The Hard Part
Sometimes attractive new rhythms are really just...change.
There are signs all over my local YMCA - pumpkin-colored and encouraging, they proclaim “Start a new fall rhythm!” Naturally, they speak to my “exercise more” intention (I mean, I had to get there to see the signs, so…check), as well as my affinity for seasonality and rhythms. Like lots of us, I’m all about re-starts in September, January, March and June. Or thereabouts.
It’s easy to get excited about the beginning of whatever schedule, weather pattern, activity or taste offers a little spark of newness. School supplies still give me a thrill, though I left the classroom behind years ago. And while I thoroughly enjoyed my my summer sampler box of herbal teas (watermelon was a delicious revelation), I may have found myself ready for a certain seasonally spiced variety this month.
But appealing as beginnings may seem, they’re only entry points. To the hard part.
Have you ever launched a starting over that didn’t quite take? Like a sputtering gas-powered appliance, it might have clicked, fired, and flamed out before you had the chance to find a rhythm. When the wind or weather changes, sometimes our intentions follow along.
I probably have hundreds of journal pages announcing writing routines that petered out before they became daily. At least three years of sign-ups for a short-term artistic challenge that has so far yielded no art from me. Plans made, targets set…reality intrudes on flow.
Most things require that we put in the time and energy to nurture early growth. Like seedlings and children, new habits or relationships don’t just become thriving entities on their own. So while the rhythms of seasonal transformation entice us to change it up and launch promising beginnings creatively or otherwise, it’s important to stay grounded. Change is work. The flickering magic of the first spark is only step one.
What comes next?
After September (and my Y) announce their glorious, industrious, ambitious fall restarts, comes October. And as much as I stand with Anne of Green Gables - “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers!” (L.L. Montgomery), the truth of this season is more complicated, earthier and more chaotic than red-gold-green leaf and apple palettes.
Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm No. 30; Metropolitan Museum of Art, (learn more)
“The painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through" - Jackson Pollock
New seasonal rhythms mean change. Like Jackson Pollack’s master work Autumn Rhythm No. 30, they evoke the ongoing effort, continual movement, and relinquishment of control that follow most great starts - the hard part.
The same applies to our efforts. In the day to day, creative projects may not proceed fully-in-our-control. They have lives of their own.
Less than two weeks ago, I shared an easy-peasy little 5-day trial for you (and I) to dig more intentionally into seeking magic moments. With open possibility to scatter exercises throughout the month or season, repeating some and saving others for the right time, these tools are meant to spark curiosity, imagination and wonder. I was excited to dive into my own new October thing!
But After Day 1, I found myself stuck, not ready to move forward. I have no idea why — all the exercises are ones I’ve used and loved. But my challenge right now involves digging deeper. The hard part, for me, has been letting go of forward motion progress expectations to do more circular, unanticipated, exploration work. My October involves finding my way through a tough character challenge, searching for new ideas, and wrestling with plot.
And I have to acknowledge that it’s hard to pursue the hard parts, or even the motivating sparks in a world where terrible things seem to constantly threaten. But there is still and always magic to find and reason to seek it, for creative solace or creative adventure.
To really live into a daily creative presence, we need to embrace the work of continual change. In the Octobers and Februaries that follow encouraging beginnings, we can support one another to stay engaged with inspiration despite less favorable
Leave a comment below about your creative finds or creative struggles - did you try the challenge? Get beyond Day 1?
Although my intended five days of go-go-going has resulted in extended sitting at the start, it has nevertheless brought me a sort of magic. I’ve found four charms - one sparking a new story, one becoming a morning touchstone beside my reading chair. The other two have helped me deepen my awareness as I go through my days. Apparently, they are my real signals for this season.
May you seize ahold of the creative energy that’s right for your own day-to-days. Good Luck!
I'm with you, Stephanie. Change is more than just making a start, but if we don't make that start, we'll never change. We need both inspiration and determination, vision and discipline. And pumpkins!