When it feels like the world around me is spinning, stirring up fear and chaos, I recognize that there is an energy that’s seeking to balance itself. In these times, I look to activities that help me to feel grounded and centered. Sometimes, that means making art, going for a walk with a friend, doing a meditation, or cooking - one of my biggest and most fulfilling creative outlets.
In times of distress, I intuitively start rummaging in the pantry and pulling out vegetable drawers, thinking of something to make that will bring a sense of order and balance to the chaos. We all have our go-tos for creative expression - mine happens to be rooted in the kitchen, the garden or my art table in the studio. My husband has the mind of an inventor - he’s always looking to build, design and combine different materials, curating beautiful spaces, or creating simple tools that make everyday tasks feel effortless. Whatever your special and unique talent is I would encourage you to tap into it, use it and then share it with others. In these dystopian and strange times, we are actually being the given the gift of solitude. It can feel wildly stressful to take steps back from work, exercise, and friendships, but we don’t have to quarantine our creativity. If time feels a bit slower for you because you are working fewer hours or spending less time in social situations, I encourage you to fill it with whatever creative activity feels right: drawing, making jewelry, planting seeds in your garden, cooking from a new recipe or new book…
This is the perfect time for our creative ideas to incubate and for our inspirations to move forward. To slow down and take in the beauty of emerging Spring. To listen to the birds that are welcoming us to their world. It is a time to plant seeds and to live in the blessings of their potential. This year, when the time is right, I will plant lettuce, kale, sugar snap peas, Holy Basil, Italian parsley, collard greens, carrots, beets, nasturtium, zinnia and sunflowers as I patiently wait for the garlic to grow from the bulbs that I planted last fall, and for the perennials like echinacea to peek out from their winter respite. I believe that what we plant and what grows in our environment has the capacity to heal on multiple levels. This summer, when my seeds have (hopefully) emerged into happy plants, I look forward to sharing them with others - trading my friend Lisa herb bundles for her homegrown tomatoes, using my echinacea plants for tinctures, and incorporating my garden into interactive cooking workshops.
Seed companies like Hudson Valley Seed Company and Turtle Tree Seeds honor the growing cycles of the earth, offering up both organic and biodynamic seeds. When the time is right for your growing season, find a sunny garden spot, or pot or a tray on a windowsill and put your hands in the soil. Let’s create vibrant health and well-being together as we give these seeds a chance to fulfill their destiny - which is to bring forth life, healing, and regeneration. I honor the creative being in all of us - the researchers and scientists, the farmers, teachers, doctors, dancers, musicians, artists, homesteaders, mothers, fathers, elderly, children and all ages and vocations between.
