Cycles of Creativity

Have you ever noticed how your creativity seems to come in waves? Some days you’re brimming with ideas, itching to start a new project. Other times you can barely string a sentence together, let alone sit down with your craft or art.

It’s not a flaw. It’s a cycle.

As women, as creatives, as humans living in rhythm with the world around us - we are not meant to be “on” all the time. Our creativity follows its own cycles, just like the seasons, our life stages, and for many of us, the menstrual cycle. When we stop fighting that ebb and flow, and start working with it, creativity becomes less of a struggle and more of a dance.

The Seasons of Creativity

Nature shows us that everything moves in cycles:

• Spring - energy, play, fresh ideas.

• Summer - momentum, flow, creative output.

• Autumn - reflection, editing, refining.

• Winter - stillness, dreaming, rest.

Think about your own projects. Maybe you’re in a Spring phase, bubbling with inspiration, notebooks full of scribbles. Or maybe you’re in Autumn, reviewing, editing, shaping something that’s already begun.

The key? All seasons are needed. We can’t live in an endless Summer of output. We need Winter too - the pause, the germination, the gathering of energy for what’s next.

Life Phases and Creativity

Our life stages mirror these cycles too.

• In childhood, creativity is instinctive - like Spring.

• In our twenties and thirties, many of us are in the heat of Summer - building careers, families, dreams.

• Midlife often feels like Autumn - reflecting on what’s working, what’s not, pruning back what no longer serves.

• Later life? That beautiful Winter of wisdom, rest, and story-sharing.

  
  

Your creative energy shifts with you. What worked in one phase of your life may not feel the same in another - and that’s okay.

The Menstrual Cycle and Creativity

For those who menstruate, the monthly cycle offers a powerful creative map:

• Follicular Phase (Spring): After your period ends, energy rises. Ideas come more easily. Great time to brainstorm, start projects, dream big.

• Ovulatory Phase (Summer): Peak energy and expression. You might feel more confident sharing your work, recording content, networking, or performing.

• Luteal Phase (Autumn): Energy dips. Perfect for editing, refining, organising, and finishing things.

• Menstrual Phase (Winter): Rest and reflection. A natural pause. Time to journal, review, listen to your inner voice.

  
  

When you align your creative practice with this cycle, you stop pushing against yourself. Instead of forcing productivity during your “Winter,” you give yourself permission to rest - knowing Spring always follows.

Honouring Your Creative Cycles

Here are a few ways to work with your cycles, rather than against them:

1. Track your rhythm. Use a journal or tracker to note when you feel most inspired, productive, reflective, or tired. Patterns will emerge.

2. Plan gently. Try scheduling high-energy tasks (brainstorming, recording, pitching) in your “Spring/Summer” phases, and keep “Autumn/Winter” for editing, admin, or dreaming.

3. Rest is productive. Give yourself permission to pause. Some of your best creative sparks will arrive when you stop trying so hard.

4. Celebrate every phase. Your Winter is just as sacred as your Summer. Without one, the other cannot exist.

   
   

A Final Word

Your creativity isn’t broken when it ebbs. It’s simply moving through its natural rhythm. By honouring your cycles - whether seasonal, life-stage, or menstrual - you begin to experience creativity as a partnership with yourself, rather than a battle.

So next time you feel “blocked,” ask yourself: what season am I in right now?

Maybe the most creative thing you can do today is rest.

Want a gentle way to start tracking your own cycles of creativity? I’ve created a simple, downloadable Daily Joy Compass to help you notice your natural rhythms. You can grab it on Ko-Fi here.