Hi Friends-
Putting together this newsletter every week requires that I consume a lot of stuff — mostly on the Interwebs — so that I can filter it down and shoot the best brainfood back to you.
But lately, I've been a little tapped out on consuming other people's content. I'm knee-deep in working on two new creative projects, and it's hard to hear your own voice if you're constantly cramming other people's ideas into your brain.
So I've been dialing down my media intake — and removing my laptop from my desk when it's not required, which feels incredibly liberating I must tell you. Rather like starting your work with 1000% less distractions at hand.
Anyway, for a change of pace this week, I pulled a handful of passages from non-Internet objects (aka books!) that have shifted my thinking in fundamental ways these past few months. Plus, a shortlist of other sundry bits & bobs that continue to provide inspiration and insight.
A final housekeeping note: Starting today, I'll be moving to my summer newsletter schedule — which means I'll send you an email every other week. : )
BOOKS I LOVE
"Are you supposed to save all your living for the next life?"
—David Wojnarowicz, Close to the Knives: A Memoir of Disintegration 👉 book review 👉 upcoming exhibit
"Reading yourself as fiction as well as a fact is the only way to keep the narrative open — the only way to stop the story running away under its own momentum, often towards an ending no one wants."
—Jeanette Winterson, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? 👉 book review
"'You liked yourself because you were good at things,' he said. 'But your challenge was to like yourself for just being. Because one day you were going to fail at something big, and if you'd based your self-worth on accomplishments, you were going to be shattered. You were brave but you didn't trust your own instincts.'"
—Blair Braverman, Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube 👉 book review 👉 her dog-loving twitter feed
"To be unavailable means that you deliberately avoid exhausting yourself and others… A hunter knows that he will lure game into his traps over and over again, so he doesn't worry. To worry is to become accessible, unwittingly accessible. And once you worry, you cling to anything out of desperation; and once you cling you are bound to get exhausted or to exhaust whoever or whatever you are clinging to."
—Carlos Castaneda, Journey to Ixtlan 👉 excerpts
"The body is the basic vehicle for life… As we objectify ourselves and each other, we come to see the body as a thing to be controlled and maintained, rather than as a living, dynamic statement of who we are."
—Anodea Judith, Eastern Body, Western Mind 👉 reviews
Other Bits & Bobs
A few other reliable sources of information and inspiration: astrology from Chani Nicholas, tarot cards from Wild Unknown, and newsletters from Ann Friedman, Jack Cheng, Paul Jarvis, Offscreen, and NextDraft.
p.s. Last Fall, I gave a talk at the AIGA Design Conference that is finally available online. It's about how being overwhelmed and over-scheduled is like kryptonite for your creativity. And what to do about it. | | SHOUT-OUTS:
Much appreciation to: Robyn Olds and Olivia Laing for book recommendations.
The illustrations are from: Gizem Vural, from his charming series Abstract Comics.
You can support this newsletter by: Tweeting about it, or leaving a review for my podcast Hurry Slowly on iTunes. | | | Share This Newsletter via: | |
Hi, I'm Jocelyn, the human behind this newsletter. I host the Hurry Slowly podcast — a new show about how you can be more productive, creative, and resilient by slowing down — write books that will help you reclaim your time, and give uncommonly useful talks. | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment