It's winter. And for many photographers, that means cozying up by the fire with our laptops and a cup of coffee and working hard through those projects we want to get done before busy season starts. We're setting up shop for next year, updating galleries on our websites and our bridal guides, and anxiously waiting for Showit robots to show up.

When we're in this “working hard” stage of our business every year and not out shooting, sometimes our creative appetites aren't being fed. We're starving to do what we love and it can lead us to feelings of un-inspiration and winter doldrums.

We asked Showiteers what they do to stay inspired through the winter months! So while you're making sure 2017 is on the up and up, take a break from working on taxes, and writing blogs for days, and make sure to do a few things for yourself! Feed your creative soul so it doesn't get hangry!

Here are a few great ways how :

Showiteer Loren Jackson of Loren Jackson Photography loves to read books. She reads as many as she can!

Tori Watson says she “takes time to actually read for growth and inspiration. Look to areas outside of my industry for inspiration (home decor & style magazines, etc). Take the time to do other artistic endeavors – DIY art, rearrange home decor, make photobooks & prints of personal work.”

Callie Beale says she loves to “play outside and shoot for fun! I have blogged a few adventures! I've also been reading The Night Circus and I am really loving it! Also, Lara Casey's PowerSheets are just the best thing.”

We came up with our own list, a guide if you will to help you stay inspired! Here are 5 things you can do this winter to help keep you out of the winter blues!

1. Try a new art form. I recently started water coloring and I'm absolutely addicted. Next winter, my goal is to learn hand lettering. Because it's SO PRETTY.
2. Shoot for yourself and challenge yourself. You can find hundreds of photo challenges online, but recently I've really been inspired and challenging myself by taking one awesome photo of my children in our everyday. It's not glamorous at all and requires absolutely zero planning or cleaning, which I love.
3. Take a weekend trip or day trip. If it's not in your budget to jet off to Paris for the week, try finding a place a little closer to home. Go camping, try a new hiking trail. Get lost on back roads intentionally. And don't forget- take your camera!
4. Magazines. Magazines can be one of the best sources of inspiration. Fashion, food, you name it. Even the ads are full of imagery that is beautiful, and cutting edge. And the stories and articles are usually dripping with inspiration. Load up on a few the next time you check out at the supermarket.
5. Write. One of the biggest inspirations for me is to write. Anything and everything. I recently started a journal for my children and I'm absolutely loving going back through and reading it already. Expressing ourselves through words is sometimes hard, but once you get started and keep at it for a while, it becomes easier and easier!

We'd love to hear from you! What are YOU doing to keep your creativity fed this winter?

Cassie Jones

Cassie Jones is a wedding photographer located in Romance, Arkansas. She loves peanut butter M&M's, vanilla lattes, rapping in the car, her two children and her husband.