Nurturing Creativity in Winter
Simple Rituals for a More Creative Season
I have always been surrounded by creative people.
My siblings draw so beautifully it almost feels unreal and my mum has this magical way of turning everything she touches into gold.
For a long time, I simply observed.
Creativity was around me, like a natural language spoken at home.
It’s only later that I began to explore it in my own way, quietly, curiously, without really knowing where it would lead.
To me, creativity can live in almost everything we do.
And that makes it even more beautiful.
I truly believe it’s something we can nurture.
Even if we think we are “not creative”, we can start anyway.
Try.
Try again.
Make something that feels a little awkward.
And slowly, without even noticing, we begin to find our own way.
Winter, with its long cold and rainy days, feels like the perfect season for that.
A quiet excuse to stay inside and create.
Here is how I try to nourish my creativity during the winter months.
Maybe it will inspire you to explore yours.
🎨 I let myself experiment
Sometimes I buy blank white canvases from Søstrene Grene and simply wait.
I like knowing they are there, ready for a day when I wake up with an idea.
I add plaster to create texture. I try oil painting (after watching a few tutorials first). I glue dried flowers and tiny pieces of gold leaf without much of a plan. Sometimes it turns out… not very beautiful. Sometimes a little better.
But I love the act of continuing. Of trying again.
Maybe one day I’ll share a piece that I truly love.
✍🏼 I write
Working on my blog has become one of my favorite creative rituals.
Each week, I dedicate a few quiet hours to writing. I rarely know what I’m going to write about when I begin. And then, slowly, the words come.
It feels like opening a small door and letting emotions flow in a softer way.
📷 I take photos
I capture small moments : light on a table, a warm drink, winter shadows, and I usually upload them to Pinterest afterwards.
I don’t know much about photography and I sometimes think it would be lovely to take a small class or join a masterclass one day. But I love it as a creative tool.
It teaches me to notice beauty in simple things.
🍰 I cook
Since the beginning of this year, I’ve started opening cookbooks I had bought… and never actually used. I try recipes. I experiment. And when something truly works, I write it down in my little notebook.
Cooking feels like a very grounding form of creativity : simple, sensory and generous.
💌 I write letters by hand
I love imagining the feeling of someone receiving a handwritten letter.
The texture of the paper. The slowness of ink.
And I adore using wax seals to close them. It’s such a simple detail, yet it changes everything.
It makes the act feel intentional, almost ceremonial.
✨ I try new activities
Paint & sip evenings. Making my own jewelry. Small workshops with friends.
I love these moments ; first because you create memories together and second because you often discover something you never thought you would enjoy.
🌿 And I walk
Walking might not sound creative, but it’s probably the activity that inspires me the most.
Listening to a podcast, sitting on a long bus ride, going to the cinema.. these are often the moments when ideas appear quietly.
But walking outside is my number one.
Nature inspires me endlessly. A color in the sky. The shape of a tree. Light reflecting on water.
It feels like it clears a path inside my mind, making space for new ideas to grow.
Creativity doesn’t have to be loud or impressive.
It can be small. Imperfect. Quiet.
And maybe winter, in its stillness, is simply inviting us to explore it a little more.
