Welcome to September: Celebrating Autumn

Audio message for September and what's coming up this month for subscribers and paid members

Hello! And if this is the first post you’re reading, welcome! You may like to read this welcome post which tells you more about the membership and what to expect from being part of The Creative Flock.

Below is my regular monthly audio message.

Head further down the post to see what’s coming up this month for both free and paid subscribers, including the details for our monthly live drawing session which is taking place on Wednesday 18th September at 7-8.30pm. (paid members)

PLUS, I’ll be hosting an extra drawing session this month to celebrate The Creative Flock turning one! 🎂 Details to follow, pop this date in your diary - Thursday 26th September, 7.30-8.30pm BST. (All subscribers)

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All the dates and links for the live sessions are in my new calendar post, updated each month:

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Why Autumn this month?

I’ve always loved this season, and even though it’s only early September when I write this, I can already notice the signs of transition - changes in light, new colours in the trees and the quietening of the garden as flying insects hibernate or become less active.

My thoughts turn to comforting foods and I look forward to the evening we light the fire and toast marshmallows. It’s the perfect season to slow down, gather our thoughts and reflect on the previous months.

So, with autumn on the horizon, I wanted to share my love for this colourful and cosy time of year.

Clockwise from top left: Red Admiral butterfly catching some rays of the early autumn sunshine; Homemade butternut squash soup - this warming meal is on my mind as soon as September comes around; Yellow Fieldcap mushroom; Bounty of pumpkins and squashes from a local farm; Postbox in my village, adorned with a pumpkin themed creation by our local guerilla knitters; firey foilage display in early Autumn

This month’s live drawing session

Wednesday 18th September, 7-8.30 pm BST

We’ll be extending our celebration of autumn to this month’s drawing session. I have a lot of my own photos to use as drawing references, but I’d love to use this session as an opportunity to celebrate what autumn means for you.

Later this week, I’ll share the sign-up link, plus I’ll invite you to upload your photos which encapsulate autumn for you, wherever you are in the world. I’ll select a few of these as photo references to draw from on the day.

One of my sketches from one of our previous drawing sessions

Co-sketching sessions this month.

Following the popularity of these sessions, there’ll be two more this month, open to all subscribers.

I’ve found these one-hour periods of concentrated drawing time so useful and they force me to focus on creativity instead of admin or my ‘to-do’ list. Thank you to Emma Carlisle for introducing me to virtual co-working!

Details are below, sign up via luma.com to get these sessions in your time zone and receive handy email reminders.

All subscribers co-sketching:

Friday 6th September, 10-11am (BST) https://lu.ma/oa0amxrt

Monday 23rd September, 2-3pm (BST) https://lu.ma/38fsu1k0

These co-sketching sessions are not recorded, all participants will be muted on entry, but you are welcome to switch your microphone on at the beginning to share what you plan to use the hour for, or you can use the text chat function.

I look forward to sharing a golden hour of creativity with you! 💛

What else to expect this month:

• Sketchbook Share Part 2 - (Paid members)

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

• Swatching video (All Subscribers). The second in a swatching series of Deep Deep Light Watercolours.

In August, I had planned to share another swatch video of my Deep Deep Light watercolours but the Goldfinches & Cornflowers process video turned out to be a huge project to film and edit so the new swatch video will come this month.

If you are new here, I’ve recently become a brand ambassador for Deep Deep Light watercolours. Unboxing and swatching videos are available to all subscribers:

Unboxing of Deep Deep Light Watercolours

Swatching of 'Deep Forest' Palette, from Deep Deep Light Watercolours

All Creative Flock subscribers receive 10% off at the Deep Deep Light store, and paid members receive 15% off. Subscribe now and the code will be shared to your inbox.

Chat Threads

If you’re unfamiliar with the chat function on Substack, it’s kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I love this space as it’s a great way for us to get to know each other and encourage supportive conversation among The Creative Flock members. Chat works best in the app, but you can join in on desktop too.

I have two threads:

Every Friday: Share Good Stuff from your Week (all members)

At the beginning of each month: Member Chat. (paid members). This is a creative chat thread for paid members to dip into at any time during the month. It can be used to chat with the Creative Flock community, drop in recommendations, ask me questions, or share creative highs or woes. This is the link to Septembers’s member chat:

Do you look forward to autumn as much as me? If so, what’s your favourite thing about this season?