January is for Dreaming
Every year during January all I can think about is the return of Spring. The thought of the blooming daffodils and new beginnings seems to be one of the few things that help get me through the harsh Winter months. However, I have begun to see this time of the year in a new way, one that allows for rest and reflection, something so essential for artist and creativity that we tend to dismiss within hectic schedules and to-dos.
After the busy holiday time comes January, a slow and quiet month that seems to last an eternity as we anticipate the arrival of the next season. The winter solstice celebrates the return of light, and all I can think about is the days gradually getting longer once again.
So, while I wait, I’ve been dreaming. Dreaming of what is to come, of new experiences, adventures, projects, people. Dreaming about art and what I want to create. Dreaming of building community. Dreaming about nature and what I want to plant in my garden (this one has taken up most of my thoughts during these cold days). I’ve realized there is so much value that comes with the darkness, so much that can be learned from it, and so much that can be used as alchemy. True art is being able to transform the darkness into something beautiful.
January has so much magic. In January anything is possible. A month that allows for wonderful delusions, for seeking out inspiration from all areas, for creating and manifesting your desired reality.
Every season brings with it new ways of creating and looking at the art we make. All essential to the artistic process. In the winter months it can be difficult to find the motivation and the inspiration to work on our dreams. That’s why it is the perfect opportunity for planning and imagining. What do you want the garden of your creations to look like come the warmer months?
Many gardeners who live in colder areas spend January itching to be outside with their hands in the earth. But they know the importance of the month that forces us to spend hours in our heads and our thoughts. Planning has to begin, and research has to be done in preparation for the arrival of Spring.
I have been gardening for the past few years and as I enjoy the process of learning more about it, I have seen the many parallels it has with making art (In many ways gardening is an art form in itself). The major lesson any gardener learns through their journey is that of patience. Artists also need that time of planning and organizing our thoughts, so that when inspiration strikes, we are ready to make what we dream into reality, to plant the seed, grow something even more magical than we expected, or learn from the act of doing.
Patience is a major aspect of this. It is within that stillness, observation, and being present that we can find all of the pieces within ourselves, all of the ingredients needed to be brought together to alchemize and bring forth these dreams.
Similarly to a garden, your dreams must also be cared and tended for. It takes a while for things to grow, for plants to become established, to enjoy the harvest of our labor. It takes time to turn the compost and to wait until it becomes gold that we can then use to grow abundance.
In many ways I see January as a muse. Her transformative qualities and ability to simultaneously create feelings of nostalgia, introspection, solitude have had a profound inspirational effect on me. Inspiration based on hope, knowing that life is made up of a phases and difficult moments that we always somehow get through and survive.
Not only survive but bring something from it that holds potential transformative qualities. I believe this is the case for many artists and creators. We see time and time again artists getting inspired by the darkness and turning it into something extraordinarily impactful and magical. I think about artists like Frida Kahlo who had the ability to alchemize her suffering into powerful pieces of art like no other. Her pain was the main chemical element that allowed her to transform into who she was.
Tree of Hope (1946) by Frida Kahlo
Lately, I have struggled with understanding what my vision and my values are. This is something that I am hoping to come closer to defining this year. But I have noticed that this January dreaming is providing me with the perfect opportunity to think more deeply about what I want to create, how it will look like, what I want it to communicate and how.
January is the start of transformation that takes full force upon Spring Equinox’s arrival. For me, the true new year begins on the first day of Spring. It is amazing how something as simple as a dream that I reflect upon during this essential period of the year has the potential to become the basis of transformation and the method of creating what is to be seen for the rest of the months.
So, I encourage you to find warmth in these winter blues and find a new perspective in the way we think of January. Gather all of the raw materials needed for your alchemical process so that you can make something precious. Soon your surroundings will be green again and you will grow and bloom along with nature. But for now, take this time to metamorphosize the darkness into possibility.