1.
Look Again — photography and workshops by Ruth Davey
From the Community
Ruth Davey is from my hometown of Stroud. In her wonderful way, she works with well-being and creativity, using photography as her medium to ‘look again’ and truly see what’s before us.
There is a FREE 7-day taster programme here.
2.
I’m Going Back to Minnesota Where Sadness Makes Sense — a poem by Danez Smith
From the Internet
I'm Going Back to Minnesota Where Sadness Makes Sense
O California, don’t you know the sun is only a god
if you learn to starve for him? I’m bored with the ocean
I stood at the lip of it, dressed in down, praying for snow
I know, I’m strange, too much light makes me nervous
at least in this land where the trees always bear green.
I know something that doesn’t die can’t be beautiful.
Have you ever stood on a frozen lake, California?
The sun above you, the snow & stalled sea—a field of mirror
all demanding to be the sun too, everything around you
is light & it’s gorgeous & if you stay too long it will kill you
& it’s so sad, you know? You’re the only warm thing for miles
& the only thing that can’t shine.
- Danez Smith
I thought this an apt poem to take us on a ride to the coming winter.
In my Substack inbox, there are hundreds of posts and stories about Thanksgiving. It’s not really a thing here in the UK - the closest we get is a sugary pumpkin spiced latte from Caffé Nero (please stop calling it #PSL) that you have to cradle against the rain while waiting for an Uber on the wrong side of the street.
But I do like the tradition of cultivating gratitude. It’s a cue to slow down and pay attention to the transition of the season and guide our energy inward as we quiet ourselves for the colder months ahead. The winter is a time to quietly nourish the inner soil of our creativity, so when spring comes we are ready to bound forward with refreshed commitments and intention.
It is also a time when things come to an end and are re-absorbed into the earth. And so it is a season, for me, where the sadness makes sense.
You can also listen to a reading of this on the Poetry Unbound podcast below, where the host Pádraig Ó Tuama also gives a nice context for the poem.
3.
On ‘Growth’ — quote by Gail Sheehy
From the Internet
"If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we are not really living.
Growth demands a temporary surrender of security. It may mean a giving up of familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, relationships that have lost their meaning.
As Dostoevsky put it, "Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most." The real fear should be of the opposite course."
— Gail Sheehy
QUESTION FOR YOU
What risk would you be up for taking this week toward your creative goals?
AND…
If you missed our somewhat random mid-week post, then you’ll want to click on the link below and download our latest Zine!
I've been thinking all day about your question. What would I risk this week? I love the immediacy of the question. This week I'm going to risk committing to a direction. I have hard time limiting myself and focusing my attention. I overthink and leave projects unfinished, in part because I'm never sure if a given project is the right project. This week I will commit to finishing and shipping one thing and let the consequences follow.
Thanks for your beautiful posts. I love the energy your curation and commentary give me.
It looks siiiiick! 🤘🏻🤩