I keep it from stalling by letting the stillness breathe. I pause, watch the light play across the surface, and let each breath of air settle before I move again. I add a new layer, a fresh crack, a small detail that shifts the eye. Even the quiet can be a step in a pattern, so I turn that patience into a rhythm—sometimes it feels like an endless snowflake, but each one is unique. When the calm drifts into monotony, I close my eyes, listen to the wind outside, and let that quiet outside seep back into my work, reminding me that stillness is not empty, it’s a space full of possibilities.

I see the fall like a quiet promise: each stone drifts with its own rhythm, even if the ground is the same. The pattern shifts with light, with wind, with the way I let the ice hold its breath. That subtle change keeps the work alive, like a new thought on a quiet day.