When Life Slows You Down: Creativity, Stillnes and the Return to What Matters

Sometimes life presses pause for us — abruptly, inconveniently, and in a way we never asked for. Over the past month, that’s exactly what happened to me. My body made the decision long before my mind caught up, insisting on rest, silence, and space.

At first I resisted. I had plans, momentum, enthusiasm. But as the days shifted into quiet routines — sleep, meditation, slow walks, and more sleep — something began to change. I started to see that this forced stillness wasn’t a setback. It was information.

Listening When the Body Speaks

What I don’t often talk about publicly is that I live with chronic illness. Four years ago, after many years of unexplained pain and symptoms, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I’m fortunate: medication helps, and most days I move through life without major limitations.

But I don’t tolerate stress or toxic environments well — and over time, that catches up with me. This autumn, it did. I hit the wall, hard. Not because I’m weak or unaware, but because I’m stubborn. I keep going long after I should pause, and sometimes my body has to speak in a volume I can’t ignore.

October and November became a month of retreat, reflection, and healing. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t productive.

But slowly, quietly, something hopeful returned: energy, clarity, and a softness I had been missing.

A Different Kind of Clarity

When life slows us down, we start to see what’s actually sustainable — and what isn’t. We notice what truly matters, which rhythms feel right, and what we can gently release.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had to recalibrate my life, and I doubt it will be the last. I’ve come to believe that reassessing our choices is not failure; it’s part of living consciously. What once served us may no longer fit, and the courage lies in noticing the shift.

In these weeks of stillness, my inner voice became sharper. And with that clarity came something else: the essence of what I need to express as an artist. I’m reminded again and again that my creativity depends on solitude, calm, and deep presence. Without that balance, my mind overheats — full of ideas but unable to turn any of them into reality.

Returning to my sketchbook has been my way back. The soft lines, the organic forms, the quiet moments of drawing… they always reconnect me to myself.

Focusing on One Thing — The 2026 Art Calendar

With limited energy, I had to choose carefully where to place it. So I focused on one project — a project I’ve been pouring myself into since June: the 2026 Art Calendar.

And now it’s finished.

This hand-illustrated wall calendar features twelve months of artwork inspired by nature’s rhythms, shifting light, and the everyday beauty we often overlook. Each page carries traces of the influences I love — Art Nouveau’s graceful lines and the Arts & Crafts movement’s devotion to craftsmanship and beauty in ordinary life.

A joyful couple of Art Nouveau inspired sunflowers for the month of June

My intention was simple: to create something slow, thoughtful, tactile. Something that invites you to breathe, to plan gently, to let each month meet you with presence.

Printed on beautiful cardstock with plenty of writing space, it’s made to be lived with — in your kitchen, your studio, your hallway. And when the year is over, the illustrations continue their life as art prints.

A Year of Beauty and Intention

More than anything, this calendar represents the rhythm I want to live by: intentional, creative, humane. A reminder that even in seasons of difficulty, something beautiful can still unfold — quietly, patiently, in its own time.

If you’d like to bring that feeling into your own year, you’ll find the calendar available now.

Buy the calendar