The March winds are blowing today. The sky is dark and grey, then I see the long lines of blue sky open up and the sunshine flows through. The days are getting longer. The night skies are getting clearer. I don’t have to wear 3 layers of clothing to stay warm all of the time! All of these signs of spring are tugging at me, and that means my creative juices are beginning to flow again.
In the middle of the winter, which can be cold, and the middle of the summer, which can be very hot, I find myself wondering why I’m not as productive, creatively speaking. I spend time in the studio, but I focus on the less creative aspects of my business: sorting, organizing, and cleaning, feeling okay-productive because I know I am taking care of housekeeping tasks.
Yet I know, in the big scheme of things, that even when I’m doing those ‘mundane’ jobs; even when I’m not in front of a sketch book with pen in hand, even when the dyes are still closed up in their jars, my mind is working on design problems, noticing the colors in the sky, the smell of the coffee, the sounds on the street, the shapes and composition of that plate next to that cup….
Then when Spring arrives, my mind is like a horse at the starting gate. Rearing to get out. I’m not even fully aware of it, I just start doing more - noticing more. The sketchbook gets opened more often, the journal has longer entries, the discussions with friends get more deep. All of a sudden, I am trying to solve the problems of the world – on the small scale as well as big, and I’m trying to solve the problems of being in a creative line of business, and I am delving deeper into current design problems and challenges.
You can see the effects of spring in my work, too. Not surprisingly, the color palette lightens up. It’s fun to step back from a new silk and see all the pretty colors, the yellows and blues and pastels and lavender floating before my eyes. I think “pretty”, rather than “profound”. I look for new inspiration. With a new sense of lightness in the air, the perception of lightness pervades the designs. I think of watercolors, colored pencils, of clarity and softness. I welcome Spring with open arms and open heart.
I look forward to sharing my new designs with you. What do you see opening up for yourself at this time of year?
