Creativity in May: Taking it Outside

May always feels like a bit of a reward. After the slow wake-up of March and the gentle easing of April, suddenly everything feels... lighter...warmer, a little more open.

The days stretch out. Windows stay open longer. There’s more of a pull to step outside, even if it’s just for five minutes.

And creatively, May offers something really simple: Take it outside.

You Don’t Need Much

There can sometimes be this idea that creating outdoors means setting up an easel in a field, hauling a huge bag with paint tubes everywhere, looking vaguely like you belong in a film.

And yes, if that’s your thing, absolutely go for it. But it doesn’t have to be that way just to enjoy the outside and create.

It can be:

• sitting on a step in your garden
• leaning against a tree in a park
• perching on a bench
• even just standing still for a few minutes

No big setup. No pressure to “produce” something complete. Just stepping outside and letting creativity meet you there.

Find a Spot, Stay a While

Instead of walking and trying to take everything in, try this:

Pick one spot. Sit down. Stay there for a little longer than you normally would.

And then just… notice.

• The way the light moves.
• The sound of birds or distant voices.
• Leaves shifting in the breeze.
• Shadows stretching and softening.

When you stay still, things reveal themselves differently.

Creativity doesn’t always come from chasing inspiration, sometimes it comes from letting it come to you.

Creative Things to Try From One Spot

If you’re sitting there thinking, “Okay… now what?”, here are some gentle ways to respond:

• Draw what’s directly in front of you just a small section, not the whole scene
• Follow the light notice where it falls and where it fades
• Create a mini colour palette from what you can see
• Write a “right now” list what can you see, hear, feel, smell?
• Photograph details textures, shadows, small overlooked moments
• Make marks, not pictures lines and shapes inspired by movement
• Sit and do nothing first give yourself a few minutes before starting

This isn’t about making something finished. It’s about gathering.

Take It Home and Let It Grow

Once you’ve sat, noticed, and gathered those small moments, this is where it gently becomes something more. Not in a pressured, “now make something amazing” kind of way. More like carrying a little piece of that outside moment back with you.

When you get home, bring your notes, sketches, photos, or even just the feeling with you.

Then begin again.

You might:

• combine your colour palette into a simple painting
• turn your quick sketches into a more developed drawing
• layer your observations, light, shape, texture into one piece
• use your “right now” list as the starting point for something visual or written
• work from feeling rather than accuracy what did that moment feel like?

It doesn’t have to be an exact copy of what you saw.
In fact, it’s better if it’s not.

You’re not recreating the scene, you’re responding to it, feeling and enjoying the creativity. 

A Gentle Creative Prompt for May

Find a spot outside  anywhere.
Sit there for ten minutes.

At the end of those ten minutes, respond in one small way:

• a sketch
• a few words
• a colour
• a photograph

Then, when you’re ready, take it home and let it become something more.

P.S.

This is very much a note to myself. When I feel overwhelmed with what to create, the simplest answer is usually the right one, go outside, sit down, and start there. No overthinking, no big plans. Just a small moment and see where it leads. Sometimes I use the items I've collected and sometimes I just allow the moment to help with inspiration, that breathing space and pause to allow my brain to switch off and to let the creativity begin.