Who’s ready for back to school? I remember those Staples commercials, they start them up around August, set to the verse “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” You see the dad gleeful and frolicking through the aisle. A few moments later you see two sad looking kids dragging their feet. Every year, the commercial makes me laugh. Talk about awesome storytelling!
It’s a timely commercial because even if you’re not a kid or if you don’t have kids, you can relate to this transitional energy of “going back to school” or rather returning to the Fall season.
There are a lot of things that change during this time of year.
Personally, as someone in the the NY/NJ area, I am looking forward to the changing of leaves and the cooling down of the temperature. Summer has a very chaotic energy and Fall mellows things out. When I think of back to school, I translate this time as “back to work” even though the entertainment industry doesn’t have traditional seasons like some other industries.
As a creative entrepreneur, I stopped recognizing any kind of holidays except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and my birthday. However, I’ve learned that the transition into the fall season is in itself something of a holiday and because of that, now’s a great time to take a beat and fall into a slower pace.
If you’re wondering what kinds of things are great to do in the fall, try any one of these ideas:
Brainstorm a new project. The word I love to use this season is harvest. Brainstorming a new project is like harvesting your creative mojo into something that could sprout into an awesome TV show, movie or web series later. With the start of the fall television lineup, you can take a look at what shows do well to identify stories not being told or voices not being represented.
Go back to school. Whether it’s literally or virtually, there’s so many options now to take a weekend class on basket weaving or a 6 month program on how to do social media marketing. Find something that either lights you up or sparks a curiosity in you. Then you can have a reason to splurge on those .20 cent notebooks at Staples.
Get your DIY hat on. If you don’t have time, resources or budget to take a class then teach yourself something new. Go to Youtube.com and type in whatever you want to learn. I’m pretty sure there’s about 50 videos that are primed to give you the expertise you need in order to pick up digital photography or navigate HTML like a pro.
Teach. Let’s look at the flip side of getting educated. If you have a level of expertise in a given area, then share your mojo with those who want to learn what you know. Sign up at an online course site like skillshare.com or setup shop on your own website.
The cool thing about teaching is that others get to value your knowledge and you get to position yourself as a respected authority for your field.
Produce events. One of the perks for summer is the beautiful weather. However, that also means people are less likely to show up somewhere unless it’s a party-ish atmosphere. Now is a great time to put on live performances such as poetry readings, open mics and theatrical shows.
We’re creatures of habit and the cooler weather means hibernation. The days get shorter so cozy indoor events are prime for the Fall season.
Plan for the holidays. I’m dead serious. If you are looking to sell ANYTHING during the holiday season, NOW is the time to start planting those seeds and getting your game plan in order. Books, DVDs, merchandise, products – whatever you’re selling, get it together now so that you can be on track to rock it out for the holiday shopping season.
Above all, make time for some R&R so that you can regroup and get you, your brand and your business rejuvenated for the chaos that is winter. Fall, in all it’s glory, is the metamorphosis season. It’s the time things transform in order to become something more awesome. Your life, career and projects are no different.