There is No Bad Weather, Only Bad Clothing

Ok, so it’s officially COLD in NYC. For a Californian like me, (can I still call myself a Californian after 15 years in Brooklyn?) the cold weather means bracing myself for what feels unbearable, as the weather seems to inhibit doing all the things I love—commuting by bike, walking from art gallery to gallery, drawing outside with students, hiking, riding to the beach, visiting the farmer’s market. With covid it seems even more challenging, as our safest “space” is the outdoors.

I spent a Winter in Stockholm and learned that the Swedes have a saying: There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.

I realize my difficulty dealing with the weather is partly learning to dress properly for the elements, but it’s primarily an issue of ATTITUDE. How can I be so easily defeated by the cold, when 1) I know it’s coming and 2) I have the means to be prepared for it? It’s simply a matter of attitude.

Here’s where my learning lies: In the studio (or when making artwork on-site) I approach problems and setbacks with CURIOSITY.

Of course there are panicked moments when an installation isn’t working out and I’ve got only a week left until the exhibition opens. In the studio I sometimes worry I won’t find my way out of a problem. However, that sense of doubt is fleeting, as taking action and being curious are inherently stress-relieving. With an active and creative approach, I consistently find my way out of aesthetic and engineering problems. (I suspect this is why waiting-tables was always exciting: the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a restaurant during dinner service had to be met with action.)

I need to take a page from my studio practice playbook and apply it here, to the Winter weather, and to the many other challenges I face. Because wishing it weren’t cold is not a successful coping strategy.

In Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, Katherine May states

“Once we stop wishing it were Summer, Winter can be a glorious season in which the world takes on a sparse beauty and even the pavements sparkle.”

Here’s hoping we can take a curious approach to the things we think we hate.