All Fours by Miranda July was one of the books that stayed with me the most deeply this year and in it - I’m gonna get this quote wrong - she says that being on all fours is a stable position to be in… which is to say, having had a year of overwhelming writerly rejection too, there might be something in NOT getting all the way back up 😅
👋 Hope you are enjoying a well-earned rest. Thanks for reading. Honoured. I know you’re rarely wander round these parts.
Lots of praise for this book but also a few critics. Must see for myself. That’s an interesting notion. Now I’m thinking of a table; not sure why. I mean ... tables are sturdy and dependable. Who doesn’t like a table?
I’m not planning to get up too swiftly. More gentle child’s pose than burpee. See you on the other side!
I always feel on edge on November and December. I think it’s mostly about the overly extroverted holiday season for me, and this weird pressure to celebrate or have something special planned.
Yeah, you shared some very resonant insights about the experience of being a freelance writer in 2024. We chose this path, and there are many benefits. However, it can sometimes feel like a (very confusing) endurance test, where the folly of validation cycles - and the ache of yearning for people to connect with the words you wrote in isolation - cloud any of the liberating joy we get from simply being able to make a living from our creative energy.
Thanks for dropping by, Marcus. Been a while since our last exchange. I hope you’re content with your return this year. You’re always up to interesting brings.
You’ve got it. If we can’t savour the act of creating something we care about, and feel pride in that achievement, without the need for validation, then it will be a long, punishing road.
The idea of creativity as self-care is something Nikki Giovanni put forward in an old interview I listened to the other night. Ocean Vuong also. Committing that to my heart.
Make sure you check out my Moonbeam Levels show. Based on your output, it should flick your switch.
Gawd that all feels so relatable. I have this urge to escape the mad dash to the finish line. All the expectation and excess. Just go somewhere remote and warm, immersed in nature’s beauty instead of the cold and grey English winter. Somewhere I can just be still for a week and reset properly. I’d have to take my dad with me though 😝
All Fours by Miranda July was one of the books that stayed with me the most deeply this year and in it - I’m gonna get this quote wrong - she says that being on all fours is a stable position to be in… which is to say, having had a year of overwhelming writerly rejection too, there might be something in NOT getting all the way back up 😅
👋 Hope you are enjoying a well-earned rest. Thanks for reading. Honoured. I know you’re rarely wander round these parts.
Lots of praise for this book but also a few critics. Must see for myself. That’s an interesting notion. Now I’m thinking of a table; not sure why. I mean ... tables are sturdy and dependable. Who doesn’t like a table?
I’m not planning to get up too swiftly. More gentle child’s pose than burpee. See you on the other side!
I always feel on edge on November and December. I think it’s mostly about the overly extroverted holiday season for me, and this weird pressure to celebrate or have something special planned.
Yeah, you shared some very resonant insights about the experience of being a freelance writer in 2024. We chose this path, and there are many benefits. However, it can sometimes feel like a (very confusing) endurance test, where the folly of validation cycles - and the ache of yearning for people to connect with the words you wrote in isolation - cloud any of the liberating joy we get from simply being able to make a living from our creative energy.
Thanks for dropping by, Marcus. Been a while since our last exchange. I hope you’re content with your return this year. You’re always up to interesting brings.
You’ve got it. If we can’t savour the act of creating something we care about, and feel pride in that achievement, without the need for validation, then it will be a long, punishing road.
The idea of creativity as self-care is something Nikki Giovanni put forward in an old interview I listened to the other night. Ocean Vuong also. Committing that to my heart.
Make sure you check out my Moonbeam Levels show. Based on your output, it should flick your switch.
https://amarofpatel.substack.com/p/moonbeam-levels-december-2024?utm_source=substack&utm_content=feed%3Arecommended%3Acopy_link
And let’s get a F2F freelancer gathering in the diary early next year. That’s the good stuff.
Onwards ✊🏾
🫶🫶🫶
💐
Gawd that all feels so relatable. I have this urge to escape the mad dash to the finish line. All the expectation and excess. Just go somewhere remote and warm, immersed in nature’s beauty instead of the cold and grey English winter. Somewhere I can just be still for a week and reset properly. I’d have to take my dad with me though 😝