Creativity and Changing Seasons | An Update

I often think of blogging when the seasons change.

Or creativity of any kind, really. I think it’s the anticipation of all the seasonal things that sparks something in my brain that wants to create and capture and put words on a page somehow.

The shift from spring to summer is no different. I’ve had ideas for blog posts throughout winter and spring, but the lack of actually writing and posting them has more to do with time. Life has been busy, it’s been months of change and reconfiguring routines after a move, and when I’ve been creating, it has mostly been focused on stories (not complaining though!). And as for social media, I’m usually posting on Instagram more than anywhere else, and as I was thinking about blogging lately I was realizing it’s been a while since I’ve given a proper writing update here.

So here we are!

In April, I finished the second draft of Project Golden Ticket, which I don’t think I’ve really talked about much here. It’s a rom-com adjacent contemporary, about exes who end up on a road trip together, and it has been such a fun thing to write. It’s a different dynamic than I usually write, but I fell in love with the characters and their story, and it was the perfect sort of project to find joy in writing again too.

I’m not sure what any future plans for Project Golden Ticket may be, but at the moment it is currently with my writing group for reading and feedback. I also have notes from my mom’s reading of it a few weeks ago, and it’s been fun to have someone else’s perspective on a story that has really only existed in my brain and my computer for months. Eventually, I’d like to think of a proper title for it, and I’m also looking forward to jumping into edits based on feedback.

In the meantime, I’ve been dabbling. I drafted a little sidequest short story about the Project Golden Ticket characters, and poked at some other short fiction I wrote last year. I’ve been brainstorming an ensemble story that I first wrote in 2014; the new version is aged up and has a little bit of a different vibe than the initial idea, but it’s a good project to dabble in. Whether there’s enough substance for it to become a viable project, it’s too early to tell, but for now, it’s good for just staying in the habit of creating.

I’ve also been itching to write speculative fiction again, but struggling. Those characters and stories are quieter in my brain, not quite tangible enough for me to figure out, or ready to be anything more than a scene or a clip of dialogue or an aesthetic. Some of them I have the story for—they’re just not working when I try to turn them into words on a page yet.

So it’s a very weird season to be in, as far as that goes.

Aside from writing, I’ve been trying to embrace creativity in other ways. I’ve picked up embroidery again, hoping to add a little something to or salvage some older clothing items. My most recently completed project was a T-shirt inspired by Project Hail Mary. Next up, I have some shorts that I’m hoping to add some cute little details like stars or flowers to.

I’ve also been keeping a bullet journal as a planner for the year, and I enjoy the process of setting up each month’s pages and making them look cute and fun. This month’s theme is inspired by space, in honor of Space Girl Summer. Journaling in general is a good creative outlet, especially when you get to add stickers and cute stationery to the mix!

And that’s what creativity has been lately! 

How about you? Where are you finding inspiration? What does creativity look like for you?