Hello,
My fresh thinking today is about seasons. Not the meteorological seasons, that seem to be getting less and less distinct, but seasons or rhythms we personally go through during a year. There is something in the back of my mind that wonders how closely they connect, however. Today the sun is shining and everything suddenly feels infinitely possible.
Enjoy today's Gathered Thoughts and as ever just hit reply to let me know what you think.
Emma
I listened to an old interview with Amanda Palmer recently, where she talks about the seasons, or cycles, in a career where you "bust ass because you have to". I've been watching my wife go through one of these cycles; she's barely stopped since Easter. It's been unavoidable. The critical thing however is that it's not immediately followed by another similar season. That she takes time to recharge, as she always does with a long break in August.
every artistic career and anything in general has these cycles that you just need to take in, respect, and work around, and then have enough understanding that you don’t stack them back to back to back.
By contrast, my current season has been one of rest and renewal. I've been using this space and time to focus my work on making decisions and plotting my course for the next cycle. It's been necessary so that I know whatever I do next is building towards something, and the specific activities I pursue all connect to that.
I've noticed that this cycle recurs around the same time every year, like a season. The conditions are ripe for it, with fewer people around and less client work. I can get away from my desk more and let my mind expand with new ideas.
I wonder how much these personal seasons impact when the best time is for each of us to set our goals? For me, the right time would appear to be now. Not waiting for an arbitrary marker like the end of the calendar year.
When do you typically set, or re-evaluate, your goals? How does that fit with the seaons or cycles you observe in your work?
In Make kin not nets, Mandy Brown articulates something similar to my approach to making connections. I've always talked about it as planting seeds, and that's not far from her description of kinwork:
Jettisoning networking in favor of kinworking means taking a more ecological approach, one oriented towards nurturing the soil, planting seeds, providing water and sunlight—and then accepting that you have no control over what grows.
I'm currently watching The Walking Dead, and have made it halfway through the 11 seasons. It's possible that I could spend the rest of this year just watching this show. I'm also the type of person who can't leave a notification unread. Pete Brown describes these as completionist expectations. This post is a good reminder that it's okay not to get to all the things. I’ll use it as a challenge to stop watching The Walking Dead if I start to get bored, and be ok with what is left unwatched. The notifications may take a little more time!
When we hit the mid-point of the year, I ran a workshop inviting participants to check in with their goals for the year. To reflect on progress, reset if needed, and plan for the next few months.
You can get the activities from the workshop for just £10, and do a mid-year check of your own.
Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.
- Henry David Thoreau