17. Late Summer, Early Creative Harvest

Seasonal Creativity Contd...

August 1st marks our mid-point between the Summer solstice and Autumn equinox*, and the days here in the Northern Midwest have a slow sleepy quality to them. There’s a teetering balance between long, hot days and a hint of the imminent descent into Autumn.

This late-Summer time was celebrated by ancient Celtics as Lughnasadh (Loo-Nah-Sah), and adopted by early Catholics as Lammas (Lah-mahs) – a celebration of the first harvest of grains, baking bread and brewing beer, and preparing for colder months by canning berries, fruits, and veggies. Communities during this seasonal point come together for market gatherings, produce shows, county fairs, and beer-fests to share and enjoy the bounty of the year so far.

To bring the Lughnasadh / Lammas energy into creative life, we need to slow down for a moment (or two or three) to get into a mode of reflecting, sharing, and preparing.

• Review and appreciate what you’ve made this year so far.

  • What’s worked well for you? What have you made good progress on?

  • Are there any project seeds you “planted” that never got going?

• Gather and share with your artist/writer/maker peeps.

  • Tune into what others are doing and exchange tools and tips of your trade. This can be a casual gathering or by attending a conference or workshop.

  • Take a skill-share, or join a writing or sketching gathering online. Anything that makes you feel connected to your larger creative community!

    (Two recs on this front:

    Tina
    at Kinship Handwork has the best virtual sewing classes, and
    Beth Spencer
    at Introvert Drawing Club runs adorable & friendly virtual drawing sessions. Please share your recs if you have any!)

• Look ahead and plan.

  • What do you really need to prioritize giving your creative hours and focus to going into Autumn? Consider things you might want to let go of (for now) to feel more balanced.

  • Make a tangible, actionable goal for your work…if a time-frame helps, think between now and the next turn of the wheel; the Autumn equinox (September 22-23).

    

Thanks for joining me for Creativi-Tea Time! See you again soon,

*(Readers in the Southern Hemisphere are experiencing the mid-Winter-Spring day of Imbolc)