Going Slowly into a New Year + The First Twelve Days. (Podcast #6).

Well hello January, hello 2025 and hello to you dear listener and reader!This podcast is Episode #6 on the listening list and it includes a free coloring page download and ways I approach the first 12 days of the year. I hope this episode inspires you to slowly enter into the new year and connect more deeply to yourself and nature.Download your 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.com So what will January and 2025 bring for you?I spent the second half of the December holidays in Spain this year. It was busy with my mum visiting and we spent time out and about enjoying the season which was wonderful. Mornings, looking to the sea and walks with the winter sun.Image: Sunrise view from my studioAs the new year sinks in, I have also been soaking back into my morning ritual of going down to the beach at sunrise. It is a little chilly, but it is so rejuvenating to consciously take some time to myself and I have been thinking about how I can continue to cultivate a practice to maintain this tranquil feeling into 2025. 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. Image: Giving thanks to the sun in Costa Rica.I am a typical creative person, where I tend to take on far too many projects at once and want to experience everything! So this year, I really want to set an intention for myself to approach my day, week, month and year with clarity, intention, living more in the present moment and enjoying everything that life is offering.I will be spending some time over the coming days, reflecting on all the good experiences I had in 2024 and working through the 'Reflect and Celebrate' module of my Big Dreams, Small Wonders Program. These worksheets are also included in my FREE Big Dreams, Small Wonders 2025 Workbook and Planner. A peek below. Scroll down for the download link!This year, I will be traveling quite a bit and spending time in my Art Studio in Spain and also my new Garden Art Studio in England. I have a few creative goals whispering at me, exploring some new materials to create with and get even more connected to nature in my creative practice.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 for only $59.99! 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 12 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 next week’s Substack post)* 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. I will share this with you next week. Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy start to 2025.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!Thank you for supporting the work I do by subscribing. I hope I can continue to inspire.Thanks for reading Creative Connection with Nature - by Artist Louise Gale! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. 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