📝 Creative Seasons
Embracing the cycles of any creative work
‘Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.’ — R.L. Stevenson
I read this fantastic quote attributed to R.L. Stevenson somewhere on the internet and it immediately captured my attention. Now I have this philosophy in my mind all the time: focus on the little seeds you plant every day that could potentially grow into something bigger in the future, instead of focusing on the current lack of results. It reminds me in a way of the lino print I did some years ago of the ‘Tree of Life’, in such an attempt to represent (and remind me and my partner of) the perception of time, journeys, and possibilities at any point in our lives.
Stevenson’s quote also reminds me of Julia Cameron’s idea on the seasonality of creative work (here she is again!).
Those who are seasoned in creative endeavours know that creative droughts, too, are passing things. (…) There is seasonality, a cyclicity, to creative work.
What Cameron prescribes is perseverance: showing up to work and practicing regardless of the results, in spite of the harvest. I would add that these seasons don’t necessarily last for a few months, but sometimes years, and that keeping a long-term mindset and embracing the season we are in can help us navigate through the creative process in a healthier manner:
❄️ Creative Winter: ideas are dormant so it’s important to keep the consistency in showing up to work
🌸 Creative Spring: the stirring of new ideas and perceptions calls for an open mindset and exploration
🌞 Creative Summer: the ripening of ideas demands that we stay focused
🍁 Creative Autumn: at the time of harvesting ideas and results we need to keep our feet on the ground and think ahead to prepare for the next season
This commonly accepted idea of continued hyper-productivity is ridiculous and unhealthy. As nature, we need cycles, seasons. Resting and hibernating too, are essential to get back to work stronger. But not only do these cycles refer to the effort put in the work - we all know that sometimes certain work gives us energy. That’s why pace seems to be a key concept here. Creating, doing, the work per se requires high energy, intensity, focus, and a quick pace. But during that time of doing we can be more focused on the project than on the things around it. Slowing down is also important in order to be more aware of the world around us, collect new ideas, and learn. In creative careers, like stars and planets that keep on spinning, we need to keep a certain pace, a constant motion, but to adapt and adjust this pace to the creative seasons and circumstances.
This is a practice I apply to my work as an architect and urban designer: I don’t wait to have a project to think, design and create. In between projects and deadlines, when there’s little to be produced or discussed, I take the opportunity to research, learn, and continue drawing. That might be an example of a Creative Winter.
Change is as important as rest. Another idea someone that had gone through a whole career mentioned in one of the lectures at work is that change sometimes is as important, or it has the same effect, as rest. This idea resonated with my personal approach to creating and designing. I do believe we always have the choice of change, whether in art or life. I am definitely changing seasons and starting a new blank canvas here in New Zealand. Both my partner and I were pursuing a change that will bring us more creative energy.
Careers, creative practices, life in general, are all made of cycles and seasons. Once we understand the temporary nature of things we can unlock a process to create more freely, or at least, to tame anxiety and understand that better times will come.
It’s ironic. I think I am currently about to start a Creative Spring (the stirring of new ideas and perceptions) but sadly won’t be getting a real one this year after the long winter in London. Here and now in the South Hemisphere is time for Autumn.
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Happy sketching!
Ana
In which Creative Season are you at the moment? It would be great to hear about it! Leave a comment and share your thoughts :)