Zara tank (similar)
H&M trousers
Flattered sandals
Friday by JW Pei handbag (similar)
Ace & Tate sunglasses (similar)
Wolf Circus necklace (similar)
Keltie Leanne Designs ring (c/o) (similar)
Mejuri earrings (c/o) (similar)
Location: National Library of Greece – Athens, Greece
I experience life at 5 am significantly more than average. While I am definitely an early riser, 5 am wouldn’t be a time I ever chose to wake-up. (6 am, on the other hand, feels comfortable for me.) But Ian’s job dictates that his alarm often rings at 5 am – or even earlier. And while sleep comes easily for me, I almost always wake up briefly when it does.
For years, this simply meant grumbling, rolling over and going back to sleep. But in recent months, I find that I often get up briefly at 5 am. There’s something about that place between sleep and true wakefulness that just lends itself to creativity. I always remember that Salvador Dali said he got his best ideas for paintings in the moment just before he fell asleep – and went so far as to tie something to himself that would make a noise, waking him up and allowing him to preserve those ideas.
I’m hardly Dali. He was a painter, for one thing, not a writer, and my artistic skills are limited to what can be done with a pen. When I wake up at 5 am, somehow the words that have been floating around in my head seem to crystallize to form something cohesive. Until October, I hadn’t written a poem in over a decade. Since then, I’ve written four. It isn’t much, really, but after such a long creative drought, it feels like a oeuvre. And mostly, I’ve written – or at least drafted – them at all around 5 am.
To be honest, I’m not really sure what my 5 am writing is in aid of. It’s never crossed my mind to publish a book of poetry – someone suggested it to me once, years ago, and my immediate reaction was laughter. But if I have to wake up at 5 am, even briefly, it’s a pleasant surprise that I can actually do something meaningful with that time.
If you’re interested in what I’ve been working on at 5 am, I have a Writing highlight on Instagram featuring my recent scribblings.
Your poems are absolutely lovely Cee!! And funnily enough, I woke up at 3 this morning (which felt very wrong), but silver lining, wrote out a few things I was stuck on – interesting how easily words can flow at that hour! And I’m in love with your pants. Hoping to a add a few to my closet this winter and hope I find one’s as lovely as yours. Wishing you a fabulous week ahead!!! xo
My Curated Wardrobe
It’s wonderful that you’ve found a little space at that early hour … I’d give some more consideration to publishing your poems as well as they are lovely.
Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines
I’m so happy to see you returned to this staircase, it really is so gorgeous, so grand, and those sandals you brought to Greece are making me want to shop even more.
I think five a.m. is much too early indeed, especially when it’s still dark during these winter months, but if the interruption in your sleep is yielding creative results, I’d keep trying it for as long as it still works – knowing that you’ve accomplished at least something for the day at 5 a.m. before you are even ‘awake’ is a very good way to start.
Chic on the Cheap