On seasons and taking a break

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Hello everyone, happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all enjoying the fall colours and time with family. That's what we are doing! Here is the sunrise from this morning, which I saw through groggy eyes after a choppy night with my toddler... but still, beauty!

Here in Canada we experience very distinct seasons. The cold, white winter, fresh green spring, warm balmy summer and crisp colourful fall. Death and rest must come before new life can spring again. We experience seasons in life, perhaps not so defined, but there nonetheless. Times of growth, productivity and creativity, often followed by times that are less so. We can't live in summer all the time, much as we might like to!

These past few months have really felt like a new season for me. I've been working at my new job at Outflow's (a local charity) Catapult Creative for six months now and things are really picking up. We have been designing products that will be made by people with obstacles to employment and sold at Outflow's new social enterprise Catapult Coffee and Studio which will open soon. It's a lot of fun. I get to use my creativity and the skills I've learned in the past few years. The kids have started school, Sophie is in grade 2 and Fiona is in kindergarten.We're finding a new rhythm with life, but it has been very full. I'm realizing I need some margins in life, for things that come up, like illness, emergencies and even just down time.

I recently shared on social media that I would be taking a break from CreatedHere. It has taken me awhile to realize that I had gotten to that point. I tried hustling harder, like all the people I saw online, just work smarter, set goals, get up early, etc etc... but I was burning myself out. It turns out parenting three children (the youngest of which is nearly a full-time job), working part time, running a website and publishing a magazine is a lot of work.  I do everything for CreatedHere myself. It's been a one-woman show. A lot of the interviews, the writing, the editing, graphic design, marketing, publishing, distribution, everything. So, I've come to the point where I know I can't keep going on like this. My solution is to take a break, rest, look at CreatedHere as a whole and decide what the path forward looks like. There are some possibilities for collaboration, sharing the load, that I'm looking into.

There will not be a fall issue, but I have plans to collaborate on a winter/spring issue. It's like I've been in a season of spring and summer, growing a website and magazine, working it to have something to share, much like a harvest. Now it seems like I'm in a season of dormancy, rest, and hopefully eventually regrowth. Different areas of life can be in different seasons, and I don't think they can all be productive at the same time. Accepting this rhythm is a challenge in a culture where working too hard is glorified as a necessary precursor for success. But I'm trying it.

Maybe you've been here, but I've been struggling with the idea that taking a break is failing. But when I stack it up to what's important in my life, spending time with my husband, with my kids, having down time... being healthy means opting for rhythm and rest instead of hustling right now.

I will likely post a few features here and there, but it will be slower. Do stay tuned for the next Great Creative Postcard Exchange... my mailbox has been empty lately!

Have a lovely fall! Enjoy this season while it lasts :) -MH

PS Here is a peek into our current textiles studio at Catapult Creative.

Check out my Instagram to see what we've been working on for the shop! (opening soon)