How You Defy the Laws of Creative Physics

It’s officially sweata weatha season here, and I’ve spent the week storing my warm weather clothes and finally pulling out the cozy sweaters and fashion donts that will sustain me for the next six months. Like Lucy said, I’m so glad to live in a world where there are Octobers.

We talked about reading your creative climate recently, but this week, it’s worth exploring your creative season.

The poetry of autumn itself is rife with symbolism about fallow times, preparing for rest, wintering, and unwinding. In a perfect world, (especially if you’re in a 4-season location), you may want to beautifully align your own creativity with the world around you.

You may want that tidy perfection of a calming creative life while the natural world begins to slow down. To create while the world is in bloom and rest while it descends into silence.

But is that your reality?

The biggest lie about creative seasons is that you’re only occupying one of them.

Unlike climate seasons which follow each other regularly and typically last a predictable amount of time, your creative seasons have much looser timelines and can freely defy the rules of physics. They’re… spritely. They — and you — can also exist in two places at once.

You may have a fallow period that stretches for years, or several productive ‘blooming’ cycles in a row.

Or, you might have individual seasons for each project or emotion you’re exploring — with one or two in a quiet hibernation, while others are taking the rooted, blossoming energy of your attention.

Maybe your inspiration is in winter, while your hope is in summer. Health in spring, with work in autumn.

And on and on and on.

One of the best things we can do as creatives is learn to hold paradox.

For me, that doesn’t just mean creating the space to hold differing ideas as once — but also different seasons at once. Right now, the planet is dwelling in all four seasons at once. If you are the planet of your own creativity — you get to do the same.

How comfortable are you at holding space for all of your creative seasons?

Have you taken an inventory lately of just how many seasons you’re currently living in? Make a list of it. How much of that list do you judge? The answers might surprise you. (Because would you judge a tree for its season? Should you judge your own creative leaves as they change colour?)

If this resonates, hop on the Epic Email list below. I send out columns like this every so often just for creatives like you!