If you are reading this around the time it publishes and you live in the northern reaches of the northern hemisphere you have been in the deep dark cold months of winter. Winter can be a challenging time for many people. I think it can be a particularly challenging time for creative types. The dark and cold just makes us want to huddle up in a corner and try to simply survive until spring.

This can be particularly challenging if your creative endeavors revolve around the outside. As someone who primarily photographs some aspect of nature in their work I often feel stuck in winter. One way I try to not let the winter chill impact my creativity is by thinking more openly about who I am as a creative.

I consider myself a photographer, but as evidenced by the fact that this blog exists I also do a fair amount of writing. A lot of that writing gets done when the cold weather hits. I can get the much needed and enjoyable writing done without feeling the regret of missing a day I would rather be outside, because honestly in winter I do not often feel that I would rather be outside.

Digital art has also help me feed my creative desires when it is too cold to go outside. I think I will enjoy sitting under a blanket creating some digital art on my iPad this winter. So, if you are struggling with your primary form of creativity during winter consider trying out a secondary form of creativity that is more conducive to indoor work.

Making photography happen

But when I really want to focus some time on photography there are a few strategies I employ. First I commit to trying to capture a few specific images during this winter. And I have a list I have of a few for this season. That way I more motivated to brave the cold to capture these images I really want. A similar idea is to focus on the type of subjects you love the most if that can still fit into a winter framing. I can always go outside and photograph my dogs and experience that unique joy.

Another way I flex my photography muscles in the winter is to move my photography indoors. You may be thinking, how do you do this if you are a nature photographer? One thing I like to do is to try to overwinter some of my flower I had planted back during the growing season. Then I can use those as subjects during the cold months indoors. Another option is to go to the store and buy a fresh bouquet of flowers or a small plant. There are so many ways you can get creative shooting indoors with these familiar subjects.

It is also an option to try to build some new photography muscles while cooped up indoors for the winter. Play around with some subjects you would not normally photograph. Find whatever is lying around your house and try to create an interesting photograph from it. Experiment with different types of lighting. Try some long exposure images and move things around during the exposure. See what happens. Just let your traditional boundaries fall away. It is their perfect time to experiment and play around.

Let me know in the comments what you like to do to scratch your creative itch during the cold winter months.

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