Jo Rosenthal speaks to several artists about the merits of taking a break over the holidays and discovers how this essential rest invigorates their separate practices.
As the sparkle of 2025 begins to unfold, bringing with it a fresh sense of possibility, the holiday season offers many artists a rare and much-needed pause. For those accustomed to the relentless demands of creative work—where inspiration and deadlines often collide—the turn of the year presents an opportunity to step away from the studio and embrace new ways of finding balance. But for artists, rest is never just about stillness; it’s a process as inventive and nuanced as their art. Whether retreating into nature, indulging in other art forms, or reconnecting with loved ones, the holidays become a canvas for rejuvenation, painted with the textures of personal ritual and experimentation.
From quiet moments of reflection to immersive cultural experiences, these practices reveal the myriad of ways rest informs and inspires their work. The holidays, far from being a departure from artistic journeys, often serve as an incubator for ideas, offering a slower pace that fosters renewal and insight. After all, in art and life, even rest has its rhythms.
For videographer McKinley Akins, recharging means finding literal and figurative distance from the creative grind. “I usually like to get out of town to experience different parts of the world, even if the destination isn’t particularly exciting. If I can’t get away, I prefer to stay in and take a break from the artistic process. For creatives, especially those working and living in places like NYC, it can be overwhelming to be so close to the heart of the creative industries and constantly surrounded by other creatives. Taking a step back—physically and from social media—helps me reset. Of course, Xanax and Lexapro help, too, haha.”
For filmmaker Ambar Navarro, holiday rest remains a dream that stays deferred. “I work every single day through the holidays…in a dream world, I would travel or stay in a cabin, but I have a film shoot in early January, so I work through every day while I can.”
Meanwhile, director Adinah Dancyger embraces a slower, more intentional rhythm during this time of year: “Recharging for me consists of as much sleep as my body will allow, meditating, reading, and watching movies. Lots of water and a considerable amount of baking, too. I love the balance of reflection and absorption during the quiet holiday season, and most importantly, it’s a gentle reminder to move slowly.”
Through these voices, it becomes clear that for artists, rest is as multifaceted as their craft, blending retreat, ambition, and creativity in equal measure.
Rest is as much about decluttering the mind as it is about the space around them. Photographer Alex Bandoni sums it up succinctly with a routine that’s as pragmatic as it is symbolic: “Cut my nails, trim the hedge, smoke pot early in the day, release all remaining audible sighs, organize my toiletries, and throw away the expired pills.” This structured yet liberating approach speaks to the desire for a fresh start, even in the smallest corners of life.
For actor and filmmaker Peter Vack, the holidays offer the freedom to embrace his creative impulses without external pressures: “I recharge by ignoring texts and making as many create mode posts as I want.”
The turn of the year gives a chance to fully immerse in restorative activities that combine relaxation and inspiration. Multimedia artist and chef Mona Palmer takes this time to indulge in film and craft: “My New Year period is mostly filled with lots and lots of movies at home. I archive film stills I capture during my viewings as a resource for inspiration. Otherwise, I knit and hang out with my brother’s cat.” This mix of cinematic exploration and hands-on creativity is a soothing ritual, offering a blend of nostalgia and resource-building for future projects. It’s a testament to how simple pleasures fuel artistic curiosity, even in moments of rest.
For conceptual artist Maxx Wade, the new year becomes an intricate dance of reflection, cleansing, and planning. “At the end of every year, between Winter Solstice and New Year’s Day, I move through a cycle of unwinding, rest, and preparation. Unwinding takes the form of deep cleaning my home—pulling items out from the inner caverns of my closets to clear old energies and gather a bounty to donate to Housing Works. I scrub the space, washing my floors, doorways, light switches, and windowsills. I clean and reset my altar.” Wade’s process, rooted in both ritual and practicality, culminates in a practice of profound introspection and forward-thinking: “Each Solstice, I write out a goal for each year—the overarching theme I sense coming—as well as 1, 3, and 5-year goals. I look back on what I’ve written before, see what comes to fruition, which seeds are still gestating, which are eaten by the worms named, Change.”
For Charlotte Ercoli, rest is both a battle and a blessing. “I am a dormant slob at heart. A slob who hates being a slob and needs things to be clean. Come any period of time off, you will find me working around the clock to fabricate the ‘perfect and relaxing’ environment so I can access some unadulterated playtime/rest. That consists of eliminating & cleaning so I feel at PEACE to just cook, play music, watch movies, read, paint or do whatever I please before I go ape mode on January 1st. Because I create so many disasters and messes as I go, this dream is never fully conquered. But no matter WHAT, I always take a moment to draft up a manifesto for the upcoming year so I can go full throttle with some delusional plan on January 1st!!!! This is essential!!”
From cataloging the year’s pivotal moments to setting intentions for what’s next, Wade’s deeply meditative approach and Ercoli’s intense preparation illustrate how the holiday season offers a structured yet spiritually enriching time for renewal. Together, these practices highlight the myriad ways artists find balance and inspiration in the quiet start to a new year, preparing themselves for the creative challenges ahead.
The early days of January hold a special significance for many artists, offering a moment to reflect and set the tone for the year ahead. Jewelry designer Anna Sheffield shares a deeply personal and profoundly adaptable ritual: “My unwind and reset is most often achieved through ritual. Though my yearly rituals vary primarily due to travel, I have one I like to keep that’s quite mobile and holiday-friendly.
“This rumination is essentially about choosing a word or phrase that sets the tone for the growth or embodiment I want in the year to come. It can be something to aspire to or a kind of quiet mantra. For instance, one year, I focus on ‘grace under pressure,’ and another is just ‘relinquish.’ I can’t tell you how often I say that word to learn to surrender more. I write it in the middle of my front door, so I look at it every time I leave the apartment. This year, I’m still ruminating. I’m thinking a lot about the collective, so it reflects the urge to do more things in communion and collaboration with other people and nature (my art and jewelry materials even!).
“To be in mindful coexistence is also something I think ties to ritual (another big theme). I usually choose to do some writing and visioning in the early days of January and try to find ways to revisit the progress of the word/s in the check-ins as I continue to set goals or journal at the full moon throughout the year. It’s witchy, but it works for me! I’ll let you know where I land with the mantra.”
Sheffield’s reflective and intentional approach underscores a more prominent theme that resonates through all the stories shared in this piece: that rest, for artists, is as varied and dynamic as their creative processes. Whether through quiet rituals, bold reflections, or moments of stillness, the holiday season becomes a time for recharge and a portal into new realms of inspiration.
As the clock strikes midnight on the year’s final day, artists carry their hopes and promises into 2025. For them, rest is not an endpoint but a launching pad—a period of renewal that’s as essential to the creative process as the act of creating itself. The rituals, reflections, and quiet moments of the holiday season aren’t just ways to unwind; they’re the seeds of future ideas, ready to bloom in the year ahead.
Words by Jo Rosenthal
