Welcome – and thank you for reading this.
You may have noticed that there was no post here during August, and only a brief update Newsletter (for those of you who are subscribed). That’s because I had set the intention to spend August with clearly defined work, phone and creative boundaries.
I had scheduled a post – but when I read it just before it went live, it didn’t fit with what I wanted to say after my summer. So I cancelled it. And now it is already September, the equinox has passed, and this morning there was even a frost!
This shift reminds me of how time is experienced: some summer days seemed to last a joyfully long time, and yet the whole season has whirled past.
Experiencing Time
Time is fleeting, so why do we struggle with how we choose to pass it?
- What takes priority in the moment?
- Do we even give ourselves a choice?
- How do we shift from unhelpful habits to purposeful decisions?
A Creative Experiment
For August, I decided to sketch something every day. My initial idea was to share the results online, but I quickly realised that posting diminished the original purpose. So I let go of that.
Instead, the activity became a shift in attention each morning. Rather than defaulting to my phone or laptop, I began each day with coffee and a thought about what I might like to observe. I started to get excited about seeking new things to see, and how where I positioned myself made so much difference. I noticed the shapes of trees affected by the prevailing wind and how the light changed during the day and as the weather changed, in the most extraordinary ways.
I packed my sketchbook and watercolour set for days out, and on home days I’d sit by the window or wander outside to look for inspiration. I even took my SLR camera to capture images of moving wildlife that my drawing skills aren’t quite up to (yet!).
Unexpected Side Effects
There have been some surprising benefits:
- I loosened the hold of my morning phone habit, and even now I’m back at work, it’s after coffee.
- I’ve been more present with the children at breakfast.
- The whole family started to sketch more
- I now have a pile of little sketches that remind me of our personal observations of nature over the summer.
- Most interestingly, I find myself and the family noticing our surroundings with fresh awareness.
It turns out that it wasn’t so much the action or the choice each day, but the repetition that had the greatest effect.
Linking to Balance
In the Autumn Newsletter, I talk about how balance is a constant state of flux and undulation. The art is to create a stable baseline: default patterns that allow flexibility, sustainable parameters to pivot from, and a grounded norm where basic needs are fully met. From there, we can make the most of abundance when it comes, and face extremes when they arise.
As the year shifts onwards, I know that my greatest rewards will come from combining these learnings: allowing a fluidity that creates space for curiosity, creativity and growth.
Time and balance.
My practice for the next few weeks will involve
Shifting from:
- “I don’t have the time” to “How will I use this time that I have?”
- “Hold still, I’m trying to balance” to “How can I experience this with a sense of balance?”
Observing things from different perspectives lifts the blinkers and opens the mind to new and expansive thinking.
I lead from a place of imperfection, where there is always space for new understanding. I will share more of this as I start on my journey to curate a collection of musings, activities and ideas which I hope will offer you inspiration to take your own path.
If you haven’t already – why not subscribe to our email list and receive updates on our events and ideas for “little practices” to give yourself a mini-retreat.
