In Minneapolis, Winter and Brutally Short Days are Thieves

In December the skies are dark by or before 5:00pm, telling me that it’s bedtime or close to it! How are you supposed to maintain your artistic motivation and energy!

In grade school I remember learning that a year has 12 months. Four seasons broke down into three months per season – But winter lies! Minneapolis’ winter lasts at least five months from November into March! So winter steals artistic energy, and makes a liar of the math of seasons.

The shortness of the frigid December days make that month a foe. Ever since the fall of 2018 I’ve wanted to maintain a weekly habit of writing 500 artistic words. To comment on or observe about culture or current affairs.

To rely on “The Today Show’s” and Black Market Calendar of observances for idea nudges, or a Perplexity AI search for this week’s moments in American film history seldom gives me essay ideas.

Healthcare info sources like The Cleveland Clinic confirm that grey skies and early darkness hobble the capacity to be artistic and do what used to interest you. So short days, and greyness and the lack of winter events means interesting artistic essay ideas elude me!

The dark, short days make this artistry a struggle. Neither motivation nor imagination are reliable for a writing habit. No ideas are interesting or exciting enough to observe.

I know that to rely on motivation is foolish. I learned that when it came to physical fitness goals. If you await the times when you feel like it, then you’ll “never” do it. To have a daily rough writing or at least frequent practice of writing is important. This, even during the day, grey gloomy skies hobble this effort.

Another obstacle is that, as a sociable introvert I find few events or activities to go to and afterward write about or observe. There’s meager writing fodder for writing essays.