12. Are you Springy yet? (or just Tired)
Seasonal Creativity contd...
If you’re feeling all full of new Spring* zest and vigor, Go You! Don’t even keep reading, go do those new things. But if you’re not, don’t feel bad, read on…
Tiredness in the spring for many people is a thing. Interestingly, with the seasonal change my brain energy for new creative things has gone from zero-to-sixty…new project ideas, art supplies, tactile things! But my body and soul energy are saying “No way. We’re still tiiiiiired.” Even though my brain is ready to hit the gas, the rest of me needs to keep the breaks on until further notice. It turns out there’s a German word for this:
In my experience, what tiredness needs most is a pause, and more space. Space to be a little more selective about what we want to let go of, and let in. (And always more space for FPFP).
In perfect timing, I heard a great conversation about just this on the Off The Grid podcast, between Amelia Hruby and Yarrow Magdalena. They talked about embracing seasonality and intentional shifts in business and life, and how, with seasonal changes, there’s a tendency towards barreling forward and letting the new season pile in. But we need to clear away some of the seeds we squirreled away over the winter (which may have turned to weeds) before planting our new spring garden.
“A stage of this transition into Spring is actually a cleaning or a clearing process, because it can be really easy to enter spring, and then just pile spring on top of those piles that we accumulated in the winter. […] [I]f we’re creating space, if these transitional moments if we can use them as a type of void […] then we could be filled with what the next season is bringing us and reconnected to what we’re actually desiring for that season, and what we want to carry forward and what wants to stay in the cocoon of winter and live there longer.”
-Amelia Hruby
I like this framing of “spring cleaning” as a pause to renegotiate the old and make space for the new.
And we can still enjoy the new light, the growing buds, the thawing rains, and it’s OK to be tired while doing it.
An update on the Printmaking Class: I’m very much enjoying the process of using new materials and re-learning silkscreen techniques. I’m going pretty slow with it (with my current tiredness + book project work also in play). But here’s a snapshot of my print in progress:
*For Southern Hemisphere friends currently in Autumn, you may want to snooze all this seasonal nonsense to 6 months from now for better relevancy.
The lovely blue flowers are Scilla, also known as Siberian squill! Bit invasive but ridiculously pretty sprinkled throughout a lawn.
And while I find myself energized in the spring (very likely linked to being thrilled about gardening season), I so agree that if one is tired, one should rest!
I’m really loving aligning with natural flow. Or introducing the idea of aligning with natural flow, inspired by you. Alas, my brain doth not concur. (Crank crank crank is what it prefers). But! We’re re-wiring. There’s hope for us! ☺️ Also, FPFP… perfect for idea incubation!