“… a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares, long, long, forgotten.”
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol.
The end of the year is galloping towards us. I’m not ready for it, although I am also longing for a rest. But I have one last event left in me before I go off and climb into a hammock with a glass of festive bubbly, so…
Don’t forget to sign up:
Using Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as a theme, I am going to be facilitating a conversation about where 2022 has left us and where we are headed in 2023.
No, you do not have to have read the book. Just bring your imagination, a willingness to reflect and engage in some quiet nerdy fun in Seasonal Spirits: The Hopes, Joys, and Cares of 2022.
As subscribers to this Substack, you get to come along for FREE. This is my Christmas gift to you.
9 or 10 December
Different timeslots for you to choose from
Online via Zoom.
And check this page out for listings of other creative events and opportunities.
Painting of the month:
I came across the lovely image above by Ukrainian artist Lyubov Panchenko, and thought that, with its Madonna-type imagery and doves, it would make a nice Christmas-themed image for this month.
I then did a little research into Panchenko and discovered, to my horror, that she had died this year during the Russian occupation of Bucha. It is thought that the starvation arising out of the occupation played a part in her death. You can read more about her here and, if you’re on Twitter, here.
Creative Prompt
So, in tribute to the Ukrainians and their resistance to the Russian invasion I thought that I would use another Ukrainian artist as the inspiration for this month’s creative prompt.
Polina Rayko, 1928-2004, covered her house with paintings in the style of Ukrainian folk art. Her walls are festooned with colourful images of people, angels, flowers, and decorations. She started painting at the age of 69 as a way to process grief over the deaths of family members and the criminality of her son.
I first came across mention of Polina in the tweets of writer and art historian Anne Louise Avery (who creates beautiful Christmas advent tweets, by the way. If you’re on Twitter, you should check them out.). She wrote:
“Here is Polina, who bought cheap paint with her pension, & sang and cried as she worked - transmuting her pain with every single brushstroke.”
So, my question to you is:
What creative activity can you pour yourself into when you need to? What facilitates or elicits emotional outpouring, reflexivity, playfulness, or whatever else you need? Why?
Supplementary question: If you had a little house that you could do anything to – cover it with paintings or transform it in some other way – what would you do?
Incoming:
A reminder that I’m going to be sending through extra creative prompts for you to mull over while you’re on holiday. Expect to get a daily email from the 2 – 8 January 2023. I hope you enjoy them.
Otherwise, apart from the paid subscribers who will be getting their regular fortnightly creative prompts…
You won’t be hearing from me until the end of the month. So…
And if you are looking for Christmas gift ideas, why not give a gift subscription to this Substack. Paid subscribers get hefty discounts and / or free tickets to my workshops plus a creative prompt every fortnight as well as this monthly newsletter.
Thank you for reading!
If you like what I do, here are some ways you could support me:
Tell your friends; share on social media
Make a one-off donation on Ko-Fi
Check out my website – maybe I can support you, as well, through a mentoring appointment or one of my resources in my online shop
Keep on reading! I so appreciate your subscribing and reading these emails.
Thank you for a great letter x have a lovely holiday time 😘