Life Experiences – EVELYN KRIEGER

The Seasons of our Creativity

Does the change of season affect your creativity?

A friend of mine recently lamented about her creative slump. “All summer I was headstrong into my novel first thing in the morning. But come September, my energy tanked.”

There are studies to support that seasonal changes influence our creative minds and hearts. One suggests that the warmth of summer may make people more relationally creative and experimental.

The winter, on the other hand, may inspire more introspection and abstract thinking.

Artists are sensitive to the rhythms and cycles of nature. We pick up on sensory cues of the season—sounds, textures, smells, light. Notice how much of seasonal change involves light—its intensity, color, slant, and warmth?

Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons. ~Jim Bishop

It is not only the change in light and weather that impacts us, but the associations we carry with each season. Maybe you feel blue during the December holidays, while others are nostalgic or joyful.

Certain months of the year can stir bad memories or sadness around a particular loss. That’s November for me.

As a writer, I find I’m most creative in the summer time when I’m more relaxed. But because I want to be out doing summer-like things, I’m less productive.

In winter, I’m a hibernator, so this leads to more productivity as I spend more time inside at my desk.

Fall invites reflection and new beginnings with the start of school and the Jewish New Year.

Like the seasons, our creativity ebbs and flows.

The ways in which this change impacts your mind, body, and heart will be unique to you.

As someone who is very sensitive to the seasonal changes, I have developed strategies to align my creative work with these fluctuations. For example, since I suffer from *Seasonal Affective Disorder, Winter is the time I seek opportunities to commune with other creatives in a warmer climate. I’ve been fortunate to attend writing workshops in Key West and St. Petersburg, Florida.

We all have seasons in our life: new jobs, becoming parents, empty-nesting. Seasons of sickness. Seasons of relentless caregiving. Losing a parent. These times affect our productivity and our motivation.

Sometimes we have to surrender to the season and lower the bar for ourselves.

Consider the writer/editor Kendra Levin‘s sage advice:

In the life of any given writing project, we will go through seasons: Periods of germination, creativity, reaping…and lying fallow. We cycle through these phases of letting an idea bubble beneath the surface, drafting it onto the page, molding that first effort….and taking a break from it, to get the clarity and perspective that sometimes only distance can provide. ~The Hero Is You

Our creative output does not take a linear path. And that’s okay.

Recognizing your own response to seasonal changes, can help you work more efficiently in any of your pursuits. Planning around your ebbs and flows can help build creative resilience.

The Spanish-American philosopher and poet George Santayana (1863-1952) wrote:

“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.”

Santayana invites us to view change with curiosity. To let go of our infatuations.

Buddhism echoes this through the concept of impermanence. We cling to the past, to youth, to a lost lover, to a happier time. Such attachments lead to suffering. By releasing our hold on transient times, and accepting inevitable change, we become more appreciative of the present.

We can then embrace the beauty, gifts, and lessons of each season.

Is there a time of year when you feel more driven to embark on creative projects?

*Check out my tips for Beating Winter Blues

Don’t Give Up On Our Country!

The masks are off. Trump, MAGA Republicans, and their billionaire donors have given up on even pretending to govern for the people and are solely looking to line their own pockets and consolidate power.

We’re in a period of what the experts call “authoritarian breakthrough” –– a short period where a would-be authoritarian sprints to rapidly concentrate and consolidate their power while eroding the norms and institutions that could serve as checks on that power.

We’re witnessing this in real time through lawless executive orders, willful disregard for the courts, and vicious attacks on higher education, media, and state governments — and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

They are working to consolidate their power and bully everyone else — businesses, media institutions, universities, law firms, and civil society — into submission.

How do we fight back?

They want us to believe that power in America comes from the top down. That Trump can simply declare himself a dictator, and everyone has to fall in line. That he’ll inevitably win.

But that’s a lie. Power isn’t top-down — it’s bottom-up. Power flows up from the people; through the organizations, institutions, and communities that support the regime; and then to the regime itself. Think of it like a house — the roof is the regime, the pillars holding up that roof are the organizations, and the foundation is the people.

To prevent a slide into authoritarianism, we have to take on the pillars that hold up the roof.

Let’s build a force bigger than fear and louder than hate. Let’s get ready. Let’s get organized.

JOIN ONE MILLION RISING

How to Resist the Ugliness Surrounding Us

In the midst of the dark days of our dying democracy, I continue my morning practice of beginning the day in beauty.

I read a poem. View a lovely painting. Listen to uplifting music. Delight in photos of my innocent grandchildren.

This provides a buffer before the morning headlines, before the latest chaos report from D.C.

When the Roman stoic, Marcus Aurelius, wrote in his Meditations: “Dwell on Beauty,” I think he meant more than just notice beauty around us. Rather, he was urging us to surround ourselves with beauty, to pay attention, to live in it.

Beauty transcends.

“Transcendent Moments” by Marquin Cambell

This ancient advice never grows old. The practice of dwelling on beauty can serve as an antidote to the ugliness of our time.

Bullying. Denigration. Cruelty. Autocracy. Selfishness. Betrayal. Xenophobia. Racism. Hatred. Chaos. Violence. Unlawfulness. Lies. Polarization. Discrimination. Tyranny. Biogtry. Intimidation. Fascism.

I admit this is not an easy practice.

It’s easier to fall into despair.

Easy to get sucked into the vortex of vitriol.

Yet, we cannot afford to crawl into our protective holes.

Now, more than ever—more than 2016—we cannot resign ourselves to defeat.

I invite you to join me and millions others in the Opposition.

