Coming Back to Myself as the Season Changes and Invites a Fresh Start

Earlier this week I sat in my studio with a steaming mug of Dragonwell tea and watched my garden through my new sliding doors. A flash of yellow caught my eye, a goldfinch hovering above the flowers on the hunt for seeds. I listened to the crickets singing their late-summer songs. And noticed a squirrel scurry across the fence with a nut in his mouth.

Sitting and watching my garden is becoming a daily ritual. With my coffee. With tea. As I write in my journal.

I haven’t found a comfy chair yet, so I’ve been sitting in what used to be my desk chair, now piled with blankets. Or I sit on the rug which has become the favorite spot of both dogs and Quin.

I enjoy the different perspectives I now have of my garden. Views I never really had before.

I sometimes forget how big of an impact changing my perspective can have.

On my creativity.

On how I see the world.

On how I feel.

I’d dreamed about this for so long. It’s almost hard to believe it’s real.

I’m welcoming these quiet moments of stillness and observation. Recommiting to slowing down and savoring (again). Perhaps someday I won’t need to remind myself again and again and again to slow down, pay attention and find joy in the present moment.

I’ve been feeling a shift in the air with the change of season.

The beginning of September always invites a fresh start. A new year, back-to-school vibe. My new studio, now mostly set up, is yet another invitation for a new beginning.

What a weird few years it’s been, and I know in the outside world this isn’t going to change (I fear it’s only going to get worse). I’ve been struggling. Stagnating. Wrestling with anxiety and negativity.

But I’m eager for change. More than anything else, I’m eager for a change within myself. I’m grateful for a new nest, my studio, a space to nurture my spirit and creativity while I come back to my joy.

After putting my studio back together I began checking things off my to-do list. A few big projects were waiting for me to have time, space and creative energy. It’s good work. Satisfying. Prepping for a show at Viva Gallery in October. Designing my 2024 calendars and sending them to the printer. Putting the finishing touches on my 2024 tea towel calendar design. Diving back into filming and editing my next Skillshare class.

I’m so grateful to be living my creative life.

This fresh start feels hopeful. As I think about what I want to tackle in the coming months, I feel energized and inspired. I’m feeling the need for a reset. A new schedule. New routines and rituals.

I’m coming back to myself. Coming back to gratitude and joy.

And I’m making sure I sit and watch my garden each day, savoring my new creative space.

How are you this September, my friend? What shifts are you feeling? What projects are you tackling?

No matter where you are or what’s happening in your world, I hope you’re making time to notice and savor, too.