Creative Fuel Anna Brones, Gale Straub

We all have our creative seasons. Times when we are in energetic modes of inspiration and production, and times when we are slower, softer, more introspective. As we enter into winter, we talk with writer Katherine May about how we can find a little more meaning in this season.

Let the abundance of light infuse your creative process. We're entering a new season, and in tandem with the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere - Anna shares a special Summer Solstice Meditation to inspire play, curiosity and, of course, creativity.

Solstices and equinoxes mark a seasonal shift, a change in what’s happening around us. But what does this mean for our creativity? This bonus episode is a short reflection on what the winter season means for our creative process, and is a call to contemplate what creative rest and regeneration can look like in this slower, quieter season.

In a darker, slower season, our bodies crave rest. Yet all around us, it feels like society wants us to speed up. This time of year can be particularly difficult for working artists, and whether or not we make a living from our creative pursuits, we can often feel the need for a slower pace. But in the midst of systemic forces, how do we take care of ourselves? Artist Antoinette Thomas and Outdoor Journal Tour founder, wellness leader and author Kenya Jackson-Saulters help us to better understand the forces that we’re up against, and what we can do when to slow down and to pause.

Writer Cheryl Strayed draws some thoughtful parallels between grief and a creative state.

When Cheryl Strayed was 22 she lost her mother to lung cancer, and words became a way to carry her through. In this episode, with the help of Dr. Girija Kaimal, the current president of the American Art Therapy Association, we explore how creativity can serve as a tool for helping us grapple with those moments in life when things feel unstable and unknown.