Make Time for Your Art in 2025! ⏳
by newsletter writer Jenna Duxbury
The shortest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere typically falls on either December 21st or 22nd. It's also known as the Winter Solstice, and it's the point at which this side of the planet has tilted as far away from the sun as it will get during the course of the year. This means that on December 21st, we had the longest night that we'll experience all year - and even though it's getting dark so early these days, we're already gaining the light back in little increments every day as the Northern Hemisphere begins to tilt back toward the sun. Winter may be cold, but the days are already getting longer, which means that beneath the Earth's surface, so much is gestating and getting ready to come to life in just a few short months.
Sometimes it can be hard to tell in our creative lives whether we're tilting toward or away from the sun of inspiration, creativity, and vitality. Creative expression doesn't always follow a regular cyclical pattern, and there may be seasons when your field of inspiration lies fallow while your focus shifts toward other areas. As artists, we are constantly navigating the tension between cultural expectations for hyper-productivity and our natural rhythms of creativity.
I spent some time with this textile piece by Trudy Thomson called "Sunscapes" that was published in our
latest issue, IV.III. Is the sun rising or setting on different parts of the mountain shapes?
Does this vast range of colorful hues exist in the same moment of time or space?
Here are some ideas for making the most of your precious time at the start of 2025:
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Determine your top priorities. The empty calendar page is yours to spoil with dreams & duties, but don't rush to fill it up. By selecting just one or two things that you know for sure you want to focus on at the beginning of the year, you can intentionally leave space for other projects or obligations that may pop up as time progresses.
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Set limits on your schedule. Let's say you have an area in your living space that is crammed with junk and needs a good cleaning. If you set aside just half an hour to work on that with no distractions, you can make some progress, even if you can't finish the whole thing at once. By deciding how to spend your time (rather than just committing to the task, regardless of how long it takes), you can get a sense of how much time you'll actually need to complete it and where you can fit that into the bigger picture of your schedule. This idea can be applied to your creative work as well!
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Build in time for self-care & creativity. When we get busy with work and life admin, it can be easy to deprioritize important things like exercise, meal prep, socializing, cleaning, and other critical routines. Making art may fall into this category for you. Perhaps now, before the year begins, you can schedule some dedicated time to spend writing, sketching, composing, dancing, painting, building, creating.
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Try something new. It is always good to try new things, and the beginning of a new calendar year is a great time to do so! Giving yourself permission to experiment with something new can be liberating for the mind & invigorating for the spirit.
Happy new year, and good luck in 2025!
Our latest release, IV.III
Read issue IV.III for FREE on our homepage: https://carolina-muse.com. We still have a limited number of print copies available only at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts in Greenville, SC!
All our past issues are available to download & devour on the Archive page of our website.
V.I arrives on February 8th, 2025!
We can hardly believe that Carolina Muse is entering into its fifth year of publication. Thank you, dear readers & creators, for supporting our indie operation by submitting your work and sharing our issues with friends & family. Our team is hard at work preparing volume V, issue I for release on 2.8.2025! Be sure to join us on Instagram that morning as we interview featured creators from each art form👀
🧣 Carolina Arts Events in January
Murrells Inlet, SC - Nights of a Thousand Candles - January 1st-4th
Columbia, SC - Wild Lights at Riverbank Zoo - January 2nd-5th, 8th-12th
Aiken, SC - Carolina Country Music Awards - January 8th
Asheville, NC - Yonder Mountain String Band - January 10th
Wilmington, NC - Tift Merritt in Concert at CAM - January 16th
Raleigh, NC - Intro to Screen Printing Workshop at NCMA - January 18th
Greensboro, NC - Aretha: A Tribute - January 18th
Pickens, SC - Winter Bluegrass Jubilee - January 18th
Charleston, SC - The Shark is Broken (play) - January 18th-February 8th
Asheville, NC - Jeeves Saves the Day (play) - January 22nd - February 16th
Do you know of a fantastic arts event happening soon in your area? Tag us on social media and let us know so we can help spread the word!
As always, we appreciate your feedback and are receptive to your thoughts & ideas. Please email us or DM us on social media to share.
Welcome to Our Monthly Musings
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Here's the lowdown: We have creative arts advice for all artistic mediums, local Carolina arts events, and creative inspiration from our talented team. See you next month!
WRITTEN BY
Jenna Duxbury
EDITED BY
Madison Foster