These days there seems to be a great deal of pressure to always be creating.
Write the next chapter.
Finish that next project.
Launch that next idea.
Post more content.
Work harder!
The message seems to be that if we're not constantly producing something, we're somehow falling behind. The rat race wouldn't be so bad if the rats actually lost once in a while.
As a writer, I have certainly felt that pressure myself.
There are days when the blank page glares accusingly at me. Days where I've only been able to do one paragraph. Days where I've looked back at all I've accomplished and feel like I've done nothing at all.
But nature rarely moves quickly.
A pumpkin seed doesn't apologize for spending weeks beneath the soil before anyone sees any evidence of growth.
A field isn't harvested every day of the year ad yet somehow we expect ourselves to be productive in every season of our lives. Yet, somehow we expect ourselves to be productive in every season of our lives.
Creativity doesn't work that way.
Sometimes our minds are in spring. Ideas arrive in abundance. New stories appear everywhere we look leaving us feeling energized and excited by the possibilities.
Sometimes we find ourselves in summer. We are doing the work, tending to the projects, solving the problems, and watching our efforts begin to take shape.
Autumn is the season of the harvest. It's when we complete manuscripts, finish costumes, launch projects, and finally share our work with the world.
But winter has its purpose too. Winter is the season many creatives fear. It's the season when inspiration feels distant. The season when projects slow down. The season when we rest, recover, and question whether anything is growing at all.
Yet beneath that frozen ground, important work is still taking place.
The roots deepen and the seed waits. The earth prepares for what comes next.
Creativity often follows the same pattern.
Creativity often asks for patience. Sometimes the best thing we can do is step away for a while. Rest isn't the opposite of creativity.
The mind needs space to wander.
The imagination needs room to breathe.
Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is step away for a while.
A field that is harvested endlessly eventually becomes exhausted and unable to produce. So do people.
Trust that not every season is meant for harvesting.
Some seasons are meant for growing roots.
The next story will come and the next idea will arrive.
The next season will come.
After all, even pumpkins need time to grow.
No comments:
Post a Comment