Payment plans available- spread the cost over 6 months

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Finding Inspiration | In Nature with Helen

ScreenShot20201217at11.27.33AM

Helen is a Soul Circus mainstay and you may know her for one of her businesses, Chant Malas. She has since moved into a new space - podcasting, meditating, and creative writing, with her business "Prompted by Nature." She shares with us what keeps her inspired.

What is your favourite thing to create?

Nature-inspired writing prompts as they are different every time, even if the theme is the same, they will differ each time I do them in the same way that the view from my window is never the same from one day to the next. Anything with my hands like cakes or bread.

Can you share (either visually, musically, or in words) your most prized creation with us?

Other than my children, probably my writing prompts and podcast at Prompted by Nature. I’m so proud of the work I’ve done so far and am really excited about what’s to come!

What inspired you to create this particular piece?

I began creating them at a time when I felt completely exhausted and overwhelmed. I was slowly getting back outside and into nature after a long summer of festivals and a number of years sitting inside and away from other people creating mala beads for my then small business, Chant Malas. As I spent more time outside, something I’ve always done since I was young, I started toremember myself again: my love of teaching and holding space for others to experiment with their writing and overall creativity in different ways, my love of nature and people, my love of movement and of being with my own body and my love of creating conversations and work that would supportthose that needed it in unique and inspiring ways.

Where do you find your inspiration?

By getting outside! Everything I do now is governed by Nature and the seasons around me. I try to get outside by running, cycling or sea swimming at least three times a week (work/children/weather-permitting!) and giving myself this time helps me to reconnect with my creativity and keep myself grounded. I take my children to the woods or beach (I’m very grateful that I live in Brighton and close to the sea) as much as I can and this always inspires me to see things through their eyes, each object, colour, creature an opportunity to look at things differentlyand create something entirely new.



When your inspo levels are low and things look pretty bleak, how do you get yourself back into your creative space?

Meditation and getting outside. I try to practise some form of meditation every day, be that seated meditation or a moving meditation like cycling, just something that reconnects me to my breath and body and reminds me that my heart is still beating, the tides are still rising and retreating, the moon still waxes and wanes, and nature is still moving in the way that she always has and always will.

Any words of wisdom or advice for those who find themselves lacking inspiration at this moment in time?

  • If you can, get outside. If you can’t, open the window! Enjoy and feel gratitude for the light, the wind, the clouds…all of it! 
  • Breathe.
  • Remind yourself that everything passes and that this little gap, or moment of retreat, respite (however you want to reframe it) won’t last, even if it feels like it will
  • Open a notebook and just start writing. Sometimes if I’m feeling a bit flat need to get inspired again, I set my timer for half an hour (or less if I’m pushed for time) and I just start writing. Even if it starts out as nonsense, the more I write the more I can sift through the words and ‘stuff’ that is clogging up my channel to my own creativity and find a little more clarity and refinement in my thoughts. You could start with the phrase (which usually works for me) ‘what to write when the words won’t come…?’
  • Meditate. If we consider that meditation is something that is an opportunity to bring our mind to just one point of focus, then anything can be meditation: writing, movement, the breath. In doing this, you have to sift through all the ‘stuff’ in order to focus on that one thing, in order to start to notice the space between each thought and gain inspiration from what you might findthere. Even just musing on that is enough to get me re-inspired. If you find that your mind starts to spiral, try using something very ‘concrete’ as your point of focus: use a mantra or a set of mala beads that you roll through your fingers, maybe count the inhalation and exhalation e.g.‘in, 2, 3, 4, out, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
  • Use one of my writing prompts on Instagram or on the podcast! It’s what they’re there for :-)

Where can we find you and your work?

I post my nature-inspired writing prompts on my Instagram @prompted.by.nature and have a podcast on which I interview inspiring creatives who work in and with nature in some way. Each episode is punctuated by a meditation and writing prompt to help listeners to engage with and gain inspiration from the conversations in a more profound way. You can find it by searching Promptedby Nature wherever you get your podcasts.

My website is www.promptedbynature.co.uk where you can find free audio meditations, podcast episodes, information about my weekly online nature-inspired creative writing sessions and my nature-based outdoor meditation and creativity day events as well as my blog and personal writing.


ABOUT HELEN

Prompted by Nature podcast presenter and outdoor meditation and creative writing teacher Helen lives, works and creates in Hove, UK.  She is usually to be found wandering the forests and seasides of the South Coast and South Downs with her two small children, as well guiding writing & meditation groups in her local woodlands and natural spaces.  

Helen worked as an English teacher for ten years in South London, Sussex and Spain and is a qualified yoga and meditation teacher taking inspiration from each of these specialisms to create everything you see in her work at Prompted by Nature.  

She is dedicated to making nature writing and meditation accessible to all, helping to connect you with your own creativity and voice using nature as your prompt by creating safe spaces for wandering and creating.   Her Instagram feed is dedicated to nature-inspired writing prompts that help you gain confidence in your own creative voice and connect to the nature around you in a more profound way.

In her spare time, Helen runs a local community conservation group caring for and protecting a local green space.

