Well, I’m not going to lie to you. That would be so rude at this point in our journey. I don’t know how to do posts telling you to vote, how to grow your Substack in three months, or even what to cook, though I’m cooking a lot these days. I’m into deep creative care for the self and others as a lifestyle, via good health, without sacrificing too much fun/taste. Still, when sharing what I learned in the wild, I always find that I’m shortening myself. That is holding what I have to say in - and thank God for writing - because I wonder if I would ever say anything without it. Am I a POFW? (Person Of Few Words??) Outside of writing, I get by on an economy of language. Friends comment on my ability to be ‘brief’ (as they put it). Outside of writing, I might be a chronic undersharer, which, now I’m thinking about it, might be annoying. So, when talking about the things we are learning along the way, I challenge myself to say more if it could help someone - since I always benefit from hearing people say more. As a hungry student, I will not gatekeep when sharing my tentpoles of existential balance.
1.
Consume Less. Make More.
Creativity is the antidote to many cramped, backed-against-the-wall feelings. A human’s mental health is a developing maths puzzle. Thank god I’m Not That Young and have some hard evidence to pull from. I think of all the times I’m struck with high-grade inertia, apathy or hopelessness. This correlates with how much outside noise I consume at any given time. Too much media - be it podcasts, YouTube, Instagram, streaming TV services, or Tiktok causes me to chase my tail and question my work, my life, my everything… which leads me into the comparison trap - (maybe if I did ______ like ______, _____) would be easier. Too much mindless scrolling on social networks or streamers seizes the brain and chokes new, exciting ideas. In July, I took all of the social media off my phone - and, you’ve guessed it, immediately felt happier. Suddenly, there appeared more hours in the day! I also skew toward ‘noise minimalism.’ where I don’t have the TV blaring or music playing in my house unless I’ve elected to turn it on to hear something specific - which means I like to sit in silence. (Note: I don’t live with anybody, so this is pretty easy. This makes me a bit awful to be around if you’re the kind who always likes to have something on. I’m telling you now, we won’t gel.) I’m also finding that depressive episodes can stick around when they come around because of the state of the world and stuff, so I try to arm myself the best way I can to combat the murky mcmerks. I drink more water than I did last month to flush away the toxins harming my brain. I am eating more greens than I have been all summer. I am seeing more art than I did last week. It makes me want to go home and do more interesting things with words. I’m reading exciting poetry. At the end of August, I took a work trip to Big Sur and stood beneath the Redwoods for six long days. In the profound peace of the green, I restarted a writing practice. I’ll let you know how it goes.
2.
What actions make you want to create? Here are some of mine.
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