9. Futzing Putzing Frittering Puttering

(FPFP)

In the last TeaTime, I expressed the need to pull one’s feet out of the streams of newness, productivity, and hustle. Artist Anna Brones captured my winter hibernation energy so perfectly in her essay about ‘Creative Midwinter’ and making January an in-between month. She defines this as “a liminal space between the old and the new”:

“I try not to say yes to anything big (as much as this is possible) and I try not to hit the “start” button on any new projects. I try to avoid my usual tendency to think of some new thing and immediately start sprinting with it. I try to sit with things a little longer. I try not to overcommit myself. In other words, it’s not a month of launching, it’s a month of ruminating. A month to hibernate, marinate, percolate.”

Ahhhh. Yes. That’s it. 

In the past couple of years my spouse Adam and I had created a name for just this, we’d say: I need to get some “FPFP” time in – futzing putzing frittering puttering. It’s that mode of kind of getting stuff done, but not anything that’s really on a to-list. Cleaning out a drawer, re-organizing some files, moving something into or out of storage, trying out a new recipe.

And then there’s Creative FPFP time. Which for me looks like: 

• Browsing through old notebooks and sketchbooks

• Sifting through bits of paper in the ‘ideas’ file, seeing what pops out

• Writing or sketch play that isn’t connected to an active project

• Going for a walk for the sole purpose of noticing colors

• Wandering aimlessly through a museum

• . . .

It’s not something we necessarily will have a lot of time to do (though, if you do, embrace it!). For my part, book project work is still in full swing so I can’t fully sink into Creative FPFP for any sizable stretches of time. But I’m still making FPFP the vibe for my off-hours in January, and February…and why not let it spill over into March too, as much as is possible?

From Anna Brones, again: 

“A period of creative rest is a moment where the pressure is off, where there is space to dabble and experiment, where there is room to feel like a beginner, where there is a call to dig a little deeper into those ideas and inklings that were pushed to the backburner when you were busy with other things. A moment where you give yourself the space to be.”

Ahhhh. Yes. That’s it.
I’m hoping for some space for seasonal (or otherwise) FPFP time for you too, friend. 🌤

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This post is brought to you by HOME IN THE WOODS: A stunningly beautiful children’s book from New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Eliza Wheeler, based on her grandmother’s childhood and paying homage to a family’s fortitude as they discover the meaning of home.