Winter brings a coldness that is meant to allow things to prepare for the spring, for new beginnings.  It is the cycle of life. It is also the cycle of creativity: the deep sleep that creativity sometimes falls into, often when we least want it to, is an essential part of the process.  We need rest, for rejuvenation. Our creative ideas need to hibernate.  I recently read on-line an article about how for some perennial plants the “first year they sleep, the second they creep and the third they leap” and it made me think about how this applies to the creative process.  There are a lot of ups and downs in the creative process, and when you stick with it I believe the same applies.  It may seem at first as if nothing is happening (sleeping, dormant stage) but slowly things begin to germinate and bud. Your creativity, when coming back to it after a long hibernation, may seem to only creep, or perhaps not move at all (but trust me it is creeping all the same, though on the surface you may not see it, as you invest in your creativity (time, patience, compassion, trust, and wonder) the roots under the surface grow stronger so that with persistence (even intermittently) your creativity begins to take leaps.  Leaps of faith in the process; trying new things, expressing a wider range of feelings, processing  deeper into your inner landscape.

Snow provides an insulating blanket for perennial plants.  The deep freeze is needed to protect the fragile plant roots underneath the ground.  Our creativity also requires protection. It requires a time to rest during which it can germinate and grow ideas.  We feed it with our intentions. Intentions to see the world around us and what inspires us. Our intentions to express the essence of who we are.  Our intentions to bring to life, grow, and share our uniqueness with the world around us.  We are creative beings by nature. Like the seed who aspires to grow into its potential, our creativity awaits the thawing to be able to bloom. No part of the process can be skipped to get there. The waiting, as if in a deep freeze, is often a part of it. If we look closely enough we can see that where nothing seems to be happening, something is indeed taking place. When we come to this realization, the wait becomes transformed into a nurturing, a getting ready for what is to come. Planting intentions to cultivate our creativity. Eventually allowing our creativity the strength and persistence of a weed breaking through the crack in a pavement. That is my wish for you; that you may notice the frozen seeds of creativity inside and be ready for their transformation from the depths of your being.

Here are some things to support your creativity thaw. Feel free to journal your response with some free writing: non stop writing, pen to paper, without lifting and without concern for grammar and spelling. And/or draw, paint or collage your response via art journaling.

Emotional awareness: What feelings come up for you when you notice your creativity in a dormant state?

Intention setting: What ways can you nurture your creativity?

Knowing your blocks: What tends to get in the way of your intentions to connect with your creative self?

Take action: What is one thing you can do today to activate your creative intentions?

Now is the time, there is always now.  What is your decision? How will you take some time for your creativity today? How will you stick to your intentions to nurture your creative being?

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