EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT UNINSPIRED
Maybe it’s the signs of spring decomposing into summer — high eighty-degree days heralding an onslaught of tourists, yellow flies, and brutal humidity — maybe it’s the consequences of recent doom scrolling or the lingering effects of a harvest moon (clearly I’m grasping for straws here). But I’ve been extra (extra, read all about it) uninspired and unmotivated. Usually one will draw out the other — random inspiration will incite motivation or, more commonly, motivation (some call it a sheer inability to sit still) will cure a lack of inspiration. But lately, the only thing that quickens my pulse is hitting the purchase button. And that simply won’t do.
While I’ll spare you a diatribe on the peculiar state in which I find myself — and the evils of shopping to cure boredom, a coping tool I have investigated deeply, by the way — I’ll leave you with a few of the resources I turn to when stuck. All of them are available for purchase. Isn’t that ironic?
Don’t worry, I’m not depressed. Aside from shopping (in person! online!), the only things I’m interested in doing are walking, running, or riding a bike. In fact, I did all three one day this week to avoid doing anything truly productive as that just felt like a pure assault against my psyche.
But as I struggle to muster up the kind of motivation necessary to hit send on this WEEKLY’s email, I find myself thinking about the countless entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed and the one question I always ask (besides “what’s the correct spelling of your name?”): what do you do to stay inspired? And while I wouldn’t say any of these tools are leaving me overcome with any buoyant desire to create (or do laundry), I trust that, after a while, they’ll get me back to my equilibrium. So, on that note, here’s what I’ve been doing…
GARDENING // In addition to exercise and avoiding seed oils, my mother always prescribes getting outside. From her I’ve inherited a passion for plants. And while I’m still apt to kill half of everything I plant (whoops!), I’m slowly growing into my green thumb through trial and (a lot of) error.
READING // I’ve tasked myself with reading 12 books, like the paper kind, this year. It’s both an effort to loosen my death grip on digital media and honor my inner child that was never without a book growing up. To nurture the habit, I try to read at least a chapter everyday. I’m in the middle of two rather dense books and just finished The Creative Act, which I highly recommend even if you don’t consider yourself an artist. I often thought of the Henry Miller quote while reading…
“Whoever uses the spirit that is in him creatively is an artist.
To make living itself an art, that is the goal.”
MAKING // Even if I don’t feel like engaging in a craft — whether that’s rearranging, restyling, painting, writing, etc. — I do have to eat. And this Ooni electric oven has inspired a love of cooking. Or at least, a love of making pizza. Once you have the dough made, it’s a breeze. Cannot say enough about this oven, which is perfect for apartment dwellers or those of us plebeians without a summer kitchen.
WRITING // There are certain seasons of life during which I write more and perhaps this is one of them. After reading The Artist’s Way (another book I highly recommend regardless of whether you consider yourself a creative), I started journaling 3-5 pages every morning (here are my current pens of choice). The effects on my mental health rivaled years of therapy. It was an opportunity to get all of the craziness that rattles around in my head onto paper, freeing my mind from whatever anxieties it manufactured for the day.
LETTING GO // As the writer of what essentially boils down to a shopping newsletter, it’s no secret that I love things. But, I also love getting rid of things. Letting go and letting them serve a new purpose for someone else. After a closet session with Coco Schiffer, I donated tons of clothes that don’t serve me. [EDITOR’S NOTE: I have prepared to donate tons of clothes but will drive around with them in the back of my car for 2-5 weeks]. Reading Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up really changed my perspective on parting with possessions. Ultimately it boils down to this: I don’t have to feel guilty about passing along items. In fact, in doing so, I allow those items to serve a higher purpose for someone else. In holding onto to them (out of guilt or the sneaking suspicion I might one day need them) I prevent others from experiencing their utility now. And there’s such a weightless joy of being surrounded only by items that, dare I say it, spark joy.
ORGANIZING // This goes hand-in-hand with letting go. Often, it is the vehicle that gets me to let go. And, if you don’t take a trip to The Container Store, it’s a free activity. These baskets are one of my favorite organizational tools.
Asterisks indicates that the item has been sourced from a small business. Where possible, sources for locally-owned shops that carry the item(s) are also listed so you can support them in-person! Please note I may earn commission when you shop certain links, though I also encourage you to let them know in the checkout or notes section that the WEEKLY sent you! Thank you for supporting my small business!
