how to bloom this spring

As the snow has melted and the sky has cleared, there is a small thrill in knowing that spring is approaching. March, like a heavy perfume leaving the room, makes way for us to breathe again. The warm air hangs like a promise of an outdoors ready to be savoured. Soon, pavements will make way for wild flowers and cafe menus for iced teas and lemonades.

The promise we make to ourselves as the season renews seems important. Will we bloom alongside it all?

Of course, each and every one of us may have a singular and differing definition of what we would consider a bloom. We are each carried by different pursuits, different elements of survival and play. Some of us may find spring a time to soak up the sun leisurely, while others find it a time to accumulate a tier of tasks. And some of us may have no clue on where to get started.

Perhaps this list will go right over your head, or perhaps it will speak directly to your heart. Nevertheless, here is my attempt at creating a few notes of some of the pursuits I will be following and some I will be recommending.

1. A singular creative act every day

Inspired by Izabella Raczkowski’s series in January where she pained a single post card every day of the month, I will be picking a time this spring to begin a thirty-day challenge of my own. Sometimes, it is not about quality or quantity. Sometimes, it is a silly line each day rather than a well-thought out page. Sometimes it is one small doodle on a post-it note each day rather than a drawing. A small, singular creative act every day simply for the joy of being creative.

2. Create a space for film/book reviews

Lately I have had to acept that I am not meant to have an app to recount the books I read over time. However, I do need a space where I write down what I read, just as others need an opportunity to access to printed reading material. Whether it be creating a film review account, signing up for a library card, or something else entirely, we must find a source of engaging with art this spring.

3. Write down a step-by-step of the day you’ve enjoyed most this year, and try to implement one element from it every day

While the year has only just begun, there must already be at least one day you can look back on and consider close to perfect. I know I have mine. And I know that there is at least one element, one moment from that day I am able to replicate in all those to come. Because while we are not always able to live a close to perfect day, we are able to live a close to perfect moment each day.

4. Post something brave

Now, this is especially for those of us with a weird relationship with social media. If we are going to be living on social media (as we have been for at least a decade), we might as well start living. This means getting over ourselves and our fears related to these platforms. I know I’m in great need of getting back out there on there.

5. Renew your bag’s essentials

We all have a few items we carry in our bags that we deem essential, whether they are every day essential or in case of emergy essential. Yet, our gum packs have two left, our hand sanitizer is close to empty, our lipstick shade hasn’t been a favourite in four months… It is time we empty that bag and rummage through it all. Also, it is time I enjoy a rewatch of my favourite “what’s in my bag” tours.

Here is one of my favourites from seven years ago.

6. Go on a crawl

Could be a study crawl at cafes we’ve yet to try, or a bar crawl recommended by a friend. Whatever it is, whoever it is with, sometimes things are enjoyed in abundance.

7. Get some of your favourite pictures printed or go take pictures in a photo booth

As I took my own pictures at a photo booth only a week ago, I told myself I would be going to the same booth every year around the same time, so as to document my changes throughout adulthood. Some many of us remember being measured and pencilled in against our doorways. It is time we celebrate growth and age in other ways.

8. Go steal something

Whether a flower on the side of the pavement or a rock on the beach, we all rediscover our appreciation for nature once the weather clears. Let us ensure we do so, and keep a small memory of it indoors for when the next winter rolls around.

9. Make your dating profile extremely niche

Now this may or may not be sourced from a conversation at a bar while drinking matcha cocktails (who even knew that was a thing). The point is, if you are on dating apps, especially if you are a heterosexual woman, your dating profile is surely extremely accessible. No issue there when attempting to cast a wide net. However, the wider the net the more the filter through. So, let me live vicariously through you as someone with no apps and let me see how niche your profile can be - how you your profile can be.

10. Take an online course or an in-person class

As we are on a platform that is considered somewhat intellectual, I will end with one last tip to bloom this spring: education may exist outside the classroom, but it is intensly nurtured by it. I wish I could develop my own curriculum and spend every other evening learning a different topic. Yet, I know I thrive best when given some kind of structure. So, this spring I will most likely sign up for an online course or take a few in-person classes. Whether they be language courses or pottery classes, we should all thrive to broaden our knowledge.

Here is a collection of free resources Emmelie Arents recommends for more accessible + quick lessons.

In hopes that all these will help you bloom this spring <3

Love,

Anastasia

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