I Love Fall and Routine

And you may hate me for it.

It was 52°F, cloudy, and slightly misty in Chicago this morning—and I loved it. Every morning, I walk my dog to the coffee shop for an espresso to stay and an 8oz drip to go. Then we stroll the neighborhood for an hour.

Dog photo to keep your attention. And, yes, my neighborhood coffee shop throws birthday celebrations for my dog.

As much as I love a summer morning, today’s morning weather was absolutely ideal. Odds are you hate me for saying that. I get why people like summer—but for me, fall has always been the most inspiring season. I feel more motivated, more creative this time of year. Great, right? Except I can’t wait around for fall to generate or accomplish big ideas.

People in creative fields can sometimes, explicitly or implicitly, be told that part of the creative process is waiting for motivation or inspiration to strike. That’s a myth. It’s an excuse for procrastination. Inspiration comes from being disciplined and doing the work. I often think about this quote from John Waters in a Town & Country interview:

“Monday through Friday, I’m in that room right there,” he says, motioning behind himself to a small office, where he starts writing at 8 a.m. “Not 7:59 a.m., not 8:01 a.m.—at 8 a.m. And every day I think, Oh I can’t do it, and at 8:01 a.m. I’m doing it.”

Over the past 18+ months, I’ve had a couple experiences that have cemented this in my brain. I was recently interviewed by Holly Howard on her podcast and we talk about those experiences (and many other things). I’ll be sure to share once that episode comes out.

Words like routine and discipline can make creative people cringe—but in my experience they don’t detract from inspiration, they feed it.