Making Time - Reflections from 6 weeks in Thailand! (Podcast #10)

Image: Finding many hearts at the beachHello dear friends. Welcome to this episode. I am back from Thailand! What a difference 6 weeks makes! Being away I have learnt many things, about myself and a little more about the world around me. Taking time to relax nourishes the soul and being away from my regular environment has helped me feel more grounded and at one with nature. It feels a little like I’ve been in a time warp, time has not been important and not really touched me during that time. I have just been here. Simply being.Here are a few of the many things that I have re-remembered about life, that I’d like to share with you. Being in this wonderful place has really enabled me to focus on what I believe to be just a few of the philosophies to a good life, and these can be applied no matter where you are in the world.This podcast is Episode #10 on the listening list and includes your FREE monthly Coloring page and a little reflection from time spent in Thailand.Download your FREE monthly Coloring page below.Here I am coloring it in with watercolors!Click the button below depending on your preferred size/format.If you are listening to this on Substack, you can simply scroll down to see the images and videos included in this post. If you are listening elsewhere, please pop on over to louisegale.substack.com to see the full post there. 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 (If you are receiving this via email, it may be cut off at the bottom)ReflectionsJust being, connected to nature, sounds of the ocean and spending time outside, has given me permission to spend uninterrupted time to look inside of myself. Understand more about who I truly am and how every experience, every person, everything is part of who I am. Knowing thyself is the most important thing. This is what guides us to the “what” in our life -our passions, our purpose.Spending six weeks in Thailand this past February and March (to escape the winter!) was a gift of time to myself and for my boyfriend. We were to explore (my word of the year), relax, slow down, enjoy new experiences and spend time in nature. For me, it was also the opportunity for some head space away from “work” to think about how I would like to take my creative projects forward. Above: Being at the beach before everyone else was so tranquil and special.From the first morning, when I woke up to the sounds of nature, I knew my time here would unfold and flow effortlessly. When I look back, it felt a little like being in a time warp; time wasn’t important (apart from when we had to catch ferries!) and it did not really affect me. I guess I made time to not think about time. I was simply being.Image: Morning walks along the beachSince returning home to my own little UK sanctuary studio in the garden, I’ve been reflecting on this magical trip and the wonderful practices I adopted over there. I’d love to share six t hings (and there are many more!) that I observed – things that I’m consciously making time for now I’m home so that soon they’ll become a way of life.#1 Wake up early and make time for quiet momentsImage: The beauty of lightEvery morning during my stay in various areas of Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, I woke up just as the sun was rising. I noticed that the locals were all early risers, like us. Near where we were staying there was always someone out in the garden, sweeping, weeding and taking a quiet moment to themselves to be happy as they started their day. I stood many mornings watching one of the local girls as she glided around the garden areas, gracefully picking up fallen blossoms with a contented smile on her face.One day a wave of calmness and tranquility came over me as I observed the girl gathering flowers to float in the fountain, for guests to enjoy, her gentle walk was almost meditative.What quiet, contemplative moment would you like to introduce to your morning?#2 Make time to set positive intentionsImage: A Creative Offering of Fallen BlossomsThere is much dedication to a morning ritual of placing offerings on the street, in temples and outside homes or businesses. Throughout the day women spend hours gathering petals and lighting incense so every morning everyone and everything can be blessed. As I walked the streets, every now and then I’d catch the faint aroma from these little parcels full of positive intention. There’s so much beauty in these simple and meaningful creations.One morning I was lucky enough to see a gardener meditatively picking up the fallen blossoms of frangipanis and gently laying them out to create a heart shaped offering for guests to enjoy. I made sure I took time to walk in the gardens or along the beach to create some quiet in my morning. Such a special time of the day.What morning ritual do you have to help you set your intentions for the day?