Spinning your wheels

[resonant resources]

Oct 15, 2022

When you’re spinning your wheels, The Velvet Underground is a good idea. This is the first resonant resource of this letter, a musical resource that we all know but maybe have forgotten about.

I have an image in my mind of being able to yell this from the Acropolis:

BETWEEN THOUGHT AND EXPRESSION LIES A LIFETIME

When you’re spinning your wheels, it’s easy to get down on yourself. It’s easy to rail at circumstances. It’s understandable, too.

When you’re spinning your wheels, it’s very isolating.

When you’re spinning your wheels, the momentum is dizzying. Old habits barrel in. Trying a new way seems impossible.

I wrote these words last year:

My practice of staying awake and curious for life can be categorized by my stubborn attempts at trying to get off the hamster wheel.

I hate that thing! That wheel that fuels self-doubt, perfectionism, and leaden fear. When I'm stuck on it, rest is only a romantic concept and a confronting process. And damn does it have a way of muddling and compressing time. I sprint as I wonder, is time speeding up?
What I've noticed most of all: that wheel is powerful for getting jammed in a striving and scarcity cycle.

You know it too if you're on it with me. We don't always have the choice to step off of it: wages don't match rent prices and rising corporate sales goals don't match the limits of our soft, human needs.

Day by day—no, moment by moment—I'm stepping off best as possible. And from there, I'm restructuring like a patient architect, building my world in all the ways that I can now.
It's limited, it's micro, it's a practice in hope.

Well, I spun my wheels too much these last two weeks…or wait, I’m spinning the hamster wheel too fast? Where are we with these metaphors? It’s all a blur from the speed.

And now I’m back with a short studio update and some resonant resources for you!

What are resonant resources? Resonant resources are a place to feature what is sparkling for me in hopes that it does the same for you, too. They are a catch-all of ‘you've got to know about this!’, mostly in the form of media: books, quotes, articles, music, films, podcasts, etc. but also ideas, practices, rituals, and people (!)

I love weaving webs of resources, research, information, and inspiration…. and I look forward to sharing more of these in the future, especially for paid-supporters of this letter (and I’m always eager to hear about your resonant resources!)

[Tip: make your own resonant resource lists that you can reference when you need them — say, for when you’re spinning your wheels…]

The first resonant resource that I am thrilled to share with you is the work of Lauren Deborah! I met Lauren through the Community Discovery Writing Gatherings and have since been totally delighted by her writing in hi, lauren deborah!, a publication here on Substack. Think digital journal that leaves you feeling softer and brighter for having read it. She also hosts a podcast called My Dad Stole My Limelight about coming out—if you like interviews and laughing and queer joy and deep friendships, give it a listen!
hi, lauren deborah!
My Dad Stole My Limelight
A resource for you to pick up or stick to a journaling habit: a Community Discovery Writing Gathering is happening this Tuesday at 7pm est. More info below, just letting you know now… 👀
I was going to share this site (still am) and just realized these are discovery writing prompts too. Have you heard of Oblique Strategies? They are exactly that, so proceed with caution. I think of them like little creative fortunes there to haunt or inspire you… sometimes I like to string them together in the order they are received. Here is what I just pulled…

Unsettling in its accuracy…. inspiring in its honesty? I pull another…

I appreciate that. The dishes can wait until an unspecified time later… Check it out for yourself (these comes in physical cards too…Christmas is coming)

OBLIQUE STRATEGIES

Business owners and creatives and people who love systems and standard operating procedures and solid design: Have you ever heard of the Women’s Center for Creative Work? This fantastic organization (that originally started as a dinner party!) offers A Feminist Organization’s Handbook, showing the back-end of how they run their organization, and you can download for free. This is an old resource, but I just love it:
A Feminist Organization’s Handbook
I want to tell you about a YouTube genre but I don’t know what it’s called? Cozy Homey Ritual videos? Slow living? Some channels: 꿀주부 Honeyjubu, Nao, Fairyland Cottage, NIKO LIFE (and probably way more—share them with me!). I often put these on when I am sick or need to do a deep clean (and yes, sometimes when I’m spinning my wheels).