Anna Brones’ Scandinavian saltwater idyll

About this episode

Katherine May and Anna Brones discuss the intersection of Swedish heritage and creative processes against the backdrop of the Pacific North-West.

Not too warm, not too cool, the kind of evening where you’re still in shorts but have pulled on a sweater, is where we find ourselves this week with the wonderful writer and papercut artist Anna Brones.  It’s the Pacific North-West but imbued with Anna’s Swedish heritage as she brings comfort and nostalgia - cold water swimming, her grandmother’s woollen blanket - to a cosy spot on a blustery shore. Together, Katherine and Anna explore ideas of home, desire for the place you are not, ‘the curse of the creatives’ and share fascinating insights into both of their creative processes.  Links from the episode:   Anna’s book Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break   Anna’s newsletter Creative Fuel Anna’s website https://www.annabrones.com/ Anna’s Instagram   Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript, to discover how to enjoy our bonus episodes, our ad free episodes and if you subscribe, how to submit your own idea for a dream retreat. Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing : UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website Production Credits Guest Booker and Admin…

People in this episode

Host: Katherine May

Guest: Anna Brones

Topics covered

• Scandinavian culture
• creative processes
• cold water swimming
• nostalgia
• home
• art

Keywords

• Anna Brones
• Katherine May
• Scandinavian saltwater
• cold water swimming
• creative processes
• nostalgia
• home
• Fika

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Clearing, The Leaf Library, Acast, Instagram, Substack, www.theclearingpod.com, https://www.annabrones.com/

Books & works: Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break

More episodes of The Clearing with Katherine May

• Alice Vincent’s joyful soundscape of human togetherness · June 4, 2026 · 56 min
• Joycelyn Longdon on imagining an abundant future · May 28, 2026 · 49 min
• Yasmin Khan’s warm seas and verdant greens · May 21, 2026 · 55 min
• Kate Bowler’s Bridge of Absurdity · May 14, 2026 · 52 min
• Jeffrey Boakye’s city path to peace · May 7, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Jackie Morris & Robert Macfarlane ‘dream of nest’ · April 30, 2026 · 1h 1m