As spring quarter enters its third week at Evergreen, the honeymoon phase of your new
class is fading; things are getting real. Finding your routine, even after such a short
intermission, can only just begin to feel familiar by this point in the quarter. The jet lag of
a couple of weeks’ worth of late mornings is bogging you down. Homework is piling up
and aspirations for midterm projects are simmering in the forefront of our minds. While
much of this is the stark reality of college life, Jacqueline Suskin’s novel A Year in
Practice (2023), can align your place in the cycle of the seasons with your own creative
and intellectual energies and forge a framework for success throughout the year,
without burnout, igniting as much of your unique creative spirit as possible.
Suskin’s novel is a beautifully polished resource filled with poetry from each season
and a correlating guide on integrating each phase of the year into our creative work.
From the deep rest of Winter to the community of Summer, Suskin explains each
natural que that the earth provides us, if we would only listen.
Consider reading Jacqueline Suskin’s A Year in Practice and let the seasons restore
and replenish your natural abilities.
Spring
According to Suskin, Spring is about balance and emergence. Refreshing your creative
well, setting clear goals for your newfound energy, generating new ideas and immersing
yourself in inspirational outlets. It’s important not to rush into creation too quickly, just
like the spout that springs up before the late frost, you too could freeze and cease to flourish.
Summer
Summer, I think most of us could agree, nearly forces togetherness. Vitamin D calls us
out of our reading nooks and Netflix holes. Summer is represented in the book to be a
time of connection, of showing off all that we’ve brainstormed and begun. It gives us
time to collaborate and share work. Summertime events bring us together and magically
cultivates lived experience. Community building is key in these months of vibrancy and heightened creative energy.
Autumn
As warm weather dies down for the year, this season naturally nudges us to consider
more carefully our plan for each day. Certain days may sway you to bundle up and reserve your energy for quiet introspective work, while other days promise the last
doses of sun for the year. Stocking up and storing our reflections from the year, our
collected works, our acknowledgments made to the challenges we faced, prepares us
for the cold months ahead. Setting your intentions for a rejuvenating winter is more important with each passing month.
Winter
Winter is a time for self-care. For rest, and restoration. Many creative works come from
the accumulated experience of the year, but in winter your own inclinations need to be
the driving force towards work. When your tired spirit needs to express itself through
your creative process, giving into that desire should feel therapeutic, like a cleansing,
and coming from a place of passion. Journaling, walking, meditating, and yoga are all
examples of restorative practices that can replenish your creative spirit.
