Before I went away on holiday I had been thinking about how I could scale down my social media activity while I was away. I was really keen to switch off and spend less time on my screen but also was aware of the enjoyment I get from being part of a creative community, making connections with others and sharing inspiration.
I had been thinking of ways I could do this which would take away the pressure of daily posting but also mean I was still virtually 'around'. I had recently been looking at my book shelves and pulling out a lot of books I haven't looked at in a long time as I started to explore a new project around creative journaling for wellbeing, something which links my artist and therapist lives together. This gave me the idea for #creativebooktober - a gentle and low pressure challenge-but-not-a-challenge for participants to share their favourite creative and arty books.
I was bowled over by the response and have really enjoyed reading the posts about creative books old and new, some which I have never seen before and some which I realise I also own which has prompted a revisit. I have particularly enjoyed the post by Scottish artist Susan McCreevy about her selection of favourites including one I also own featuring the works of Joan Eardley. I am also intrigued by The Little Book of Book Making by Charlotte Rivers, shared by another Scottish artists called Susan and the intriguing selection shared by Patricia Datoma. I share a couple of my own favourites by Barbara Rae and Kurt Jackson, both landscapes, surprisingly,
There is still plenty of time to take part, just use the hashtag #creativebooktober to share your favourites.
