It's 2 days before the beginning of 2016! I want to write about something that has meant a lot to me this year: swing dancing!
Back in college I was introduced to swing dancing and it was one of my favorite things to do! I found that once I turned my creative interests into a career move they stopped being a stress relief and became a source of stress. Pretty much everyone else I know says that's the case for everyone who turns a passion into a job...your relationship to that passion changes. That's one of the things I came to appreciate so much about swing dancing. When I was spending so much time in the studio swing dancing was a great way to kill many birds with one stone! It gave back a creative outlet and was great exercise as well as a social activity. When I moved to Michigan it was one of the things I really missed about my college town. Well, I'm super lucky! Because it turns out west Michigan is home to a very large, thriving swing dance scene and this year after not dancing for about 2 years I got connected to this scene and have been dancing regularly ever since! And goodness, the benefits of it are so huge for me! I can't begin to say how much healthier I feel when dancing is part of my weekly routine! Not only do I get a great workout I feel more optimistic and ready to tackle the more mundane tasks in my schedule! And let me tell you, it does wonders for keeping the winter blues at bay! Which I must confess, I find Michigan winters to be really difficult!
What activities are priorities for you? What do you do to keep your creative juices flowing? If you have extra tips to beat back the winter blues I'm all ears!
Back in college I was introduced to swing dancing and it was one of my favorite things to do! I found that once I turned my creative interests into a career move they stopped being a stress relief and became a source of stress. Pretty much everyone else I know says that's the case for everyone who turns a passion into a job...your relationship to that passion changes. That's one of the things I came to appreciate so much about swing dancing. When I was spending so much time in the studio swing dancing was a great way to kill many birds with one stone! It gave back a creative outlet and was great exercise as well as a social activity. When I moved to Michigan it was one of the things I really missed about my college town. Well, I'm super lucky! Because it turns out west Michigan is home to a very large, thriving swing dance scene and this year after not dancing for about 2 years I got connected to this scene and have been dancing regularly ever since! And goodness, the benefits of it are so huge for me! I can't begin to say how much healthier I feel when dancing is part of my weekly routine! Not only do I get a great workout I feel more optimistic and ready to tackle the more mundane tasks in my schedule! And let me tell you, it does wonders for keeping the winter blues at bay! Which I must confess, I find Michigan winters to be really difficult!
What activities are priorities for you? What do you do to keep your creative juices flowing? If you have extra tips to beat back the winter blues I'm all ears!