Rise and roar, it’s summer solstice! ☀️
Today is the summer solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere, and the winter solstice for those of us in the southern hemisphere. And since I find myself on the summer side of this solstice, I’ll be speaking to the warm, sunny solstice in this short, sweet post. I’ll also be speaking to the experience of using the solstice time to reassess and revise my goals and dreams for the year.
Why think of summer solstice as a great time to check in with your creative goals?✨
Or any goals? I don’t know about you, but trying to tame my wandering mind is a full-time endeavor, so working or creating with the seasons just anchors me in the present. So on this day, the longest day of the year, I’m taking a look back at the dream arrows I shot forth as I visioned my 2024 goals during the darkest winter months.
Truthfully, this exercise makes me feel older and older, because this mid-year assessment of where I’ve come is shocking – how is it that it’s been six months already? Is there any way I can convince you that the summer solstice happened five minutes after the winter solstice??
Either way, this day is long, the sun is bright, and if you’re also feeling a little behind on your goals, take heart – you’ve still got another five minutes until the next winter solstice. Whew!
Checking in mid-year can get you back on your path 🌸
If you just did the thing – if you just craned your head to look back at the goals you hoped to meet this year, and you’re feeling that warm flush of sheepish shame rising from chest to cheeks because you forgot what your goals even were, take a minute to shake it out. Give yourself a little grace, and maybe grab a ray of that golden June sun to help shine a light on how you can keep your ship moving along in the direction of your dreams.
If you need to redefine a goal or two, this is a great time, and this is your life! Grab a pack of colored pencils and revise that vision board. If you want to shine the spotlight on one goal or idea over the others, cross out what’s gotta go, and circle what stays in gold.
I personally had to make a decision recently to blog every other week instead of every week. Though I may not have a huge readership, and more blogging builds more engagement, I only have so much time to focus on my art dreams, and there are other things I do besides blog. If you’re juggling a full-time job like me, but still have these deeply important creative dreams you’re nurturing, it’s really important to be realistic with how much time you actually have to work with, and be really intentional with that time.
Maintaining quality work in your job is important, so be sure you’re prioritizing your career or full-time gig, but also ask yourself if you’re bringing that livelihood home with you more than is healthy? Be truthful with yourself and draw boundaries where you need to. Maybe your job does require some after hours planning or event attendance, but if you simply have no time for anything but work? I’m really sorry and I hope you can find some balance in there. Or a new place to share your talents.
Either way, the biggest takeaway is to be very intentional with your time when it comes to charging forward building dreams in the margins of your life. Once you’ve curated your goals and whittled away what’s unnecessary, hopefully you are left with the most important of your dreams, along with an idea of how much time you can realistically spend working toward them.
Go forth – and keep going even if you’re hardly inch worming along.. 🐛
Once your goals are revised, your heart feels clear, and you’ve charted new dream journeys, it’s time to do the thing. And keep doing the thing. I can’t guarantee you’ll get there in the time you hope. I can’t even guarantee I’ll get there.. But I must love what I do because I just keep chugging along, making art, pitching art, making little products, pitching little products, getting a few bites, hearing a few more crickets.
I just keep inch worming forward, one cactus drawing at a time. One cactus sticker at a time.. One cactus greeting card at a time…
Onward and warmward! 🌵
Other posts you might enjoy:
Solstice and Equinox – Nature Inspired Art to Celebrate the Season
The Relationship Between Art and Nature: A Visual Desert Journey