Related posts

01/63
Glastonbury2015LowRes96copy

Fri 8 Sep 2023 Christina Hunt

Glastonbury 2023 with The Pop-Up Hotel

2023SoulCircusPostTemplates7

Wed 21 Dec 2022 Ella Wroath

PRESENCE | Daily Plunging with Ella

2023SoulCircusPostTemplates6

Tue 20 Dec 2022 Christina Hunt

PRESENCE | Meditating with Michael

2023SoulCircusPostTemplates2

Tue 20 Dec 2022 Christina Hunt

PRESENCE | EFT with Emily

2023SoulCircusPostTemplates1

Tue 20 Dec 2022 Christina Hunt

PRESENCE | August's Garden

2023SoulCircusPostTemplates

Tue 20 Dec 2022 Christina Hunt

PRESENCE | Innercamp + Breathwork

PinkModernMinimalistFashionCompanyProfilePresentation2

Thu 22 Sep 2022 Christina Hunt

The Humans of Soul Circus | Caroline from Colour Flow Active Wear

PinkModernMinimalistFashionCompanyProfilePresentation1

Thu 22 Sep 2022 Christina Hunt

The Humans of Soul Circus | Maxine + Sarah

PinkModernMinimalistFashionCompanyProfilePresentation

Thu 22 Sep 2022 Christina Hunt

Soul Circus Fashion

IMG_1753

Wed 20 Jul 2022 Christina Hunt

The Benefits of Kid's Yoga

GET_UK_EE_PUN07482_RL

Tue 21 Jun 2022 Christina Hunt

Mindful Pleasure in Every Sip

157431667_5156311547772852_4263454441847811609_n

Tue 21 Jun 2022 Christina Hunt

The Granthis & The Three Suns Meditation

InnerCamp139

Mon 13 Jun 2022 Christina Hunt

Forget everything you think you know about Tantra

IMG_7887

Sat 7 May 2022 Christina Hunt

The Truth About Healing | Stephanie Hilborn

ScreenShot20220323at10.28.19AM

Wed 23 Mar 2022 Ella Wroath

We Are All Connected

IMG_20210901_125624_878

Mon 21 Mar 2022 Christina Hunt

The Benefits of Shadow Work

laura1

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 11

rad1

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 10

AndrewProdPhotographyWebVersion3301

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 9

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 8

_DSC90751

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 7

SJ21

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 6

_DSC85271

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 5

ScreenShot20210916at11.36.13AM1

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 4

image011

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 3

_DSC20731

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 2

_DSC5262

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Humans of Soul Circus | Part 1

PHOTO202009220729361

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Finding Inspiration | Genre Bending with DJ Yoda

PumpkinSoupEdited4

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Ella Wroath

Finding Inspiration | Slowing Down in Thailand with Jamie

ScreenShot20201211at8.16.30AM

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Finding Sunshine in Portugal

FullSizeRender1

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Ella Wroath

Black Lives Matter, the Pandemic, and Everything in Between

EladItzkinYogaPhotographySoulCircuselad4240

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Ella Wroath

Surviving Kids in Lockdown

74701584_2467277696843405_6715406805834399744_n1

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Ella Wroath

Community in the Time of Corona

SoulCircusDrishtiYogaPhotography111

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Ella Wroath

On The Bright Side

forest

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Planting a Soul Circus Forest | Christina Hunt

ScreenShot20210619at9.38.10PM

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Personal and Social Codes | Emily Young

034LevitexPillows

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Sleep Posture: A Cheat’s Guide To Quality Sleep | Levitex Sleep

HOLOS21GH6

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

How Holos Started Brewing For Good | Naomi Partridge

image5

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Yoga is Political | Amuna Schmid

InShot_20200714_172758900

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Harvesting the Moon's Magic | Bex Milford

ScreenShot20210617at12.30.47PM

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

The Art of Play | Andy Nathan

LizCooperPhoto21

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Healing Your Root Chakra Through Sound | With Kayce

10063_0010051

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Raising Vibrations Through Devotion | What are we REALLY devoted to? With Robert

4AC41D8B412448CB89996235A58D09A4

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Raising Your Vibration Through Science | With Jake

121702470_3327814883963286_199258440721161583_n

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Finding Inspiration | Molly the Sunshine Yogini and the Musician

SCJOURNAL_EMROMETCALFEPHOTO11

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Finding Inspiration | Photography with Emily

90233766_889089861538289_539581212457435136_n

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Finding Inspiration | Pivoting with Brandon

rac

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Finding Inspiration In Your Why | Racquel

Bridget1

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Rest, Restore and Rejuvenate Your Soul with Reiki | Bridget Hooper

image2109200345

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

The Science of Sleep, Anxiety and Stress | Stephanie Romiszewski

SC_2019_EMROMETCALFEPHOTO8

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Creating a Solid Sleep Routine | Caroline Cornish

LJHeadshot

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

The Sense and Power of Community | Evntmkrs

CopyofWild1A2A9305

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Eco-Friendly Deodorant Brand Doing Its Bit For The Climate-Friendly Community | Wild

LifeStyleImage1

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Bringing Everybody & Every Body Together Through Yoga | Yogi Bare

SC_2019_EMROMETCALFEPHOTO164

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Building an Authentic Community | Dan Peppiat

IMG_6780

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Build a Bridge to Spring | Academy Healing Nutrition London

SC_2019_EMROMETCALFEPHOTO178

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Eating With Your Gut in Mind | Ms Holistic

DonnaFord2019FlourishingPantry39

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Regeneration Through Work | Vicky Shilling

SC_2019_EMROMETCALFEPHOTO82

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

How to Boost Your Immune System with Yoga

EladItzkinYogaPhotographySoulCircuselad5294

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

The Places I've Been | Daniela Olds

Upwardfacing

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Christina Hunt

Getting Lost to Find Yourself | Dijana Krnjajic

EladItzkinYogaPhotographySoulCircuselad4237

Mon 17 Jan 2022 Ella Wroath

Becoming the Circus