We all go through creative seasons. Our focus varies depending on our mood, our environment, and yes, even weather.

Creativity, I believe, works in a similar way. There are periods of time in which ideas flow and exciting projects start; however, other periods are slower and more contemplative.

Jess McHugh, author of Americanon, reminds us of something essential for any creative process:

Things happen in their time and place, and we can prepare and make plans, but frost might come anyway.

Jess mchugh

The key to identify your creative seasons is on your ability to pay attention to your surroundings. It’s necessary to ask yourself what makes your atmosphere optimal for production. At the same time, being aware of suboptimal conditions allows you to plan for a calmer season.

It’s like being a gardener. They know when it’s time to do things. They also know that trying to wake a plant out of dormancy too soon might lead it to death. Wisdom comes from observation, experience, and adaptation as new seasons arrive.

Gardening situates you in a different kind of time, the antithesis of the agitating of social media. Time becomes circular, not chronological; minutes stretch into hours; some actions don’t bear fruit for decades.

derek jarman

So let’s be like gardeners and learn about the best times to flourish.