Sunday, January 24, 2016

The rhythms of nature


Anybody trying to create on a regular basis eventually runs into the problem of the creative well running dry, or, writer's block.  I think it's important to remember that in nature, nothing produces new growth year-round, all the time.  Blossoming, fruition, and harvest happen in seasons that are best for that life form.  Bulbs and plants that have been forced to bloom out of season are weakened afterwards, sometimes irrevocably.  They haven't had enough time to replenish their systems and are exhausted and spent.  There are times to be tough on yourself and times to be gentle.  Forcing yourself to "bloom out of season" might accomplish an immediate goal, but be disastrous for you in the long run.

After the blossoms of spring, fruition of summer, and harvest of fall, there's winter, an entire season of dormancy, hibernation and rest.  If you've run out of inspiration, motivation or energy, let yourself rest.  Celebrate winter:  sleep, eat, rest, ponder, mull, consider, contemplate.  Don't force anything.

It's all about mountains and plateaus.  When you're first learning something, the improvements are like the beginning stage of climbing a mountain.  You can see the progress easily.  As you get better, your progress will not be so dramatic and you'll reach a plateau where you don't seem to be making much progress.  And those plateaus can seem to last longer than the climbs.  But plugging away in the plateaus are what make you strong enough for your next big push.  Keep plugging away and you'll get there, in your own time and in your own season.

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