#3 Make time to go barefootImage: Barefoot Living at the BeachWalking barefoot on the earth or sand is proven to have huge health benefits. One of my favourite quotes is “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet” by Thích Nhất Hạnh. I interpret this simply as walk with slow intention and feeling. When you watch many Thai people walk barefoot in nature, you see how the art of walking is a mindful process. Every part of their foot touches the ground; every part is connected to the earth.One of the customs that I loved was the simple act of taking off your flipflops when you walk into a shop or someone’s home – it’s something we rarely do now in our western world and I have found myself adopting this now I am home.Above: A frequent scene along the street as everyone leaves their shoes and sandals by the front door.Every day I did something for myself, be it stretching, walking, meditating, taking photos, exploring, drawing, eating good food, walking on the beach or just simply taking time to watch the ocean roll in and roll out. Self-care has always been a challenge for me – I always have a task to complete, a blog post to write, someone to help out which I all love doing, but self-care has to come first. Caring and nurturing yourself, your well being is the key to appreciating yourself and gives you the energy to use your gifts to help others.Where can you go barefoot to connect to the earth’s energy?What can you make time for everyday to give yourself some self-care?#4 Make time to smile, live simply and beautifullyImage: Fallen beauties from the treesEveryone in Thailand smiled. All of the time. I guess that is why it is called “The Land of Smiles” I felt like the whole island was one big beautiful smile. Everything the Thai people do, they do with a smile. Many people are living in basic conditions, but the richness of their existence is evident in the way they approach everything in their day. From the well-blessed offerings in the morning to banana leaf cocktail sculptures in the evening.Special little touches such as washing your feet in a water bowl full of frangipani flowers, putting flowers under the massage table so that you have something pretty to look at while you relax and placing petals shaped like hearts in the bathroom, come with positive intention and meaning. It’s done simply to make you smile. What’s more, the words “Khop Khun Ka”, with palms placed together (as in a prayer) and a gentle smile and nod, were said often and always meant from the heart.What simple day to day activities can you make more beautiful?#5 Make time to exploreExplore: My word of the year for 2025We explored three different islands on this trip. Each was beautiful and different in their own way. One thread that ran through the whole time, is the beauty and peacefulness of time well spent in nature we found there. The colours and textures made my creative well fill up to the top!My word of the year is guiding me to also explore where I want to take my creative life and I spent lots of time in nature, thinking about the direction and how I want to spend my time when I returned from my trip.I find it such a challenge to juggle work and find time to truly be creative and it is something that I am longing to settle! Living between the UK and Spain has its creative challenges also, but I think the way to look at it is to choose different projects that can thrive in these two different environments. Taking time to explore really expands your understanding of how others might live, cultural differences and enables you to also think about changes to your own life and how you want it to be.#6 Make time to be creativeImage: Taking inspiration from Thailand back to my studio in the UK. I’ve been recording some new lessons for a program I am part of coming out in July! So watch this space. Making time to ‘just be’ in this beautiful place and get into a creative zone was the ultimate gift to myself as an artist. It was a reminder that taking a whole day, weekend or even a week to focus on feeding the soul with creative inspiration is something I rarely do. The biggest lesson I took from my time away was to make time to let my creative energy flow freely for extended periods of time and not ‘fit it in’ between work, to do lists or projects that have me glued to the computer. Creativity and art is something I’ve promised myself I’ll make more time for. Above: A reminder to find that balance.I also found a child-like playfulness whilst in Thailand. What a feeling! A reminder to find play in my creative life too!Being in this wonderful place enabled me to reflect on what I believe to be the philosophies of leading a good life – and these things can be practiced no matter where you are in the world. I pledge to make time for all of these important things, and more…What do you pledge to make time for?Some other thoughts on areas to make time for:* Personal Growth – Investing time in learning, hobbies, or self-improvement helps you develop new skills and expand your potential.* Mental and Physical Health – Spending time in nature and prioritizing activities like exercise, meditation, or rest improves overall well-being and reduces stress.* Relationships – Making time for loved ones strengthens connections, builds trust, and creates meaningful experiences.* Productivity & Success – Dedicating time to important tasks leads to progress, achievement, and a sense of accomplishment.* Joy & Fulfillment – Engaging in things that bring happiness, like creative pursuits or fun activities, enhances life satisfaction.* Exploring other environments - Traveling to other countries exposes you to different cultures, languages, and ways of life, helping you gain new insights, challenge your assumptions, and develop a more open-minded worldview. I would love to hear your thoughts on areas you are focusing your time on these days. Please add your comments below.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