Finding Your Creative Center
I once spent a winter in a cabin so remote the only consistent sound was the wind scouring the snow from the trees. In my early years, a silence that deep would have felt like a failure, a sign I was on the wrong path, far from the galleries, the openings, and the important conversations. The hum of a big city felt like the sound of relevance, and I worried that out here, I was becoming invisible. But that winter, something shifted. The silence wasn’t empty. It was full of potential, a vast, uncluttered space where I could finally untangle my own thoughts from the endless chatter of what art was supposed to be.
Many artists living and working in northern communities share this feeling. We’re told the action is elsewhere, that we’re missing out. I’m here to tell you that’s a myth. The quiet you’re living in isn’t a disadvantage; it’s your greatest asset. It’s the fertile ground for a creative reset, a chance to build a practice that is deeply and authentically your own, far from the crowd.
Letting Go of the Cultural Noise
In a major cultural center, you’re constantly bombarded with information: the hot new show, the trending style, the critical discourse of the moment. It’s exciting, but it’s also incredibly loud. That noise can easily drown out your own creative impulses, pushing you to respond to the conversation rather than starting your own. You begin to measure your work against others, to chase trends, to wonder if your ideas are relevant enough.
Being physically removed from that pressure cooker is a gift. It gives you the freedom to be gloriously out of step. You can pursue an idea for months or years without worrying if it’s fashionable. You can develop a visual language or a storytelling style that is born from your unique surroundings, not from a gallery wall in Toronto or Vancouver. This distance allows your artistic voice to grow in its own microclimate, becoming resilient and distinct. It’s not about ignoring the wider art world, but about engaging with it on your own terms, when you choose to.
Using Creative Solitude for Deep Work
The modern world is built on distraction. Our attention is the currency everyone wants. But meaningful creative work requires the opposite: long, uninterrupted stretches of deep focus. This is where creative solitude becomes a powerful tool. When your social calendar isn’t packed and the city isn’t calling, you have the time and mental space to truly immerse yourself in a project.
Think of the long winter nights not as a period of isolation, but as an extended artist residency you’ve granted yourself. This is the time to read, to experiment, to fail and try again. It’s an opportunity to master a new skill or dive into the history of your region, finding storytelling inspiration in archives or old maps. This deep work is impossible in 30-minute increments between appointments. The quiet of a northern town provides the structure for a disciplined and focused practice, allowing you to build a body of work with substance and complexity.
Building a Different Kind of Community
Of course, art doesn’t happen in a complete vacuum. We need connection and feedback. But we must broaden our definition of what a remote artist community looks like. It may not be a dozen painters in a warehouse district, but it’s just as vital. Your community might be the elder who shares stories of the old days, the biologist studying local wildlife, or the musician who understands the rhythm of the seasons.
These connections form the basis for a rich, interdisciplinary arts practice grounded in place. Your work becomes a point of connection, a way of weaving together the different threads of your town. This is a community built not on competition or networking, but on shared experience and mutual respect. The goal isn’t to replicate the city’s art scene, but to cultivate something more rooted and, in many ways, more resilient. Your creative life isn’t happening despite your location; it’s happening because of it. Embrace the quiet. Listen to what it has to say. It’s probably the most important voice you’ll ever hear.
This summer, our arts program is a vibrant hub empowering artists and the arts sector across Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Northwestern Ontario. Our focus is on providing professional development and storytelling opportunities, which includes taking a deep dive into a different story every single Thursday. We’ll explore how these narratives are told, what we can learn from them, and how they can inspire our own creative work. Our program was originally seeded in 2022 with funding from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse. Now in our third season, this summer’s program is made possible thanks to the support of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the Ontario Arts Council, whose funding is helping to support this season’s valuable mentorship and internship program.
About the Author
