ADVENTurous December
A Creative Practice Inspired by Advent Calendars
The holidays are upon us, and Paris is dressed for them. My favorite thing to look at in the fancy shop windows are the Advent calendars. More than the actual contents, I love the artistry and design of the packaging, with each shop outdoing the next.
It got me thinking—and googling—about the history of Advent calendars, because something in them feels connected to the way I approach creative practice.
When I was a kid, Advent calendars were simple cardboard doors with a daily chocolate, piece of candy, or an image with a short message. Less spiritually connected to the advent season, they were mostly a way to count down the days before Christmas.
I love adding doors, windows, and flaps in my visual journals. The advent calendars reminded me why.
I painted some abstract florals and then cut them up to make a door. Underneath is a message. It reads like a pep talk from my inner guidance.
It feels immediately centering to make something so small, and to get a message I didn’t know I needed until I wrote it down.
This experiment became the seed for the ADVENTurous December workshop.
It’s a creative practice built around making one small opening each day and letting whatever message comes through be enough.
It helps you stay connected with yourself and your art without needing much time, space, or energy. Which is perfect for the busy holiday season, or just life in general.
This December is quite full for me, with lots of travel, continued living out of a suitcase, and staying in short-term places while I search for my home in France.
My creative practice needs to be portable and doable. Less is more.
Making one small door with a short message feels like a metaphor for whatever is percolating just below my conscious awareness.
I’m creating something I can’t quite name yet.
This creative practice becomes a way to meet the unknown and enter the mystery without freaking out so much about all the uncertainty.
These doors, for me, are like magic doorways back to myself.
Who knows what I’ll find?
If you want to explore this creative practice with more structure, you can get the ADVENTurous December workshop here.
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