What Artist Season Are You In?
As an artist there are times when I’m super inspired, churning out new ideas, researching, going to see other artists’ work, rehearsing and producing and then there are other times when I’m not quite “productive” at all. I’m doing the normal everyday stuff that everyone has to do like making meals, doing laundry, teaching, taking out the trash (which my daughter actually does), walking the dog, watching Netflix, exercising, going to bed, waking up and doing it all over again. But even during those times when I’m not actively producing new songs, installations, poetry or curriculum for teaching voice and movement, I am still extremely busy. We all are. Life is happening. It’s not just the flashy lights-camera-action of performing and premiering a new project, that makes us productive.
Years ago I had a talk therapist who brought it to my attention that those “slower” times when we’re not in an outflow of production are just another season, like winter. For instance summer harvest doesn’t happen all year round (unless you live in Southern California or the Caribbean and if you do, you will notice the folks there have adapted their lifestyle by moving slower and taking naps). Whereas those of us who live in places with four seasons like New York tend to ramp up for Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall! However, as it turns out, just like food production, if it’s unsustainable for the environment to constantly grow, then it’s also unsustainable for us as humans and artists to constantly produce.
As we head “back-to-school” I am really interested in remembering to cultivate healthy growth practices for the Fall. Earlier this month during my weekly Tuning In series I asked the group what is it that you want to bring with you, or harvest, from summer? What do you want to store away so that you can remember the ripeness and energy of summer? This month I am offering several opportunities where folks can gather and nurture their voices to move into Fall with greater confidence. I hope to see you somewhere fruitful soon!