Leveraging Seasonal Shifts in Creative Work and Life

An Invitation to Use September as a Time to Reset, Refocus and Move Forward

September often marks a shift in gears for creative professionals. In recent weeks, I’ve had many coaching conversations with clients in anticipation of heading into the fall season knowing that there will be more demands for their time and energy, feeling more pressure to be productive and generate income coming up to the final quarter of the year. At the same time, September carries its own “new year” energy. A back-to-school sense of structure, routine and renewed focus. For some creatives, this shift is energizing: a chance to concentrate more deeply on their work and engage more with audiences, clients or peers. For others, it means moving from summer’s personal explorations into a season of presenting, selling, teaching or client-based projects. September is both an ending and a beginning. Mixed emotions are common, myself included. But like all seasonal transitions, I have come to appreciate that it’s a powerful moment to reset intentions and refocus as creative professionals.

September is a natural time to harvest our insights, edit, reorganize and refocus in our creative work and life. I’ve been coaching some of my clients to clarify their priorities and needs ahead of the seasonal shift. Some have asked for help to create or refine organizational frameworks and systems, from data and habit trackers to project management tools, to help them keep focused when the pressure mounts this fall. Others have asked for my support to take a more holistic approach to planning and scheduling, recognizing that creative work requires mental and physical resources. This has involved helping them take a more realistic look at their goals, paring down, reprioritizing or letting go of some. Some clients are learning strategies to weave rest and flexibility into their schedules to stay balanced and resilient during a demanding season.

As artists and creatives, we can leverage the seasonal transition in September to reevaluate and prioritize focus. We can also embrace seasonal traditions by refreshing our supplies, reorganizing our work, or creating a new ritual or strategy to help keep us anchored. Taking the time to do this intentional work now is a powerful way to optimize our results and experiences as we work our way through October and November and towards the year’s end.

I invite you to use this seasonal shift to reset and refocus and watch how the momentum you build now in September carries you into December with a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

How  will you leverage the energy of September to reset and refocus?

Image Credit: Me, September Energy

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