Creative Spring Cleaning
A small reset for your creativity
Every spring I notice the same feeling returning. A quiet urge to open the windows, let the air move through the room, and clear away what feels heavy. And over time I’ve realised this doesn’t just apply to cupboards or shelves, it applies to my creativity too.
After winter, I often find myself sitting with half-finished ideas, sketchbooks I stopped opening, projects that didn’t quite become what I imagined. In the past I would push myself to “get back on track” or start something impressive to compensate. Now I do something much gentler. I call it creative spring cleaning.
After winter, I often find myself sitting with half-finished ideas, sketchbooks I stopped opening, projects that didn’t quite become what I imagined. In the past I would push myself to “get back on track” or start something impressive to compensate. Now I do something much gentler. I call it creative spring cleaning.
For me, it begins with letting go of guilt. Not everything needs to be completed to have value. Some pieces were experiments, some were lessons, some simply belonged to a different version of me. Closing a sketchbook without judgement feels surprisingly freeing.
Before starting anything new, I like to look back through older work — not to critique it, but to notice. Often I rediscover colours I loved or ideas that still feel alive. Inspiration rarely disappears completely, sometimes it’s just buried under expectation.
Then I change something small. Nothing dramatic. I might limit myself to one colour, try a different material, or set a short amount of time and allow that to be enough. Small shifts feel manageable, and manageable feels possible.
Before starting anything new, I like to look back through older work — not to critique it, but to notice. Often I rediscover colours I loved or ideas that still feel alive. Inspiration rarely disappears completely, sometimes it’s just buried under expectation.
Then I change something small. Nothing dramatic. I might limit myself to one colour, try a different material, or set a short amount of time and allow that to be enough. Small shifts feel manageable, and manageable feels possible.
Sometimes I create something with absolutely no purpose at all. No posting, no outcome, no “is this good enough?” Just hands moving, thread passing through fabric, ink or paint spreading across paper. That kind of making reminds me why I started in the first place.
And occasionally, creative spring cleaning is as simple as clearing the table, wiping the surface, placing a small jar of flowers nearby and letting the light in properly. The environment matters more than we think. Space outside often becomes space inside.
If you’re feeling slightly stuck this season, you might not need a big new plan. You might just need a little room to breathe creatively again.
And if you feel like doing that alongside others, in a warm and welcoming space, the studio door is open.
And occasionally, creative spring cleaning is as simple as clearing the table, wiping the surface, placing a small jar of flowers nearby and letting the light in properly. The environment matters more than we think. Space outside often becomes space inside.
If you’re feeling slightly stuck this season, you might not need a big new plan. You might just need a little room to breathe creatively again.
And if you feel like doing that alongside others, in a warm and welcoming space, the studio door is open.
Valeriia Kostina
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