The Creative Magic of Summer Nights

An illustrated exploration of hidden wonders

Hello, Summer Lovers!

Do you remember how exciting the idea of summer was when you were still in school? It promised freedom from teachers, homework, and direct adult supervision.

I’ve never grown out of that feeling. Summer still sweeps me off my feet with relaxed routines and sweltering nights where anything is possible.

While I enjoy a nice summer day as well as anyone, it’s the summer nights where I come alive. I pose as a morning person for nine months, getting kids off to school and having reasonable office hours.

But the moment school is out for the kids, I revert to my natural state — an unrepentant night owl. Summer nights have a unique, creative energy — a kind of magic anyone can tap into if you’re willing to pay attention.

As a young adult, summer nights were for going to concerts in dark, labyrinthine venues. Now, I enjoy the music of crickets, owls, and coyotes from the safety of my house or tent.

Summer nights sound different. Even when I lived in the city, summer nights had a different energy and sound signature. Conversations are more relaxed, more people are out and fewer are in their cars, and music pours out of every window.

It’s been years since I’ve been to a club or spent the night partying. But that doesn’t mean I get to bed at a reasonable hour. I spend many summer nights outside looking at the stars. There is always some rare astronomical event in the night sky.

The stars and moon are magnificent enough on their own, but once you learn a little about the landscape of the night sky, you notice the comings and goings of planets and the transit of constellations.

Even if you are not able to see the stars where you live, you can still wonder at the moon. A waxing and waning miracle that feels close enough to touch and far enough away to remain forever mysterious for most of us mortals.

One of my friends uses the moon to guide her professional progress. She doesn’t set New Year’s resolutions. Instead, she sets fresh intentions with every new moon. As the moon grows in the sky, she measures her commitment to her intentions.

It’s hard to think of a more beautiful way to live.

However, despite my friend’s influence, I’m not much for goals or intentions in the summer. I like to let my imagination wander. I look up at the night sky and wonder, “What if?”

I do most of my writing and illustrating at night in the summer. This is the time I come up with my most interesting ideas. I treat the summer like my own personal pilot season.

In Hollywood, pilot season is (was) when studios pitch and shoot pilots for new shows. Most of the shows will never make it beyond the pilot. But there’s a creative buzz around the industry.

My summer nights are spent creating new ideas for newsletter features and books. Most will never make it past the concept stage. But I will end up completing one or two of these projects, and the lessons learned from the flops make the other projects that much stronger.

However, even though summer nights are my most prolific time creatively, that doesn’t mean I’m in a frenzy. Time runs differently on summer nights.

Science tells us they are shorter, yet I always have so much more time. I can get a lot of creative work done, and still have time to see a movie or just sit on the porch and listen to the owls.

Part of the magic of summer nights is that I never have to be in a hurry. I can just be in the moment.

It’s not just time that works differently on summer nights. The laws of physics themselves are sometimes suspended, allowing for a bittersweet magic that is best experienced when you’re alone.

It’s a time to question your place in the universe and ask the heavens if this is all there is. If you are quiet and open, the heavens will often answer back in the form of a special song created just for you.

Summer nights are when we are all at our most human. We show more skin and enjoy communing with each other over campfires, cook-outs, and ice cream.

Productivity has no place in the summer. There is no need to optimize anything. Summer nights are the one time when it’s easier to live in the flow. Mindfulness doesn’t need to be practiced. You just fall into it when a light breeze kisses your cheek amid the languid, sweltering heat of late summer.

Philosophy and existential wondering are easier on summer nights. Answers to unanswerable questions seem tantalizingly attainable when you have nothing to do but talk with friends and stare out at the stars or the skyline.

If you’re willing to be still and quiet, summer nights are the perfect time to rediscover your intuition.

For me, the creative magic of summer nights is the most compelling when I’m alone with some kind of music. The most mundane tasks take on a sense of holiness. Even washing the dishes after everyone else has gone to bed feels sacred.

While I strive to always be present, summer nights are the time of year when I truly live.

Summer nights are when I feel closest to whole.

Cheers,

P.S. You can find links to all of my books here.