Are You Considering Your Creative Season? Strategies for Creating MORE During Each Season
How often have you found yourself stuck in your creative process? One of my favorite ways to look at creativity is just like we look at the seasons in nature! In my own creative process, I have found myself getting stuck just because I’m not recognizing that there is a season in everything…. including creativity!
Similar to the changing seasons in nature, the creative process offers unique characteristics and challenges. Each season offers opportunity to change and grow in different ways. This article will help you understand each of these seasons in a new way so you can align with their natural processes. Check them out below, along with their characteristics and challenges and some strategies for adding creative value in each season:
1. Spring is a Time of Renewal and Birth of Inspiration
Characteristics: Spring is a time of new beginnings where things to come to life. Inspirations and ideas appear out of nowhere just like buds of fresh flowers ready to bloom. This time of creativity is filled with moments of excitement and enthusiasm along with spurts of unbound energy.
Challenges: Overexcitement can lead to a crushing of ideas before they are ready to blossom. Allow time and space for your ideas to bloom on their own. Be sure to nurture your inspirations along the way. You don’t look at a flower bud and yell “why haven’t you bloomed yet”? So don’t yell at yourself because your creative inspiration hasn’t fully come to life either.
Spring-time Strategies: Brainstorm and be open to new ideas…Try free-association writing, learn about mind-mapping or find a friend to brainstorm with. Remember… there are no bad ideas when brainstorming!
2. Summer is a Season of Active Growth
Characteristics: Summer is about expansion and growth. In terms of creativity, this season is marked by a time of productivity, where the ideas born in spring are brought to life. This is where the action happens, and you actively work to develop and manifest the inspirations that came to you in the spring. Be it writing, drawing, cooking, gardening, designing and MORE, this time is marked by creative momentum and flow.
Challenges: The enthusiasm of spring leads to motivation to get things done, but the active nature of the hard work and pushing through can lead to burnout. A focus on product rather than the creative process can interfere leading to a disconnect from inspiration and an increase in frustration.
Summer-time Strategies: A willingness to work hard is going to pay off, but be willing to take time to rest and rejuvenate. Consider how you can make work fun and playful. Collaborate with others by organizing work sessions. Solicit help by creating paid or volunteer opportunities. Be will to ask for help when things become over-whelming. Schedule in breaks throughout the day, taking the seventh hour, or seventh day, off for rest. During times of rest, notice and reflect on the progress you are making.
3. Autumn is a Season of Harvest
Characteristics: Autumn is a time when you really see the reward of your hard work. It’s a time of harvesting and celebration. Autumn is also characterized by a time of reflection where you gather insights and assess what worked and what can be improved upon for future endeavors.
Challenges: It’s possible for reflection to lead to judgement and self-criticism, particularly if things don’t turn out as you’d hoped or planned they would.
Autumn-time Strategies: Enjoy the successes before moving on to the next creative endeavor. Express gratitude to the Universe and people who helped you in the process. Take time to reflect on your creative experience and consider asking for feedback from people you trust. Make corrections where needed. When it comes to the imperfections, try practicing acceptance. Be sure to non-judgmentally ask yourself: what did I learn? What will I do differently in the future?
4. Winter is a Season of Dormancy and Rest
Characteristics: Winter is a time of hibernation where we are meant to rest and renew. This creative season is marked by dormancy of ideas and inspiration. Know that the rest allows your psyche time to work through unconscious memories, dreams and ideas. These ideas may remain unconscious until the season of spring, but know that rest allows the magic to happen whether you are aware of it or not.
Challenges: The stillness of flowing inspiration in the creative winter often results in feelings of restlessness and depression. What is often described as a creative block is a necessary period of dormancy. This time is undervalued in our culture, but it is essential and must not be avoided if you want the creativity to flourish when spring arrives.
Winter-time Strategies: Spend time resting, learning and digesting. Give yourself a break. Take time to meditate, journal and read. Practice alignment with mindfulness. Consider restful ways to nurture yourself. Remind yourself often that this season is necessary and new ideas and inspirations will spring forth soon.
So what creative season would you say you are currently in? What characteristics have you experienced lately that would help you recognize the season and what are you doing about it?
If you are looking for help identifying and managing your creativity more effectively, then I can help! My coaching sessions will help you recognize and navigate these seasons in a new way. These sessions are personalized to meet your individual creative needs. Reach out to schedule an appointment at mary@fullcircleprograms.com