk in my garden, just a few feet from my studio window! At first, I thought it was a Merlin, but on closer inspection, it seems more likely to be a Sparrowhawk. Very excited to see this beautiful bird in my garden though. Watch out pigeons!
Studio snippets..
I’ve been working on my latest mini-concertina sketchbook, gradually filling it with all the special things I’ve noticed in the garden and out on walks.
I attended one of
excellent animal life drawing sessions, this time we sketched from live wildlife cameras. My son joined in too, he’s grown in confidence with his sketches, and loves to use my marker pens! Check out the date and themes for Holly’s upcoming sessions here: https://www.hollysurplice.co.uk/sessions
As mentioned in my welcome post this month, I’ve recently started a mentoring programme with Jo Henley which is fairly intense and uses up a lot of my (limited) brain power! 🙃 It’s been a real journey of discovery so far and I’m learning a lot about myself and my work. I hope to share more of the work I’m doing with Jo over the coming months.
I hope you enjoyed this round-up! I’ll be announcing the theme for March in my next post.
As always, thank you for your support here.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13269.The_Poetics_of_Space?from_search=true
https://toy.photography/2017/02/13/why-miniatures-part-2/?amp=1
https://www.guernicamag.com/the_infinite_in_the_infinitesi/
https://aestheticamagazine.com/infinity-in-miniature/
Thanks so much for the mention Emma 🥰
Ah, thank you! I enjoyed doing such small work - your prompts were really fun to try 😍