After delving into the three unavoidable stepping stones on the creative journey I just wanted to revisit this idea of seasons and moving along a path. It will not always be a linear journey. We often revisit places, circle back to old habits and find ourselves moving through seasons of growth, stagnation, learning and exploration. Unlike the seasons we endure in our daily lives, these seasons do not have one specific pattern of occurrence, nor do they have a standard duration. The seasons of the creative life are much more fluid, and we need to embrace them as they come instead of fighting them to stay on the track we think we should be on. This word, should, is such a shame filled word. It’s a word we use to keep ourselves small and scared. We cannot continue to fight the seasons of our lives or of our creativity.
For example, I currently find myself in a more lackluster season on this creative journey. I haven’t gone near my manuscript in a month, begrudge every choreography session and find myself steering away from new creative experiences. However, I am still blogging and posting regularly. Still enjoying the trials and challenges of working with materials in the lab making orthotics. I am learning to enjoy the creativity video games have to offer - no, I did not even think about resisting the wave of Hogwarts Legacy and am quite content in my utter surrender to it.
Another example is the season of NaNoWriMo. In 2021 I completely threw myself into this season of frantic, abundant creativity. However, in 2022, though I began a project I found more enjoyment stalling in the planning phase that in the writing of it, and that stalling was so important for this project as a whole because I needed to marinate the idea, string together the world and align all of the stories I wanted to tell.
Long story short, never fear the season of creative life you find yourself in. Whether you fear stagnation, or are exhausted by the abundance you get to enjoy. Take each season in stride. Though they may not be set to a pattern, they are always working their way back into our lives. By being open to embracing what each of them has to offer, we can gather strength and joy wherever we find ourselves and learn a new appreciation for the nuance of the season.
Comments