A Slow, Calm New Year + The First Twelve Days. (Podcast #17)

Well hello January, hello 2026 and hello to you dear listener and reader!This podcast is Episode #17 on the listening list and it includes a link to your FREE Big Dreams, Small Wonders Planner download and ways I approach the first 12 days of the year for a calmer start to 2026. I hope this episode inspires you to slowly enter into the new year and connect more deeply to yourself.If you would like to take part in some calm coloring for the month, you can also download a FREE January Coloring page here.Welcome to A Creative Connection with Nature and this little corner of mine in the online world with me, Louise Gale.I am a Mixed Media Artist and most of my time here will be spent sharing the little creative ways I weave nature into my art practice. I will also be exploring and sharing little snippets of inspiration for you to explore your own.Read the full blog post at louisegale.substack.comSo, it’s been a few months since my last podcast and I am thinking that I may change my schedule up in 2026 to publish the audios every quarter. I’ll still be sending out studio update emails and inspiration your way every month, but the actual podcasts will be once every few months with a bigger, chattier update! I thought this approach may be a lovely way for me to keep you in the loop if you prefer my audios and for me to introduce a slower schedule as the audio versions do take up more time on the computer for me. So for 2026, I will offer the podcasts in January, April, July and October. Of course, I may change my mind, but for now, that is what I am thinking.So what will January and 2026 bring for you?I spent the second half of the December holidays in Spain this year. It was quieter and calmer than previous years and we had some wonderfully sunny days so we could get out for beach walks and time in nature which was wonderful and refreshing! Mornings, looking to the sea and walks with the winter sun.Above: A beautiful sunrise view from my art studio in SpainAs the new year sinks in, I plan to return to my morning ritual of going down to the beach at sunrise and easing back into a regular yoga practice. I have been thinking about how I can invite a more simple living approach to my days with less time on the computer and more time in nature and creativity.I have felt an overwhelming desire to give myself permission for more quiet, tranquil time in nature and not rush into a new year with long ‘to do lists’ and things I feel I ‘have to do’ and already I feel a calmness in my day.I am a typical creative person, where I tend to take on far too many projects at once and want to experience everything! So like last year, I really want to try and focus on 1-2 arty projects for the year and slow things down. Above: Many of my Gilded Letters laid out (available on Etsy here). I just have a few to design for the complete alphabet.Studio News and Updates!One ´to do´ I do have on my list is to start a rather radical decluttering of my Spanish home and art studio. January is perfect for this and I also like to approach it like giving my life a Spring Clean - My Spring Clean Your Life class here is on sale this month, so if you want to dive into Spring Cleaning your Home and Life to invite abundance in for 2026, this class is a game changer! It is also creative as we create a journal for the journey, so below are just a few of the worksheets I offer in class.My Spanish place is teeny tiny and has hardly any storage, so it can start to feel overwhelming after a while! I am here for 3 weeks this month, so this will be my focus. I always feel much better after a good declutter!I do have several ´stuffed´ cupboards of art supplies, so I want to go through these and look at what I can use or re-purpose AND… I know I have some reference materials I want to find for some creative projects for this year.I am also getting ready to return back to Thailand for the month of February and most of March. This is time I gift myself to just be and also a magical time where I really go inward to discover where I want to be creatively in the year ahead.Above: Inspiration I gathered from my time in ThailandLast year, I captured some of the natural beauty you find in Thailand, drawing and creating with the gorgeous Frangipani flower (one of my favorites) and this year, I would love to work on something whilst I am away.I have been longing to return back to some embroidery, so I am going to be combining my love of nature with the love of stitching intuitively to create this year…. I am just thinking on a project I can focus on! I know I want to work on something that takes some time, is mobile so I can work on it here, in my UK studio and in Thailand! So… I am thinking about making small stitched pieces inspired by my 100 day project (from a few years ago) to eventually create a throw for my bed here in Spain. Above: Some samples of embroidery inspired by nature from my Embroidery class HEREBelow are just a few of the drawings/paintings from my 100 day project where I focused on botanical Motifs, so I am inspired to go back to some of these and turn them into embroidered pieces. A