Best things
What kept me going this year...
This moment is a lot to take in. The heartbreak, frustration, fear, anger, outrage is real.
There are also so many incredible people creating inspiring art and offerings in the world. I’m working on allowing multiple things to be true in my body at the same time and making space for the joy, inspiration and delight— right alongside the darker feelings.
Starting next year, I’m going to send out monthly links to all my favorite things. This will be for paid subscribers, but I wanted to send out one at the end of this year that is for everyone so you can get a taste of what it’s like.
So here we go… here are some of my best things:
In the first 3 weeks of December, I packed and processed nearly 1000 calendars in my unheated studio warmed by 3 albums:
Rosalía! (I listened to this over and over and it got better and better)
Bole 2 Harlem (The energy!)
Billie Eilish (who I saw with my daughter in concert. WOW!)
I didn’t get to see very many films but No Other Land forever changed me. A film everyone should see. There’s a reason they’ve tried to keep people from getting access to it. Art is powerful.
Sage Warrior is Valarie Kaur’s newest book. I loved learning the Sikh stories and ancestors and the ways she related it to actual ways of showing up in this broken world today. I had lots of take aways that have helped me navigate this year.
Good Fire: Tending Native Lands at OMCA- I went to see this exhibit with my 8 year old son the week of Thanksgiving. As someone who grew up deeply afraid of fire- it was so eye opening to understand its importance and the ways colonialism has disrupted the natural cycles that indigenous people really got/get.
Rama Duwaji’s ceramics and illustration! I was so excited that Mamdani won the mayor race AND it’s so fun that his wife is an artist who does such powerful, inspiring work!
Frustrated by the ways I had been ingesting news- Slowfactory has been such a breath of fresh air. I have been getting their Everything is Political actual print newspaper in the mail all year and it’s been game changing for me.
What are your best things from the year? Comment/share links so everyone can check them out, or send me a note and I might share it out next month with a shout out.
Want to keep getting these resources sent to your inbox once a month next year?
We need all the art, music, film, etc. to keep us going- let’s keep circulating the good stuff.
Sending much love,
Jen