Dear friends,
As the weather warms and April begins, I am stretching my arms wide and coming out of hibernation. Whew - it feels good to move more and change my focus from consumption to creation!
Do you feel that way? I get so shlumpy in winter. I’m more likely to scroll through facebook than visit friends in person. I want to sit and watch television with popcorn rather than stand at the easel and paint. I mostly lie around dormant and consume: food, social media, food, books, food, podcasts (please tell me you do the same thing!).
But that all changes in April! As bulbs start poking up, my energy rises. As the days get longer, so do my walks. I get my sparkle back and I transition from consuming to creating, like in this chart:
Every year I feel better about myself when this change takes place. Creating fills me up in a way that consuming doesn’t.
I am old enough now that I see this change coming and I do things to help flip my own switch. First, I start cleaning and recycling! I get excited about plein air painting by emptying out my Bucket Boss Bag (including the gross granola bar crumbs leftover from last fall). Next, I replace yucky brushes and stock up on paint.
I enjoy volunteering for community clean-up on Earth Day (Sat, Apr 22, 2023) and this year I bought fifty new green bins to organize our studio supplies. I also love recycling old magazines into new concoctions and creations. If you like doing this too, Tony and Jonti are offering the perfect classes this spring:
Finally, creating is also a great way to Protect Yourself From Overwhelm. Information overload is real and consumption can feel like drinking from a fire hose sometimes. Creating is the cure! As Ward Andrews writes, “Today’s world promotes consumption and stifles creation.” At Slow River Studio, we are trying to reverse this trend. We are hoping you will stop scrolling through facebook and start sketching instead.
So, whether you’re planting a garden, writing a letter or making some art, we hope you will spend more time creating with this month. We would especially love to do it with you, so check out our spring classes and all the free events we have coming up. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Love, Jess and the Slow River Staff