Autumn rolls around every year—yet I never feel ready. It starts out fine enough: cooler, crisper weather is a relief from the humidity and oppressive heat here in the South. The leaves on the trees float through the air and down to the ground in graceful, gliding movements. Delia Owens describes it this way:

Autumn leaves don’t fall, they fly. They take their time and wander on this their only chance to soar.

— Delia Owens (b. 1949) American author, zoologist, and conservationist

---

Then one day I realize all the leaves are off the trees. Other plants are dormant or have died—limbs are barren. Days become shorter. Well, not really—there are still twenty-four hours in a day—we have less sunlight which makes late afternoons feel like midnight. It is dark before 5:30 p.m. Less light means I have less energy for projects. Darkness can be depressing. The feel of shorter days can inhibit my creativity.

When fall arrives, I remind myself that I only need to make it until December 21, when the days finally will have more hours of sunlight. It is not much, but each day the sun shines several more minutes until the longest day of the year arrives in June.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

The natural world is a continuous cycle of life, death, and rebirth—during autumn I am reminded of this. In fact, it jolts me out of complacency: autumn forces me to see that, just like the seasons, life is not a linear path of constant progress. There are periods of joy and sorrow, strength and weakness, and growth and decline. We have challenges and setbacks. 

These are the natural rhythms of life—a journey of ebb and flow—nothing remains stagnant. The four seasons are a perfect analogy for the cycles throughout our lives and creative journeys. 

Cyclical Nature of Creativity

I am not sure I can always know what stage I am in on my creative journey. In many ways it feels linear. But when circumstances or moods stop my flow, I feel frustrated. I wonder if I can ever get back on track. Autumn reminds me that pauses are natural. Sometimes I need to stop and release whatever is holding me back—or maybe ideas need to percolate before being finished.

It could be that I need to completely let go of a project—that it is just not meant to be finished at that time or perhaps ever. It is frightening, but something will come along to take its place. Maybe, after putting it away for awhile, it becomes something else . . . that I could not have seen if I had tried to push ahead in that season. All modes of creativity feed on each other. 

---

Autumn teaches us the beauty of letting go. Growth requires release—it’s what the trees do.

— ka’ala @alohakaala

---

Trust the Process

The seasons model for me the cyclical nature of life (and creativity): growth, maturation, decline, and rest or reflection. There is no need to struggle against the natural rhythms. Instead as I observe the changes of nature during the four seasons, I can do the same in my life. Simply observe without criticism, doubt, or fear. Trust the process. Nothing is wasted—every pause, every letting go, is part of the rhythm. All I need to do is trust that beneath the frost, roots are quietly preparing to bloom again.