A Healing Winter Haven

Writing as creative self-care amidst the storm

Hello again readers! 👋

We made it through the first 10 days of January… 😅

How has 2025 been treating you so far?

Kindly and gently, I hope.

Photo by Rachel Kelli on Unsplash

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Hi, I’m Holly - certified coach, Breathworks mindfulness facilitator and author of Zestful Zen. I write about wellbeing, self-care, personal growth, mindfulness, creativity and purpose. My mission is helping you to lead a more mindful, meaningful life, full of zest and energy, complemented by a calm, zen mind. Join the supportive Zestful Zen community today. 💖✨

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A refuge in the storm

❌ As I shared in last week’s essay, my gentle holiday plans were blown up by bereavement. Sometimes, life just sucks! 👎

✅ But I kept one commitment to myself (belatedly), joining Beth Kempton’s Winter Writing Sanctuary. ✍️

I’d signed up back in November, largely out of curiosity, without expectations. I’m new to this writing malarky and had only done essays and factual pieces, not “creative writing” as such, but still creating, as I see it.

So I figured, why not do something a bit different over the holidays, hopefully boost my creativity a bit while having fun alongside lots of other lovely people.

Of course when the course rolled around, my circumstances were very different and I wasn’t sure I had time for something so “frivolous” among all the admin that needed doing.

I’m so glad I dove in anyway. Yes, I joined a few days late and had to catch up, but it was just the break from reality I needed: a genuinely warm and gentle haven.

Beginner’s mind

So what did I get from this 10 day programme?

As I said, I’m new to writing, and I came to the Sanctuary with a beginner’s mind: approaching the exercises with curiosity and openness.

Each lesson got my creative juices flowing as I followed Beth’s prompts. I learned (and created) things even when I misunderstood the instructions! 😆

The variety of prompts and techniques introduced were beneficial to understanding what “a writer’s life” could look like.

And what I found even more interesting was what resonated with me.

For some exercises, themes, or types of writing there was instant appeal and I was straight into flow. For others, I had to park it for a day and then come back when a spark of inspiration arrived. We all have our own preferences. 💖

I discovered that:

• Dialogue is NOT my thing - surprising for someone often described as a chatterbox.

• It’s lucky I have no aspirations to write a novel, as it turns out I feel pretty meh about fiction too. It didn’t fire up my imagination.

• Yet I’m even worse at writing memories! They’re all blurred into one.

• But unsurprisingly, anything involving nature struck a chord.

• And I actually enjoyed writing poetry (without too many rules anyway…) This was a big surprise to me, as I didn’t like poetry at school.

I also noticed that I often felt more inspired by the “daily sparks” (poetry and prose readings to get us thinking; a single word might inspire me) than the formal exercises.

I guess I have a harder time getting my imagination going when the activity is more prescribed. Something that I want to reflect on in slower time and see if this changes if I revisit the exercises in say, six months.

And for the live writing workshop, good old imposter syndrome reared its head when I heard others sharing their work. Lots of “oh wow, they’re a proper writer, that’s so eloquent!”

Baby steps Holly.

Sharing is caring, after all

Beth encouraged us all to put something out there in the world, that we’d created during the Sanctuary.

So despite the lingering comparisonitis, eeeeek, here goes…

A trio of winter haiku

Bois de la Cambre, Brussels, Belgium. Photo by author, Holly Bailie

             柊
Scarlet feathers flit
To vermillion berries.
Robin on holly.

                氷
Golden lights shimmer.
A flickering black mirror,
Frozen lakeside view.

                  木
Bare branches reach out
As if cold gnarly knuckles.
Winter whispers, “rest”.

Time to put my bungee chord on

Well that was scary! 😱

But hey, sharing my very nascent poetry is another opportunity for me to take imperfect action with a leap outside my comfort zone, so bring it ON!

And in that spirit, here’s a longer poem. 🫣

North Down coastline. Photo by author, Holly Bailie

Coastal homecoming

Waves lap at my toes, tentatively peeking.
A pitter-patter of bubbles,
Ebbing and flowing.
Nature as gentle meditation.

Then, crash! A jarring roar.
Brute force of pounding water,
A foam monster surges.
Dragging, sucking the pebbles,
Click-clacking loudly as they tumble seawards.

The tang of slimy kelp carries on the blustery winds.
Making my nose wrinkle,
As I edge away
From the glistening brown sheets
Driven by ocean currents to this Irish cove.

This place of memories. And feelings.
Spontaneous recollections of times gone by.
Mother Nature’s sensory stimulation whispering,
“Remember, you and I.”

Questions for self-reflection or journalling ✍️

• What could you bring a beginner’s mind to?

• What gets your imagination firing?

• When did you last try a new creative practice? What could you try next?

• What are you scared to put out into the world? Why?

Now take action 🎯

• Pause and reflect on how creativity fits in your life right now.

• Consider if there’s anything new you’d like to try.

• Put some time on your calendar, or maybe sign up for a class with a friend.

• Remember you don’t have to be “a creative”, we can all be creative in our own way.

• Have fun! There’s no right or wrong with creativity and you can do what you like.

• Be creative for creativity’s sake: no judging your outputs, enjoy the experience.

Share your perspective ✨

I’d love to hear your thoughts on creativity and writing. What sparks your imagination? What holds you back? Do you have any creations to share with the Zestful Zen community?

Let’s have a conversation in the comments or subscriber chat. 💬

P.S. If you’d like to dive more deeply into self-reflection, upgrade to a paid subscription to join me for Gentle January Journalling.

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Ways to connect or work with me 💬

DM me, jump in the subscriber chat, or connect via my website, LinkedIn or Instagram 😁 I offer coaching sessions and mindfulness courses.

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