lovely project by the pool, in my studio garden in the UK and to take with me on my walks or transport to work on as and when.I may even join the 100 Day project again this year once I know when it is starting which I hope is Feb! If not, I will begin myself. Maybe you have an idea for a 100 day project this year? Here is a link to a post & video about some tips, following the 2018 project where I created my Botanical Motifs.Below is a piccie of me from my EP10: Embroidered Botanical Motifs and Mandalas class HERE Where I created some of my motifs and mandalas with embroidery silk, so I am going to build upon that for sure!I also used to sell hand made books/journals on Etsy (over 10 years ago!), so I may even revisit this too. Below is a little peek into one I sold.So, I think this is going to be my way of forging a deeper connection with nature and creativity in 2026!Grab Your FREE Big Dreams, Small Wonders Workbook and PlannerDo you know its over 15 years since I’ve been offering this FREE pdf to you all! Amazing to think about that!I will be spending some time over the coming days, reflecting on all the good experiences I had in 2025 and working through the ‘Reflect and Celebrate’ module of my Big Dreams, Small Wonders Program. All of my Dream Life classes (and more) are on sale at the moment HEREThese `Reflect and Celebrate’ worksheets are also included in my *FREE Big Dreams, Small Wonders 2026 Workbook and Planner HERE. A peek below. * if you would like to offer something…..* The pdf is FREE, but you can also add your own price if you’d like to offer something small or a tip. :-) * If you enjoy my freebies and offerings, I also accept a little tip to buy a cup of coffee HERE. I love a Cafe Americano and an Almond Croissant (for a naughty treat!)I’ll be focusing on scoping those out as I work through my ‘Big Dreams, Small Wonders‘ online class this month. There is still time to join us in class HERE for the special ‘Your Amazing Year’ discount and enroll in class with 30% off! Or get all 3 of my Dream Life Classes with 50% off in the Bundle here.What are your Intentions for the year ahead?Your New Year’s intention may be as straightforward as spending an hour doing something you love every day, to get more creative, or maybe to change some aspects of your lifestyle. You might want to think of your New Year’s intention as a type of New Year’s resolution, but from a place of self-care and gratitude, rather than a thing you feel you must do.When I started working through my ‘Big Dreams, Small Wonders’ process over 15 years ago, one of my favorite books was ‘The Joy of Ritual” by Barbara Biziou. I was also fortunate to attend a workshop with Barbara in New York, so the following has stayed with me ever since.....Barbara says that the first twelve days of January are the most important for the year ahead, each day representing the months of the year. So the 1st is January, 2nd is February and so on… “By practicing loving kindness, openness and generosity, while giving thoughtful attention to the significance of each day, you will consecrate the coming year.”How are you spending these first twelve days?My Word of the Year: One of my journal pages from my Big Dreams, Small Wonders class.I think that sometimes, we rush into the first week or so of January, enthusiastic for the new year and I have found that taking this time to go slow, reflect, notice and acknowledge is one of the greatest things to do to set ourselves up for an amazing year ahead.Other practices I also like to take part in during this time are:* Closing off the previous year, which means being thankful for what has passed and celebrate accomplishments.* Creating a Clearing which means clearing physical and mental clutter, creating space for new opportunities.* Choosing a ‘Word for the Year’ which sets an overall intention for how I want to feel for the year ahead.* Doodling my dreams in my journal.* Creating a Visionboard or Visioncards to help manifest my dreams and goals for the next year. (more on this in a post after the January New Moon on the 18th)* Focusing on a Gratitude Practice every morning and evening.We work on the above and much more in my Dream Life Classes, so I hope this all inspires you to approach your year in a way that feels great to you.In addition to the Dream Life activities, another practice I love to perform at the beginning of the year is to use my Chakra Color Card Deck to pull cards for a yearly theme and also one for each month of the year. (You get a FREE copy of the card deck in my Chakra Color course HERE)Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy start to 2026.If you’ve read this far, I want to let you know how grateful I am that you make space inside your inbox and day for my newsletters.Thank you again for being a subscriber. Wishing you so much love and feel free to ask me any creative questions at all!Thanks for reading Creative Connection with Nature - by Artist Louise Gale! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Thank you for supporting the work I do by subscribing. I hope I can continue to inspire. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit louisegale.substack.com