A Holiday Guide to Creative Expansion: Books, Practices & Mindset Shifts for the Season Ahead
There’s something about this time of year that invites us to look up and out. Maybe it’s the early sunsets, the soft glow of lights, or the natural pause that happens when the world gets quieter. Whatever the reason, the end of the year has a way of nudging us toward reflection—but also toward possibility.
It’s a season that asks us to stretch a little. To think bigger. To imagine the version of ourselves we haven’t met yet. And that makes it the perfect moment for a little creative expansion.
Whether you're a student, a working artist, or someone at the very beginning of a new path, this guide offers gentle inspiration for the weeks ahead: books to spark imagination, practices that open creative flow, and mindset shifts that support becoming who you want to be next.
Start With Curiosity, Not Expectation
Creative growth doesn’t begin with a plan—it begins with a spark. This season is an invitation to follow your curiosity wherever it wants to lead. That might mean trying a new medium, exploring an unexpected topic, or allowing yourself to pursue something purely because it lights you up. Creative expansion thrives when the pressure is low and the playfulness is high.
A small practice:
Choose one thing you’re curious about—even if it seems random—and spend an hour exploring it with no outcome in mind.
Try a Creative Reset Practice
Winter is a beautiful time to slow down and reorient. Instead of pushing through exhaustion, use this season to create space.
Here are a few gentle practices that help reset your creative rhythm:
The 10-Minute Morning Sketch (or Doodle, or Note): Not for perfection—just for opening the channel.
The “What If?” Exercise: Write 10 sentences that start with “What if…” and see what ideas shake loose.
Silent Inspiration Walks: Creativity often lives in the quiet pockets we forget to create for ourselves.
These small rituals are like tuning forks—they bring you back to yourself.
Expand Your Inputs: A Holiday Reading List for Creatives
Books have a way of holding our hand through transition—and winter break is the ideal time to refill your imaginative well. Here are reads chosen for their ability to stretch your thinking, soften your spirit, or ignite new creative pathways.
Books That Expand Perspective
Big Magic — Elizabeth Gilbert
How to Do Nothing — Jenny Odell
The Creative Act — Rick Rubin
Books That Spark Imagination
The Secret Lives of Color — Kassia St. Clair
Steal Like an Artist — Austin Kleon
The Artist’s Way — Julia Cameron
Books That Support Courage & Change
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway — Susan Jeffers
Year of Yes — Shonda Rhimes
Books for Rest & Reflection
Wintering — Katherine May
Tiny Beautiful Things — Cheryl Strayed
Pick one. Read it slowly. Let it shift something inside you.
Welcome the “Beginner Energy” of the Season
The end of the year is secretly the best time to start something new. No pressure, no big declarations—just the soft permission to explore. Being a beginner is powerful. It means you’re expanding into unfamiliar territory, building new neural pathways, and making connections you couldn’t make before.
Try this mindset shift:
“Starting small is still starting.”
Whether it’s a new program, a new hobby, or a new chapter, this is the season for fresh starts—grounded, gentle, and exciting.
Let Yourself Think a Little Bigger
One of the defining energies of this season is its sense of possibility. The kind that encourages long-range vision, bold dreaming, and the belief that things can be different—and maybe even better—in the months ahead.
Give yourself permission to:
Imagine a project you’ve been too afraid to begin
Picture the career you truly want
Name a goal that feels slightly too big (those are the good ones)
You don’t have to act on it all at once, but you can start imagining it. Sometimes the simple act of thinking bigger is the first creative breakthrough.
Connect With People Who Expand You
Creative growth doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through conversations, shared ideas, feedback, collaboration, and the presence of people who see your potential even when you can’t.
This is a beautiful season to reconnect—with mentors, peers, old classmates, or new creative friends. A single conversation can open a door you didn’t know was there.
Try: Make one creative connection this month. Just one. Send the message. Start the conversation.
Give Yourself Permission to Evolve
The person you were in September doesn’t have to be the person you are in January. This season naturally invites transition—shedding old expectations, adopting new perspectives, redefining what you want. Creative expansion is not about becoming someone new; it’s about making room for the version of you that’s already emerging. And winter, with its quiet and its glow, is the perfect time to listen inward and grow outward.
A Final Word for the Season
If you take anything from this guide, let it be this:
You don’t need resolution energy or perfect plans to grow. You just need openness—a willingness to follow your curiosity, try small experiments, read something that expands you, and dream a little bigger than before.
This season is a doorway. Where you go from here is entirely up to you. And the beautiful part? You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to begin.