by Sarah Tieck
Confession time. I’m writing to you about organization, but there are dishes in the sink, waiting to go into the dishwasher. There’s a pizza box on the counter. Clothes are folded, but not put away. I’ve got miscellaneous papers in a basket, needing to be put … well, somewhere, and not too long ago, I misplaced a contract and a check. I’m not a hoarder or a slob. I’m a creative person in the thick of several deadlines.
There is no such thing as getting organized once and for all. Instead, learn to manage the flow of your creative life by harvesting the abundance of ideas, words, and other types of inspiration. This supports you in using your creative gifts and sharing your voice with the world—and, as with nature, provides the seeds and nourishment for your next project.
Savoring Abundance
People often think of harvest as an ending, the prelude to winter. But really harvest is about abundance and fruits, gathering what you’ve produced and making use of that wealth to nourish your present and future. Harvest is a time of transition, when new growth is waning and making way for something a little deeper, a little more introspective.
The harvest process is really quite simple: gather, clean, and prepare for the future by sowing seeds, nourishing your crop, and tending the land.
Harvest creates order in a way that acknowledges continuous growth and cycles. And taking time for this process is as important as sunshine and water. As you work in the garden, snipping off dead leaves, collecting ripe tomatoes, and gathering green beans off plants, you teach the plants where to focus their growth energy and you make space for that growth. When you look very closely, you will see seeds for the future.
Just Do Something
During harvest season, the abundance is astounding. Tomatoes, green beans, and zucchini seem to come in so fast, you either start sharing or learn to can or freeze. I like to turn tomatoes into chili and tomato sauce. We made the basil into pesto and the zucchini into jam.
Unfortunately some of our green beans dried out in the fridge and there’s a pile of jalapeños languishing on the counter. Problem is, I don’t know what to do with them and I’ve not had the time, energy, or interest to search out a recipe. There are two strategies: (a) share with others (yes, I’ve been bringing bulging garden bags to friends), and (b) just choose something and try it. I’m guilty of waiting to figure out the “perfect” thing to do with them. And then they go bad. Knowing this, I may plant less next year.
Creating something from your harvest is a matter of processing and refining and isn’t necessarily something you can instruct someone to do. Yes, there are recipes and directions and maps for getting where you want to go. But with nature—and with writing—the best tool you have for knowing the next step is your awareness of what you want to create and what experience you want to have. Your vision and goals determine what has value, what to keep and what to let go. In garden terms, you know what ingredients you need to gather. In writing terms, your vision will dictate what items belong in your office, what ideas and notes to keep in your files, and what events and meetings belong in your schedule.
Think of it as editing on a grand scale. My husband teases me that I’m editing our plants when I head outside with the scissors. So why not edit the piles on the desk? Let go of that which is no longer needed—or stop stockpiling words for that perfect, someday creation. Use them or let them go. Sometimes what you gather is a “fruit” and sometimes it is compost. Both are essential to nourish the future.
Give yourself permission to purge. You’ve had creative thoughts before; you will have them again! Thinning the stockpile might be very freeing. It is much easier to let go of unneeded or rotten plants; you might think of some of your words the same way. Experiment.
Allow for Rest
Have you noticed the dancing gold, orange, and red leaves shimmying across sidewalks? When the trees drop their leaves, they are shifting out of growth mode. They are harboring their strength for winter, a time of rest and internal work.
Nature sends signals to make it clear when that golden zucchini is ready to be pulled off the plant and when the time is not right. It tells the trees it is time to drop their leaves, too. So how do you know it is time to clean out a file or send off an essay?
You get quiet. As a creative person, I’m guilty of not stopping between projects to pause and rest. I’m guilty of ignoring the need to pluck dead stuff from my “garden.” I’m guilty of letting stuff ripen until it has rotted and of picking fruit that isn’t ready. The key skill here is taking time to pause, taking a moment to look around to decide what you need next.
The Creative Connection
You—and your creative space—are much like a garden. You need nourishment: food, water, and creative inspiration. There are seasons and cycles. If you are feeling disorganized, it doesn’t mean you are a broken, hopeless slob. It means you aren’t tending to the part of you that needs to be healthy in order to create. It means you are ignoring the “garden.”
So take time to pick the weeds, throw out the dead stuff, and harvest the fruits. Otherwise, you will soon find that your “garden” is too overgrown and unhealthy to produce much of anything (note: overgrown gardens are salvageable with a bit of TLC!). Now that another deadline is met, I’m going to clean my office and file those papers—not so Martha Stewart or my mom will be impressed, but because I am nourishing my creative dreams.
Right now, Sarah Tieck is savoring the harvest season and prepping for Essential Elements, Powerful Essays, a new offering this fall. Contact her at her website, sarahtieck.com
