well here we are
welcome to my newsletter - books, new year intentions, etc
I’m in my third (?) week off Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok* and finding myself instead filling my time with: cleaning and organizing my home, reading and listening to audiobooks, knitting a sweater, doing yoga with Adriene, hanging out with my friends and family, making soup (and sometimes combining the last two by making soup for my friends and family). I also went on a 5 day trip to New York to go to a wedding and visit loved ones.
*This being said, I have logged in and checked DMs and been distracted in spurts every now and again… Although this break has been the least challenging as it was during lockdown when I was desperate every day to go back to my social media accounts and see what I was missing.
I typically take some sort of break around the holidays after I feel sufficiently burnt out from the holiday season. It started out with 2 weeks around Christmas and New Years in 2019 - 2021, and then in 2022 I decided I needed the entire month of January. A full month was the longest I have ever been intentionally off social media EVER. That really freaks me out! During that month, I got back into reading newsletters I subscribe to (which clearly I am doing again and hence the inspiration for beginning my own), applied to a few artist residencies (that culminated in my residency last summer in Oaxaca), read a bunch of books, went on a trip to Florida with two friends, and generally enjoyed lots of peace and creative inspriation. Of course, I worry about falling off the algorithm wagon that is unfortunately very useful in promoting my work, but it’s simply not feasible for me to be going nonstop all year (and I also don’t want to). It’s easy to fall into the scarcity mindset about not posting leading to not getting enough sales and not generally doing enough, and not _______ enough (fill in the blank with nearly anything) and frankly I am tired of that thought cycle and working on pulling myself out of it when I notice it happening.
I haven’t really set any “new years resolutions”, although I am working on envisioning what I want the year to look like. I have no delusions that I will somehow start doing every healthy habit under the sun and become the perfect version of myself. If I can continue to inch towards creating a financially abundant small business, feel inspired and creative, spend quality time with the people I love, swim in a natural body of water and go on a couple trips, I will feel the year has been a success.
New Years Resolutions have been a slippery slope for me in the past as I tend to be a “time optimist” so to speak - aka entirely unrealistic about what can be accomplished in a period of time. The (obvious) downsides of this are 1) always feeling like there’s more I should have done but didn’t and 2) inaccurately estimating when I need to leave to arrive somewhere on time and being chronically late. The upside of this is that I feel my delusional optimism leads me to be more successful in my business because I believe I can make many things happen. And honestly, I really DO make a lot happen! Anyway - this year I am continuing to work on not over-committing and not always being late to things. We’ll see how it goes….
Things I am Considering Buying
This stainless steel French Press. Unfortunately I have broken THREE glass carafes for my French press in the last few months. As an avid French press user for over 10 years, this is absolutely humiliating. I am clearly in a chaotic phase of life and need to be more careful. I’m considering switching to a metal press to mitigate my clumsiness and have something that will last longer (hopefully). I found some other less expensive styles that I like less, and the heart wants what it wants. In an effort to only buy things that I really really like and thus hopefully be less surrounded by random things that add to the clutter of my home, I am leaning towards just spending more to get the thing I really want. I am working on abiding by this with clothes and all other consumer goods (even if it’s free or extremely cheap). It’s easy to forget the maintain factor of literally everything you have in your posession. Between simply cleaning it to actually needing to mend, service, or upgrade - I’m trying to be better about remembering this when I’m giddy and excited about getting the new thing.
This seltzer maker (I would buy this secondhand or on eBay as I cannot fathom the full price). I have long wanted a seltzer maker but never wanted to support SodaStream (Google the messed up stuff they have done and are doing). I recently saw this brand recommended by my business crush Emma Allen of Everyday Oil and now I am hankering for one. I love that this company has a CO2 recycling/refill program to reduce the waste. I know aluminum cans are the most recycled in the US’s messed up/essentially nonexistant recycling infrastructure, but as we all know the first R in “recycling” is REDUCE! And thus, I will enable myself to make this purchase ;~)
Books I Have Recently Read
Persuasion by Jane Austen
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfeg
True Biz by Sara Novic
Books I am Currently Reading
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab (listening on audiobook)
As I mentioned, I’m really starting off the year with a bang in my reading practice. I do my best to avoid Am*zon products as much as possible, but I am unfortunately hooked on Goodreads. I can see both sides on the idea of setting a yearly reading goal, but the neurotic box checking-gold-star-needing side of me loves reaching my arbitrary goals. I shared my reading goals (25 books this year) with my Mom (a VERY avid reader - I’m talking multiple books in a week type of reader) and she pointed out the similarilty between obsessing over quantity of books read and my journey with body obsession in the realm of disordered eating. Touche!!! TLDR; reading goals are dumb but I still do it unless it feels really too obsessive and then I will just let it go.
I have never been really into audiobooks until recently. They are great for listening to in the car, while organizing or cooking, or while knitting. I get mine through Hoopla or Libby via the library**. I’m currently enjoying this boundaries book, which I have been listening to while I go for my long walks on Belle Isle or in my neighborhood. My therapist has been on maternity leave since October so I’m getting my therapy via audiobook you could say. I really do recommend this boundaries book though - it’s such an important reminder that no one can read your mind and you need to clearly communicate to people around you how you want to be treated. It was a particularly good reminder for me as I continue overcoming my natural tendency to attempt to solve other peoples’ problems for them (cringe).
**If you’re not utilizing your local library’s resources - what are you doing?! I am a library evangelist and feel they are extremely underutilized. The Detroit Public Library Main Branch is still not fully back open post-Covid but I still enjoy visiting there so much. It is a very beautiful and majestic place. The first time I was able to pick up a book on reserve after the long COVID closure nearly brought tears to my eyes. Libraries are such special places and I feel the awareness of what they have to offer needs to be spread!
Projects I am Working On
Finishing my Stripe Overload Pullover - I need to add some length to the body because it’s a bit shorter on me than I’d like. It’s nearly done though!
Assembling a Quilt Kit zine and shop offering using our naturally dyed linen scrap fabric (really excited about this)
Getting settled into my new studio and moving forward on creating a storefront and new website! These are actually two massive projects and putting them together in a bullet point greatly minimizes the magnitude of effort behind them
Continuing to learn and improve my wheel throwing skills! I started taking classes last year starting in May and am enjoying it so much. I am feeling a bit adventurous and would love to try throwing a bedside water carafe with a cup and a ceramic lamp body for my kitchen.
Anyway - thanks for reading this newsletter. Subscribe if you’re interested in continuing to read about my thoughts, reading list, recipes and projects. I also have a blogspot that I have been neglecting but want to post more on here.