The buzz of summer is over, and the days are getting shorter. All of a sudden, it seems, we have so many extra hours of darkness to fill. Fall is the perfect time of year to channel your energy into a new hobby, tap into your imagination and connect with your inner artist.
Here are a few ideas to help rekindle your creative drive, no matter where your passions lie.
Writing
Did you know that there exists a term in Japanese for the phenomenon of acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up without reading them? Tsundoku (積ん読) is the Japanese word for the stack of books you’ve purchased but haven’t yet read. I’m guilty of this all year-round but especially during the summer when I tell myself that once the days start getting shorter again, I’ll be able to start making a dent in my ever-growing collection of unread books. I wonder if a word also exists for the accumulation of dreams and goals that you have the intention of following through on but never get around to completing. As a lifelong lover of books, I have often dreamt about writing one of my own. Ideas have come and gone over the years, and first pages have been written, but never have I been able to complete an entire book from the first page to the last.
In 1999, a freelance writer by the name of Chris Baty started a project called National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in which participants attempted to write a 50,000-word manuscript during the course of a month. That first year, 21 people in the San Francisco Bay Area accepted the challenge; by 2022, over 400,000 people from all over the world committed themselves to trying to write approximately 1,667 words each day between November 1 and November 30. There are no prizes if you reach your goal—just the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve completed the first draft of a novel (which to me sounds like the best prize of all for an aspiring writer). There’s no guarantee that the finished project will be brilliant, but it will certainly improve your writing skills and help you get motivated to focus and to dedicate more time to your writing.
If you love to write but a novel sounds too daunting or there’s simply no extra time in your day, why not write a haiku a day, for a month? Or maybe sign up for You’re a Poet and Deep Down You Know It: A Beginner Poetry Workshop, a free in-person workshop with Yukon poet Joanna Lilley on Saturday, October 28, from 4–6 p.m. at the Whitehorse Public Library. To register, or if you have queries, send Joanna a direct message or email her at [email protected]. The workshop is supported by the League of Canadian Poets and is “for anyone who’d like to find out more about poetry, pick up some writing tips and try some on-the-spot writing. It’s especially geared to beginners and we’ll spend some time outdoors by the Yukon River connecting with the world around us to get the creative juices going. All you need to bring is something to write on.”
Filmmaking
Maybe your creative aspirations are more cinematic and you’ve always dreamt of making a movie. In that case, the annual Yukon 48 Hour Film Challenge may be exactly the push you need to get going. Films are to be a maximum of five minutes long and may be of any genre. The competition starts at 5:30 p.m. on October 20, at which time a “key” will be revealed that you will be required to incorporate into your short film (physically, verbally, etc.). Hand in or send in a link of your completed short by 5:30 p.m. on October 22 and your entry might be chosen as a winner and screened at the 2024 Dawson City International Short Film Festival and the 2024 Available Light Film Festival. For more information and to register, go to yukonfilmsociety.com/schedule/2023-yukon-48-hour-film-challenge.
Other upcoming filmmaking-related events in Whitehorse include a Directing Workshop with Valerie Buhagiar on October 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Yukonstruct (get your ticket at yukonfilmsociety.com/production/education/directing-workshop), and a Screenwriting Workshop with Daniel Janke on November 4 and 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Yukonstruct (yukonfilmsociety.com/production/education/screenwriting-workshop).
Music
Social activities inevitably tend to decrease in the North at this time of year. It’s just easier to stay at home sometimes instead of cleaning off the icy windshield of your car, bundling up in several layers of warm clothes and heading out in the darkness. Humans are social creatures, however, whether we like to admit it or not, and the isolation in the cold months of the year can take its toll. Many creative activities, such as writing, painting, knitting and woodworking, are solitary pursuits and act as yet another excuse to not get out of the house.
Music can be made alone, too, but often is so much better when created with and enjoyed with others. I love watching videos and livestreams of the Toronto-based musical choir, Choir! Choir! Choir! Founded over 12 years ago by Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman, as a weekly drop-in singing event, it’s become incredibly popular; and the two of them travel around the world, now, sharing their enthusiasm and love for music with audiences (who then become the choir). Maybe someday they’ll come to the Yukon (they have a couple of shows in Alaska next month), but in the meantime, I urge you to check out any of their numerous videos on YouTube and to pay special attention to the expressions on the faces of the audience/choir. Music (like all things creative) has a way of making us feel alive, of lighting up parts of us that we’ve forgotten about, and of reminding us of what it means to be human.
Maybe you love to sing in the shower and have wondered what it would feel like to join your voice together with the voices of others. Maybe you used to sing as a child, but life convinced you to silence your voice since then. Why not get together with some friends and make some music? Maybe start your own choir or reach out to existing ones like the Whitehorse Community Choir and the Whitehorse Pop Choir, to see when they’ll be accepting new members.
Hearing live music is also a great source of creative inspiration. The Blue Feather Music Festival is taking place on November 3-4 featuring performances from Nick Gilder & Sweeney Todd, Digging Roots, Sarah MacDougall, and others. Head to yukontickets.com/TheatreManager/1/tmEvent/tmEvent2676.html to see if tickets are still available.
Cooking
Creativity can also blossom in the kitchen. Maybe you take pleasure in exploring and trying out new recipes and sharing the results with friends and family? Or perhaps you’ve always wished to be more culinarily capable but fear that you’re destined to order take-out for the rest of your life? Why not dig out your favourite cookbook or tune in to a cooking show for a boost of encouragement and let your inner chef come out to play. I’m currently enjoying Big Sky Kitchen with Eduardo Garcia, and Erin French’s The Lost Kitchen—but there are countless food and cooking shows available to draw inspiration from on TV, as well as on various streaming platforms.
If you’d like to take your cooking to the next level in a more in-person, local way, why not reach out to the Yukon’s own Well Bread Cooking School? They are currently offering in-home lessons as well as classes for groups of people (six or more) who all know each other. Check out their website, wellbread.ca/. You can also look them up on Facebook or send them an email at [email protected].
More upcoming creative options:
Beginner Sewing—Sew A Tote Bag Workshop at Yukonstruct on Thursday, October 19, from 6–8 p.m. Go to yukonstruct.com/event/beginner-sewing-sew-a-tote-bag/ for more information.
Learn the basics of woodworking at the six-week-long Weekend Woodworking Maker Academy at Yukonstruct every Sunday from October 22–November 26, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Go to yukonstruct.com/event/maker-academy-weekend-woodworking/ for more information.
Make Halloween costumes using recycled materials, with Nicole Bauberger, on Friday, October 27, from 5:30–8:30 p.m. at Raven ReCentre. Reserve your spot at eventbrite.ca/e/halloween-costume-workshop-with-nicole-bauberger-tickets-731358542087?aff=ehometext.
One Night Pottery Class: Hand Building Mug/Cup, with Kin Work Pottery, on November 15 from 6:30–9 p.m. at the Creative Initiatives Warehouse. Reserve your spot at eventbrite.ca/e/pottery-class-hand-building-mugcup-one-night-tickets-728359281217?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou
