I swear as soon as the weather became warmer and the sun started shining, I felt a weight come off my shoulders. I’m not going to lie, it was a tough Winter for me, and for more reasons than just the cold weather. But ever since it became Spring, I’ve started to really dive into some Spring cleaning. And not just in the literal sense. I’m also talking about other areas of my life. It’s a continual process, but so far it’s made all the difference. And I feel so much lighter!
Here are some ways I’ve been Spring cleaning my life, along with lessons I’ve learned along the way. And I hope that you can take some inspiration from this because the outcome is so worth it.
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First of all, I have been Spring cleaning in the literal sense of it. My husband thinks it’s funny because I’ve been trying on so many clothes from my wardrobe and my closet area has been a mess with piles of clothes to donate. But that mess is slowly dwindling. You see, I’m really just letting go of things that don’t align with who I am.
I stand for re-using and mending instead of throwing away. But what happens when that clothing piece is tied to certain memories you want to shed? Or what if it doesn’t make you feel good in your body? We all deserve to feel great about what we wear. The right outfit can really elevate your mood. So that’s why when I looked in my closet and realized many of my clothes were either hand-me-downs, things I thrifted in college or even high school, or things that no longer felt like ME, I decided to replace them with things that I chose for myself.
Now I don’t have to wear things that other people chose for me. It’s about stepping into myself and only holding onto what makes me feel vibrant.
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This past Winter, I had a frustrating realization that I felt like I was always burned out and running around, without any time for myself. I had to ask myself why. And I had to dig deep and think of the things that felt so heavy in my heart… and let go of them. I started to Spring clean other areas of my life as well. This includes relationships.
Sometimes letting go of toxic people in your life can feel harder than keeping them in your life. But I promise you that it’s so worth it. Because what happens when every time a person’s name pops up on your phone, you feel a pit of dread in your stomach? You may not realize how much they’re bringing you down until you step out. But you will feel so much lighter when you cut out a one-sided and destructive relationship.
“Don’t light yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.”
If someone continually negs you, or resorts to pettiness, it’s time to let go. No matter how long you’ve been friends. People change, and if their actions and values don’t align with yours, it will zap all your energy. You do not need to give people empathy who weaponize it against you.
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If you’re an artist who also does gig work, you may relate to the feeling of a gig or business relationship running its course. This can also start to weigh you down when you realize what was once so enriching now feels heavy. And that’s when you work through your contracted obligations then move on. It’s not the end of your artistic growth. Ending a contract will not close you off to opportunities. When you let go of the heavy stuff, it makes room in your life for something new.
You will know it’s time to end a contract because it’s a feeling. Maybe you have tenure, but someone starts taking advantage of your kindness, or they continually try to push your professional boundaries. It’s unfortunate that this happens, but it does happen in the arts. I’m going to link a previous blog post about this because I feel so strongly about it.
I will say that it doesn’t always have to be a toxic professional environment for you to move on. As artists we’re constantly growing and evolving, and outgrowing something is enough of a reason to move on.
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Here is another one for artists that most of us can relate to: perfectionism in our work. It’s always a great thing to want to be better at your craft. But there’s a such thing as over-editing, overthinking and overanalyzing, and worrying about how your work is going to be received. Avoiding criticism of your work can get you into a cycle of perfectionism.
The consequence of perfectionism for artists is sneaky: you’ll start to put out less and less because you’re stuck in that cycle of over-editing and overthinking. I have come to believe that it’s better to put your art into the world even if it’s not 100% “perfect” than to spend so much time developing and editing that you barely put anything out.
Think of it this way: we all have a favorite musician. And if I had to take a guess, I’d say that one of the reasons that musician is your favorite is because they’re consistent. It’s when they take years and years to drop the next album that they tend to fall off.
An example of someone who’s consistent and diligent, but not overly perfectionistic is Lana Del Rey. She puts out an album every 1-3 years and you can tell she’s having fun and jamming without overproducing… I mean seriously, she made a selfie as her album cover! That woman knows how to keep an audience.
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Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve held onto things for too long. See it as a learning opportunity to trust your intuition and let it guide you. If you’ve overstayed in a toxic friendship or held onto things for too long, let this be a lesson.
If you’ve been feeling heavy, weighed down, or burned out, take a survey of your life. If you feel like time escapes you and you’re too exhausted to do self-care or hobbies, that’s your intuition telling you to shed things that are no longer serving you.
Don’t be afraid. The other side is so much lighter.