No Art, No Rest

Dagny Deutchman
Nov 6, 2024
4 min read

Creatively Catching The Last Rays of Summer

Welcome back to The Art of Rest—where this summer we have done absolutely no art, and had very little rest!

I’m probably not giving myself enough credit here, honestly.…And maybe, neither are you.

Our brains and bodies crave very predictable consistency, but I am coming to believe that pursuing The Art of Rest is always going to be a reflection of the seasons. We can’t grow and tend to the tulips in November anymore than we can make snowmen stand sparkling still in the heat of July.

Let’s face it—resting in the summer is just harder to achieve by our typical standards. In fact, biologically and creatively, resting in the summer probably should look different than other times of the year! Creating when the sun is hot and high often begs our art to be held in our hands by putting down our paintbrushes and picking up nails-full of dirt instead.

Sometimes in a busy summer, the act of creating the perfect iced coffee for the office is an art.

Other days, sitting in the garden weeding until the sun goes down feels like the most luxurious form of rest.

On a hot summer afternoon, laughing with friends is sometimes the embodiment of both.

This summer I found myself making flower deliveries to my favorite friends while our ranunculus where poppin’ off.

So if you’re thinking to yourself “Ah, I haven’t had much art or rest this summer either!” — let this be permission to give yourself a gold star in both the art and rest categories, and let’s take a moment to do a bit of a reframe on what went right.

Let us take care to catch the final rays of sunshine season.1 Let us not leave any ripe tomatoes in the garden, and see if we can’t get one more round of late summer squash to trap the sunlight on our tongues.

I almost entirely missed harvesting our golden currants this year from coming and going so often. A small but mighty harvest.

Let’s get up to our elbows in sun-warmed soils while we can, so when our tender leaves change color and fall when the air crisps up, we feel fully ready to winterize our beds.

The Art of Rest is an entirely reader-supported publication. To ponder your literal and metaphorical seasons, harvests, and soils—smash that subscribe button so you don’t miss a be(e/a)t.

Summer Inventory

Springtime Arnica harvest…more to come on this beauty soon.

Heading into summer:
- What did I hope for my rest to look like? Feel like?
- What did I hope for my creative practices to look like? Feel like?
- What did my rest this summer actually look like? Feel like?
  - Is there frustration, disappointment, or grief around what actually showed up?
  - What is one way I found rest this summer that surprised me?
- What did my creative practices actually look like? Feel like?
  - Is there frustration, disappointment, or grief around what actually showed up?
  - What is one way I found creative practice this summer that surprised me?
    
    Again, I was so busy I almost entirely missed our lavender crop. I was able to swoop up what I needed but this year it was mostly left to our pollinator friends.
Savoring Summer:
- Which three summer moments left me feeling most nourished?
- What is something I am proud of myself for doing this summer?
- What would I do again if given the chance?
- What would I gladly say “no thank you” to next summer?
- How can I make the most of this summer season before it shifts? Specifically:
  - What would feel creative?
  - What would feel restful, restorative, or nourishing?
  We had kohlrabi coming out of our ears. Maybe next year we’ll be doing substantially less ;)
Gently Planting Autumn Seeds:
- What kinds of rest am I hoping to find this fall?
- What creative practices do I feel intrinsically drawn to try or lean into?
- How can I prepare myself for both of the above?
  - What time do I hope to clear on my schedule?
  - What do I want these activities to feel as I am doing them?
  - How can I get 1% closer to cultivating an environment that would support the next season?

Sharing Your Bounty

As per usual, my favorite part of this job is sharing harvest. I would love to hear your stories of your summer growth and adventures. Whether you were proud of yourself for your bounty or finding yourself devastated by empty hands at harvest—I’d love to hear about the state of your pursuit in The Art of Rest.

I’d love to hear about what you’re longing for this fall.

My most preferred way to catch a story. In lieu of being able to catch one here, we can figure out another method <3

Is there someone in your life you’re hoping to share some harvest with? Use this as a way to prompt a connection with them!

Welcome to The Art of Rest. A place where we believe if we live our lives creatively—the art will take care of the rest.

This sub-section of The Art of Rest, is where we will be regularly announcing and updating about our events, offerings, and opportunities to get involved

The Art of Rest is a multi-faceted hub of all things art and rest and while you can always head to our website, we will also be regularly posting here about more specific details of how to get involved. Whether it’s about our 1:1 guidance work, our upcoming workshops, opportunities to hang out with us on the farm, or homegrown art supplies, “Events and Offerings” is going to regularly keep you up-to-date on what is going on at The Art of Rest.