How to use the seasons to unleash your creativity
That smell of spring, the heat of summer, the crunch of autumn and the cosiness of winter…see it, smell it, feel it: they’re constantly affecting you psychologically and emotionally.
Wherever you are in the world, the seasons take us all on a natural journey through the year, and treat us to all kinds of environmental changes. Some enjoy subtle adjustments, other areas experience total extremes.
Beautiful colours as the seasons change
Even huge marketing campaigns are anchored around seasonal wording and imagery, noticing that “People respond strongly to changes in the season and to upcoming holidays.”
But why? Why do the seasons have such power over our mental and emotional systems?
Well there are several reasons.
Throughout childhood we begin developing associations to particular holidays and traditions: For example, we might associate summer with family vacations and trips to the beach.
We are also affected by the change in weather too. “colder temperatures reduced negative mental health outcomes while hotter temperatures increased them”.
You can even be affected by the change in light as the days get darker, in extreme cases experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
It is not uncommon for people to experience seasonal fluctuation in moods. You may have noticed how a gray, rainy day makes you feel gloomy and tired, while a sunny day can leave you feeling cheerful and energized.
Recharging your mental health in the sun
So how do we use these powerful changes in the seasons to give us a creative charge?
Well, for me, Calligraphy and the seasons go hand in hand (or pen in hand in hand!).
Spring: new beginnings bring new ideas, lots of perfect floral components, and a wealth of weddings, birthdays and anniversaries alongside a natural creative instinct.
Spring colour wash with brush pen calligraphy “Spring”
Summer: time to grow your calligraphy, trying out different styles and sharing designs with friends, being more social, bringing in more colours and learning lots of lessons (mistakes are good!).
Summer colour wash with brush pen calligraphy “Summer”
Autumn: a perfect moment to harvest the styles and learnings you’ve practiced over the summer. Bringing a more grounded practice and started to focus on developing a more consistent technique. Bringing in blending and shading with a warm, earthy palette for a lovely autumnal feel.
Autumn colour wash with brush pen calligraphy “Autumn”
Winter: Christmas bells are ringing and whether you are celebrating or not, cards of thanks and year end gifts and goodies are all good options to create and plan your calligraphy designs for a personal touch, from tags, wrapping, personalising and more!
Winter colour wash with brush pen calligraphy “Winter”
What have I used to create these, you ask?
These Pentel ‘New Trend Colour’ Brush Pens are amazing for calligraphy and the black Pentel Brush Sign Pen is my go-to for nearly all my brush script work.
On watercolour postcards, I’ve used black for the writing on top of the brush pen colours to create a background wash. Here’s how:
Scribble random colour pen marks to fill the center of the postcard.
With a very wet brush wash over the marks so they blend and soften.
Once dry, write the season, or your word of choice, over the top.
See where the seasons take you, join me for a workshop and kick-start your creativity with calligraphy.
Ready to try calligraphy? Grab your free worksheets and tutorial here.