Conquer Your Winter Blues with Creativity

Are you as tired of this winter as me and the rest of the Western world above the snow belt? Everyone I know in Chicago has been feeling pretty demoralized by the repeated rounds of polar vortex cold and the constant barrage of slushy, mushy snow. After my 14 years of living in the San Francisco area, it has been especially difficult to re-acclimate to this kind of winter drudgery. So, to keep my spirits buoyed, I’m trying out some mind tricks to get through these last cold days before spring.

Be Zen and embrace the weather
If winter activities like ice skating or cross country skiing aren’t your thing, how about a new creative project? Knit those arm warmers, make a collage about the end of winter or paint a watercolor with all those different shades of white, white, white. Sometimes it helps me to stand still and look for new beauty in overly familiar surroundings.

Look forward to the next season
For my daughter’s upcoming birthday party, I was researching simple party favors that would not add more disposable plastic junk to our already-overfilled world when I came across a darling idea: seeds. Not only will a seed packet give our guests’ little hands something valuable to do, but it actually brightened my mood thinking about planting something and welcoming new life. This, in spite of the three inches of mid-March snow that fell last night. So, ask yourself, is there some creative project you could embrace to prepare for spring?

Spark that creativity
Put on some music and make a list of 100 creative ideas/projects you’d like to pursue this year. It doesn’t matter how outlandish they are or if you ever do them. Just make the list and push yourself when you feel like you don’t have any more ideas. I guarantee this will help you feel fresh and inspired, in spite of winter’s icy death-grip. Plus, it will give you a whole batch of good places to start next time you need an idea.