Below I share with you the beginning of a series of posts about the seasons of our creative lives and how we can recognize and make the most of each of these seasons.
First a little acknowledgment of the turning of the seasons.
Turning to Summer
This Sunday, June 21, marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice, a time that human beings have honored with ritual and celebration for thousands of years.
Take some time to mark this seasonal turning in some way, large or small. Honor the gifts of the life-giving sun that brings energy, warmth, growth, light and power. Welcome these gifts into whatever area of your life that needs them and honor those areas of your life that are beginning to, or longing to, grow and expand at this time of the beginning of summer.
This is a good time for setting intentions for the season ahead.
Allow yourself to get quiet and tune into your heart. You might sit in the sun or light a candle and connect to its light.
Ask your heart what is wanting to grow in this season of summer, what is wanting your care and cultivation? Create a life-giving intention around this and write it down where you can see it and be reminded of it throughout the summer.
Commit to your intention but allow it to unfold as it needs to, perhaps in surprising ways or taking unexpected directions. Be committed but not attached. This is the most powerful, creative stance to bring forth our dreams into reality.
The Seasons of a Creative Life — Part 1: Spring
Here, I talk about the springtime of creativity when we are flowing with inspiration and new ideas.
Your creativity moves in cycles and has its seasons, just like everything else on earth.
By becoming aware of these seasons and learning to move with them, we can make the most of them and foster a healthy relationship with our creative life that helps to ensure we can keep being creative, passionate and inspired for a lifetime.
So, let’s take a look at the seasons of every creative life.
Remember that these seasons move cyclically, repeating over and over throughout our life. They probably won’t coincide with the seasons of nature.
Your creativity has its own rhythms and is influenced by more than just the movement of the planets and the sun.
Some of your creative seasons may last a few weeks, others may last many months.
If you are not experiencing any creativity, you may need some help getting flowing again. My classes and individual mentoring can help you with that. Visit the Play with Me page to find out more.
Springtime: A Burst of Inspiration and Energy
In the Spring of our creative lives, we are bursting with inspiration, fresh ideas, enthusiasm and energy.
We are eager to try new things, begin new projects, take risks, reach out and express ourselves. We may have more ideas than we can possibly follow. We may feel we are flowing with life force energy.
Carve out as much space and time for your creative life as you can when you are feeling this way. Make use of this blessed time of inspiration and capture those good ideas somewhere where you can access them later. Keep notes, post-its, images, recordings—whatever helps you remember and build on all that inspiration flowing through you now.
Set things in motion. You’ll need to choose one or just a couple of your grand ideas and start working on them.
Don’t get distracted by all the possibilities or try to do everything at once. Pick one idea and plant that seed, get into action while you have the inspiration and energy.
Spring is the time for planting seeds and starting gardens. Make the most of this time. If your creativity is waking you up early or in the middle of the night or keeping you up until all hours, go with it as best you can and use this precious time. It doesn’t last forever.
It is important not to squelch the enthusiasm of this springtime in your creative life. Be careful not to get too “practical” or “realistic” at this time, trying to figure out if it is reasonable or possible to do what it is you are feeling inspired to do.
Don’t squash your enthusiasm with “but that will never work,” or with doubts about your capacities. If you are feeling inspired to write an 800-page historical novel, let yourself dive in. You may find yourself later altering your course in some valuable way, led to some other path you never imagined, or you may find yourself having completed a wonderful novel. Either way, it’s a win.
Be careful with whom you share your good ideas. Notice which of your friends, family members and associates tend to be a wet blanket to your inspiration and which of them encourage you to “go for it!” Stop trying to get approval from others. Keep your bright ideas close to the chest, as they are still young buds, needing tender care.
In my next post, I’ll introduce you to the creative season of Summer and how we can make the most of that time.
Until then, keep creating!
Maxima
