More Swirls in Your Sky

Those of you in the Northern Hemisphere are starting to gather blankets, wood for the fire, pumpkin pies, and TV series DVDs for the cold weather ahead.

On the other hand, those of my friends down South — way down south — are opening windows, selecting vegetable plants and patio furniture for spring.

Are all of us creative people on the same page, though?

Does the solitude of pre-winter stimulate creativity just as much as the wide open spaces of spring?

For us Northern dudes and dudettes, the morning starts in the dark and ends in the dark. Our joys include snow, ice, rain, clouds, no fresh corn on the cob, and no jumps in the pool (unless it’s inside). For our Southern friends, their joys include mosquitoes, sweat, heat exhaustion, and flies in the pie.

Are we both leaving room for inspiration?

My first impulse is to sleep until spring. Being older does that to people. But one that impulse passes, it takes me a bit to get my energy level back up. Once I get used to the blankets and limited sunlight, my creativity makes a turn back into the writing world. I mean, what better place to write than cuddled with a laptop and a mug of hot chocolate?

One winter friend tells me freshly fallen snow inspires her to go to her craft room and start beading. Another does quilting year round — no weather stops her shopping for fabric. Another friend who designs wonderful gardens turns her designs into home baked creations.

Summer artists use the beautiful weather to push them to greater heights. I mean, who’s not inspired to write or sculpt or carve with warm sunshine and temperatures surrounding them?

But for now I am in the first phase. I’ve already gone through the Deadwood DVD series, and keep eyeballing Harry Potter books  or Game of Thrones DVDs. The warm weather is scheduled to take its final bow tomorrow or Thursday, opening the door to cold, crummy weather and cloudy skies and, before you know it, slush and snow mounds.

If you are lucky like I am, though, the stalemate won’t last long. My creative muse is a pain in the __ __ __, coming up with more writing ideas (and alternatives) than I can handle. Don’t worry — yours is hanging around, too.

Be sure to never close the door on them  — you never know what creative and inspirational wonders might come through. Like the Boy Scouts, always be  prepared …