For much of the year, I thrive on a creative rhythm of quick short inhales with repeated exhales of joy and possibility in our ordinary day. Blogs are posted weekly. Classes are taught spring and fall. Solo art shows are proposed and curated. Requested application deadlines are met for the following year. I take us on hikes, painting trips, studio views of work in progress and this year into the new gallery. Then it is November. The days are short. Winter storms arrive. My internal rhythm shifts. The inhales are longer, deeper and the exhales reveal little to outside world until early spring. This is my restorative time. Social media posts become sparse. I always announce that I am taking a break during this time. I am not though. Not really.
Road to Everyday – 36 X 24 inch oil on canvas by Terrill Welch (available)
What I am doing is diving deep into my own creative well and wandering the trails, reading books, visiting with friends and neighbours and, with few interruptions, covering canvases with paint! This time of year I need this just as the rest of the year there is a steady flow of engagement outward. I know and trust we will all be better for it. Or, at least I will.
So, just so you know, posts of all sorts will be unscheduled from now until early in the new year. They will still happen but on my internal whim rather than a schedule.
What does your winter schedule look like?
© 2017 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.
Creative Potager – Visit with painter and photographer Terrill Welch
From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
For gallery and purchase information about Terrill’s photographs and paintings go to http://terrillwelchartist.com
Creative Potager 
Love this Terrill. Glad to see you are taking some well deserved quieter, restorative time. Me too! I think our bodies naturally crave us to slow this time of year. For most of our lives, we are not able to honor that. I find I go to bed earlier and sleep later. I often turn to creatures in nature as a lead since they have such a profound way of honoring Mother Nature. Even my chickens go to bed now at 4:30 whereas in June they delight in staying up until 10 pm at least. :-)) For me, these next few months will be focusing on quiet too and restorative activities such as oil painting, writing, and book club with friends. Gorgeous painting!!! See you when we see you here. Enjoy your nurturing time.
You too Katherine! 🙂 Such a special time of year. My favourite “island time.”
Terrill — I admire people who intentionally carve out restorative time. Last night I gave my last presentation of the calendar year. In December I look forward to attending a writing and meditation retreat in Joshua Tree, California. I look forward to being offline the entire time.
ROAD TO EVERYDAY — beautiful!
Enjoy Joshua Tree Laurie. Off line breaks are such an important part of modern life.
I think it is very important to give yourself the freedom to follow your own internal needs–especially important to us creatives.
And I too love Road to Everyday.
I think so too Leanne. Been enjoying watching your new puppy sit so attentive with you when a car goes by. So clever this one! 🙂
Wow! This painting sure brings me into it. I almost feel my foot taking the next step on the path. There is a sense of transition from a past space into a new, unknown one. Somehow those tall trees mitigate fear and there is comfort that the way is clear now and will remain so as long as it is needed.
What a wonderful description of your experience viewing this painting Anita! Thank you for taking the time share it with us and welcome to Creative Potager. 🙂
Amazing colors describe winter forest so well. It seems that artwork is representing your mind since it matches. You’d come up with brighter colors in your next artwork, wouldn’t you?
Possibly Feelimn but I do quite often paint in soft hues. I find there is room to breathe into and expand in warm light at the beginnings and ends of a day or during the short winter days. I seem to thrive in these melancholy spaces both with words and paint. Welcome to Creative Potager! 🙂
Awesome. It gives me feeling that you are expanding the size of your world you find everyday. I will peek into it through your painting and words.