“Local groups build and wield power in ways that individuals can’t. To create change, you need the power that comes with working together.” INDIVISIBLE.ORG

“The Washington Democratic Party continues to fail to grasp that the raw material of a powerful Opposition has already emerged, and that it is waiting to built into something new and powerful.” ~ Simon Rosenberg THE HOPIUM CHRONICLES

We need to guard our hearts so we do not become hardened like the self-appointed mad king and his co-conspirators.

In November 6, I wrote about the power of words and art to uplift. Pledge to begin your day in beauty. Share your delights with others.

Then rise up with courage and commitment for change.

The road is long. Let’s travel together.

Where did those 525,600 minutes go? Your year in rear view.

It’s that time of year again. We’re inundated with ideas for setting goals for the New Year. What will you accomplish?

Will you write that novel? Lose those 10 pounds? Run a 5K? Declutter your house? Learn French? Be more patient with your kids?

The pressure is on.

Here’s an idea. What if you just scrapped the goals and resolutions for 2024?

What if, instead, you did a year-in-review? Kind of like what companies ask of their employees.

But here’s the catch: Your write-up may only include what you DID accomplish–no matter how small.

That’s right, NO bashing yourself for what you didn’t get done, improve, gain, orchestrate, or start.

Review your accomplishments month by month. Chances are, by the time you finish, those “small” things won’t seem so small.

This idea was inspired from my youngest daughter. Several years ago, when I complained about how I hadn’t completed my TO Do list, (for the umpteenth time) Audrey suggested that I start keeping an I DID list.

“I think you’ll feel a lot better, Mom.” (Did I mention I have brilliant children?)

While I have not been able to scrap the TO DO list, I’ve adopted this practice in other areas of my life. After a string of writing rejections, I might look at my list of publications to remind myself that I’m not a failure.

Maybe you’re thinking: But shouldn’t I be trying to get better at _________?

I hear you. Self-improvement has become a religion. And I admit to being a faithful member of the tribe.

But for the time being, I going to put a hold on reminders of where I am lacking. Every day we’re fed messages that we aren’t good enough. Not Smart enough. Rich enough. Thin enough. Happy enough. Healthy enough. Optimistic enough. Productive enough.

In our quest to become our Best Selves, the task master often gets the best of us.

So, let’s drop the whip for the time being. Give yourself an A for everything you accomplished in 2023!

If you absolutely feel you must set a New Year’s goal, here’s a good one. Commit to bringing more joy into your life and spreading it to others.

What would that look like?

Could you make joy a daily or weekly practice? What actions would you need to take? Might you create a joy calendar?

If, in the midst of our dark and chaotic world, you can manage this singular goal, I believe your other goals will become easier to attain.

And your better self will be a happier one.

Want to JOYn me?

What Does A Year Feel Like?

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.“
Psalm 90

Once upon a time, I taught first grade.

I remember a humorous incident one December day just before vacation. I helped the children cut out paper snowflakes and write a wish for the New Year. After dismissal, I noticed Daniel still at his desk, stuffing his backpack with his pencil case, books, and folders.

When I asked what he was doing, Daniel replied, “I don’t want to forget any of my stuff. Oh, and thanks for being my teacher. First grade was fun!”

Time may flow in one direction. but how we experience its passage is more individual.

What does a year feel like?

During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, people across the nation reported disorientation about time passing. Funny social media memes abound.

Without our usual schedules, social activities, holiday celebrations, and other time markers, the days blurred together. The heightened stress and fear only compounded this sensation.

Our memories got mushed.

I felt both comforted and validated hearing these reports. Now others might understand what I experienced after the traumatic loss of my father.

Grief and trauma distorts our sense of time.

Days stretch and bend. Past and present fuse. The months seem like moving parts. Memories shuffle like a deck of cards.

The future looms unreal. Waiting unbearable.

I had not known before
Forever was so long a word.
The slow stroke of the clock of time
I had not heard.
Paul Laurence Dunbar

What does a year feel like?

A lifetime. Or a dream. A ballad or a song. A blink.

For some, this state-of-being is temporary. For others, it persists.

Your friend sends a Happy New Year wish and you’re still standing on the edge of June.

Time is a relentless trickster. It plays hide and seek on us. It sweeps by when we’re not looking. Pushes us forward whether we’re ready or not.

Lost time is never found.
Benjamin Franklin

Our brains are hard-wired to remember negative events better than positive ones. We recall rebuke more than praise, and rejection more than affection.

Remembering the good, especially during hard times, can help overcome this negativity bias.

So, I’ve begun making a list of all the good moments of 2022. Looking through photographs and my calendar helps.

Give it a try. You’ll get an instant lift.

Woman at desk with notebook writing a list.

Here are some highlights:

*A January sunset sail in Key West.

*Hanging out with my family members in beautiful Sarasota.

*The joy of attending my daughter’s postponed 2020 college commencement.

*The fun of a family gathering in the Catskills.

*An incredible Writer’s Retreat in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

*Welcoming a new grandson and 2 additional members to our family tree.

*An unexpected birthday gift arrives in the mail.

Forever is composed of nows. by Emily Dickinson

There are joys to be found in the present.

A sunny writing room.

A surprise message from an old friend.

Hugs from your grown kids.

Breakfast prepared for you.

Gratitude gives light to the dark days.

These past months have been very hard. I am grateful for those who stood by me.

I am grateful to the organizations that supported my writing this year: Key West Literary Seminar, Tuscan Book Festival, Joyce Maynard Write by the Lake, and Story Studio Chicago.

And I’m grateful to you readers for sharing this journey through time. Wishing you all a light-filled New Year!

What’s on your best days of 2022 list?