Welcome to March

Nature journalling and recuperation 🌿

Welcome to March in The Creative Flock! And hello to all the new people who have joined recently!

I’ve been meaning to try out the audio feature here and as I’m suffering a little with RSI in my fingers through typing, I thought this could be a good opportunity as any.

I enjoy listening to audio versions of posts and sometimes I prefer it to reading, especially when time is limited. I can pop my headphones in and listen while I wash the dishes or when I’m out for a walk.

Let me know what you think, I welcome feedback from the community to help make this space the best it can be for us all. Either comment in this post, or send me a DM (a new Substack feature!)

This month’s theme is..

I had a few different ideas on how to theme this month and settled on nature journals for two reasons; firstly because I’ve been neglecting mine and with spring in the air I’m feeling the pull of the outdoors and the need to observe first-hand what this season has to offer.

Also, I’m feeling burnt out, both emotionally and creatively. A combination of illness last month and juggling too many plates has left me feeling exhausted. Drawing outdoors and from nature is as much a cathartic as a creative process for me, and I’m feeling very much in need of this tonic.

I get such joy from lengthy rambles around my local countryside, not making a huge plan of where I go, letting my legs guide me. It was excursions like this which sparked my creative interest in nature and I would end the journey with a sense of wellbeing and often a few filled pages in my sketchbook.

My aim this month is not to sideline my journal but to give it centre stage - the time it deserves.

Seeing other people’s nature journals brings me a lot of joy and inspiration, some of my current favourites are:

Creative Cocoon

Amy James

Zoe Finney

Emma Cavill

Helen Stark

Wild Crayon Sketching

I’ll be sharing more about my favourite nature-inspired artists this month.

Is there an artist, illustrator or nature journal enthusiast you would like to share? Please drop their details in the comments.

Celebrating a milestone 🥳 

Time has flown since I launched this membership, it’s been 6 months since I put The Creative Flock out in the world and it feels like a second home to me now. I’ve learnt so much in this time, through sharing here and collaborating with others my creative work has come on leaps and bounds.

A huge thank you to everyone who is here and contributing to this community. Whether that’s as a free subscriber, paid subscriber, a follower or if you’ve liked or commented on any of these posts or in our chat threads, it all helps bring this space to life and I couldn’t do it without you.

As an extension of my thanks, I would like to offer you 25% off The Creative Flock membership for a whole year, which works out to a little over £65 a year (or just over £5 a month).

Offer ends 7th March.

Dates for your diary:

As well as our live monthly drawing session, I’m adding two bonus sessions this month which will be available to all members, free and paid. One is a ‘Nature Journal Show & Tell’ where we share a few favourite pages our our nature journals, and the other is a co-working session to work on our portfolios or other creative projects. Dates and times are below, I hope you can join us!

• Live drawing session (paid members) - Tuesday 12th March, 7-8.30pm GMT/ 1-2.30pm CST.

• Nature Journal Show & Tell (Available to all members) Share a few favourite pages from your nature journals. Thursday 21st March, 6-7pm GMT/ 12-1pm CST. Book via Lu.ma here: https://lu.ma/in7kt6t0

• Portfolio Co-working session (Available to all members) My first time hosting a co-working session, I wanted to schedule this in to help keep my portfolio development on track. Monday 25th March, 1-2.15pm GMT/7-8.15am CST. Book via Lu.ma here: https://lu.ma/l9ssdy7r

What else is coming up for members this month:

Sketchbook Share Part 2 - (Paid members)

Following on from part 1 of my sketchbook share series in December, I will be delving back into the pile to bring you part 2. This second part will feature the sketchbooks from 2021 when my development really kicked off and my sketchbook practice became a ‘habit’. 

Paid members can access the first part here:

Sketchbook Share Part 1

By supporting The Creative Flock, you allow me to devote more time and energy to the membership and to my own creative practice. Thank you for your support ❤️

I’m looking forward to a month where I’m gentler on myself and I hope that by April I’ll have recharged my creative batteries.

I love the no-pressure element of joining other artists live drawing sessions, and always have a few pencilled in. This month I’ll be joining in with:

• Emma Carlisle who is exploring portraits this month with a variety of live sessions.

• Introvert Drawing Club with Beth Spencer - Awkward animal portraits - Friday 8th March, 3pm GMT/9am CST

• Co-working on storyboards with Beth Spencer from the Introvert Drawing Club and Sarah Dyer - Thursday 7th March, 3pm GMT/9am.

If you have any recommendations for workshops or drawing sessions this month, including any you are hosting yourself, please pop in the comments below.

As mentioned in my audio recording, I plan to submit to the Folio Society book illustration competition this month. The book is Neil Gaiman’s incredible short story, The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains and you can find entry details on the Folio website. Deadline is 3rd April.

Lastly, keep an eye on the chat threads where I’ll post each Monday (creative intentions) and Friday (sharing good stuff from your week).

There’s a Substack app which is a great way to keep up with content on the go. All members can start new threads here, please feel free to do so and connect with others in the community. 

Looking forward to nature journaling with you this month! 🌿