Kindling the Creative Spark: Imbolc and Creativity
The Power of Small Steps in a Chaotic World
It is the season of first light. It is the time to pass from darkness and negativity into shining positivity.
As I write these words, they are so prescient, a reflection of a burgeoning reaction to the chaos in the world today.
Yet this writing is all about something else, something timeless, or at least a turning of time, the natural order of things changing in celestial terms.
Because last Saturday 1 February was Imbolc.
A halfway house between the shortest day and the Spring equinox, Imbolc is the pre-Christian celebration of the journey from winter to spring - from darkness to light, from slumber to life - in the northern hemisphere. A time marked by new beginnings like snowdrops’ bright white heads appearing from the cold earth in their warm, green jackets.
(In the Christian calendar it is Candlemas, a religious paradigms bolted on to the Pagan feast.)
It is the “quickening” of the year, from the Old English for “alive” being “cwic”, itself a word that comes from prehistory.
A putting away of hardship and a bringing out of hope.
This week felt like I was coming out of my own, personal, creative hibernation - only to discover a world gone mad and a wish to pack myself away again, like the Christmas decorations which for weeks after, still have remnants sneaking in corners of our home.
Instead I have made a conscious decision to change my path. A choice I have made, it isn’t for everyone.
Yet, I am fed up being stuck in the muddy gloop of news and I have taken the leap to a different path, one where I can keep a check in on the original to avoid surprises later.
Though no doubt surprises there will be, taking small steps towards the light of hope, resilience and growth - claiming back this Imbolc week is my point of creative renewal.
Positivity wrought from survival and fear.
Imbolc connects us through eons to our fore mother and fathers, those who lived in fear simply of surviving this bitter season, but with fire and light celebrated the new hopeful shoots of the growing season.
Today, let Imbolc symbolise the point when fear, frustration and powerlessness about political and global issues can be gently put away, like winter’s trimmings - we know they’ll come back, that we have no control, but for now let’s consider the opportunities for positivity.
Fuelling the creative spark.
Imagine cave paintings from paleolithic times, found across the world, and petroglyphs - rock carvings found in my own county of Yorkshire in the UK where notable enigmatic examples are scattered across Ilkley Moor.
CC David Spencer_geograph.org.uk Cup and Ring Rock Carvings, Ilkley Moor
Meanings of the symbols and the reason why the mainly animal (sometimes human) paintings were made is lost in history. But in both forms, creative vision has been used to express something in the culture, maybe to honour the natural world, and perhaps helping to process the hardships, to make sense of life.
I think we can connect with that creativity even today, to understand that the effort taken to do this work - rather than hunt, gather or rest - was supported in the community, that creativity itself was seen as part of human survival. Maybe passing on where crucial areas for food were, or rituals that were important to make sure the sun came back after the hard bitten winter.
Even just a deep respect for the natural world which nurtured them.
Meaning lost by time and now found by us.
A connection through the ages: creativity as a link to thankfulness for nature and hope for a better future. A creative spark lit in prehistory.
Even in the darkest of time the glimmer of light, of hope, that expression through art rekindles is like an “Imbolc of Creativity”.
A turning point.
Acknowledging the messiness of the world while focusing on what we can do, what small steps we can make as individuals from which green shoots of a collective positive movement might grow.
When the world feels overwhelming, make something.
We can’t control the decisions of politicians. We can’t fix every injustice overnight. And some days, it feels like the people in charge are making everything worse, not better.
But here’s what we can do:
We can create.
We can connect.
We can put something meaningful into the world - whether that’s art, kindness or a small act that reminds us we do have agency.
History shows us that creativity thrives in difficult times. It helps us process, imagine and push back against despair. Even the smallest act - painting, writing, planting a seed, sharing a kind word - counters the chaos in its own quiet way.
What’s one thing you can make, share or do this week that feels like a counterbalance to the noise?
Tell me about it - I read every email, direct message and comment I receive - and do a little (private!) happy dance when people get in touch.
In a world which feels chaotic, creativity can be a quiet act of resistance. Subscribe for gentle prompts to spark inspiration and bring you back to flow.
Rachel Bentley is from Yorkshire, God’s Own Country, in the UK. A mid-life artist exploring second chances in art and creativity.
She writes for anyone reigniting their spark or finding joy in art: it’s never too late and no creative time is wasted. Rediscover what inspires you and embrace your journey, however it looks.