Dear reader, 

I’ve spent this past weekend consuming every episode of my friend Dr. Kate Henry’s podcast Honing In while I finish up a long overdue quilt. Between devouring the podcast and recently teaching Systems for Artists I am deep in the study of — what is a project, what is a practice, what is a container, what is a business, what is a hobby, and why is it essential that we define them and distinguish between the options at hand?

For over a decade I have devoted my research and writing to understanding the difference between work, rest, pleasure, leisure, side hustles, you name it. How To Not Always Be Working was born out of a need to understand how to put my phone down and return to my life, and The Practice of Attention, written eight years later, is the clunky but victorious answer to the many questions I’d asked when I first wrote the zine version of How to Not Always Be Working in 2015.

In Honing In, Kate asks us how we relate to the word projects in our creative ecosystems and it got me thinking a lot about Pilates. Last year I wrote a strongly worded newsletter declaring that Pilates would not be my job, but here I am eight months later in another Mat Certification Program wondering, will it be part of my job? Or am I just a student of the method who wants to go as deep as possible.

If the job of an artist is to synthesize life’s experiences into something for the viewer, I don’t see how it can be disconnected from that. So much more than an exercise system, it is an entry point for knowing the body and the senses.

In capitalism I feel the pressure that every investment, like a Pilates training, must have an ROI. I can’t take this just because I love Pilates and want to deepen my practice, surely I would have to teach and start making my money back.

My thesis for grad school is about Pilates but it’s also not about Pilates it’s about debt and living rurally and falling in love and being trans. You can read the first draft over at Cody’s World by becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter.

All to say, Pilates is finding its way into everything I do, everything I talk about, everything I think about. But this doesn’t mean that teaching it has to be a part of my earning strategy.

Convincing myself that the art of scholarship doesn’t need an outcome or an end goal. That I can be in the deep rigor without needing to know why or how it all makes sense. That perhaps Pilates falls in the project category. Or if we’re going full on PARA method then perhaps it is an area.

I feel myself in this messy middle of trying to understand how to organize my earning activities, my fine art practices, my hobbies, and my rituals. I am exiting the phase of frustration and entering a phrase of creativity. Getting a Notion template ready for the book study that starts Sunday, finding creative ways to document Pilates and my learning practice with spreadsheets and logbooks and a special BRAT colored notebook for my notes.

What a gift, to take notes. To study, to be of the learning mindset. I feel like there were years of my life in my late twenties and early thirties where I was barely learning anything new, just coasting at what had been revealed to me. I am so hungry for knowledge now. Even though I don’t feel very book smart, I feel grateful for understanding enough to move forward.

In the Pilates certification program I am in we got a Certificate of Completion for testing out of the Anatomy Section. I think I will print it and frame it. I’ve thought about printing and framing my diploma for my BFA in Dance, and my soon to be MFA in Creative Writing. Reserved not only for the doctor’s office, the artist too can show their accolades. Not to posture above, but to remind myself of what I have finished.

Speaking of finishing, my creativity deck is coming along! Also being documented in Cody’s World. I think I found a new format that makes more sense. My meds had stopped working and my psychiatrist and I made a tweak and now they seem to be settling me back into focus and I can get things done. I am grateful for this.

I have been wondering if there is such a thing as too many projects, too many trainings, too much school, where it prevents you from doing the things you were meant to do. Or leads to burn out. I barely have an hour in the day to rest lately and I am noticing this wiping me out by early afternoon.

I do think there are seasons of learning, and I like being a part of learning enviornments that encourage the production of new and exciting work. I love my Notion project admin land organizer of all my different containers that already exist but I need to integrate it more with all of my projects I am sitting with.

I feel so full of ideas, coming out of hibernation, ready to work and facilitate and make forward motion. I haven’t spotted a crocus yet but the grass is revealing itself. Through the snow fall yesterday I felt calm, greeting it as a visitor. Spring is near, spring is here.

I hope you are finding creative fuel in your own projects and letting them bounce you forward to the next thing. If you want to be in commuity with other artists and writers thinking deeply about attention to our practices, our projects, and projects as a practice, read on.

The Practice of Attention Study Group

Registration is now open for my eight week study group for The Practice of Attention (my newest book) We start THIS WEEKEND! I can’t believe it’s already here.

Sessions are recorded if you have to miss one

Attention is a topic that flows through so many different themes, desires, and ways of tuning in to the self. This book study is intimate, fun, and a way to go deeper into your copy of The Practice of Attention.

Notion trackers for your attention, writing, and projects. Community. Built in reading time. Week by week all leading up to the main goal - being of service and giving back to the people.

Two and Three part payment plans are available as well as scholarships

→ Announcing WORKSHOP CLUB : Three Wednesdays in May, open to eight people. Join the waitlist here Bring your writing to the light!

→ I was honored to be a guest on Insights at the Edge with Tami Simon, the founder of Sounds True. Tami is an icon in the spiritual and meditation publishing community and being interviewed by her was a spell. Give it a listen.

→ This mood board making YouTube video got me buying a foam board and mod podge and I WILL be making a vision board

→ Inspired by the work of Ruth Singer

→ Landscapes returns May 5 - Join the waitlist (Special early registration treats await! Hats! Bumper Stickers!)

→ I loved all the episodes of Honing In but this one was a favorite

Hand-crafted tarot + oracle decks for intuitive dreamers + underworld journeyers. All April purchases include a one-card reading. Use code ORACLE5 for $5 off. 

Can you imagine the sound of you calling 505-557-2445? A dial-in phone line devoted to listening and sounding. Join the project: We Are A Murmuration.

More space for the life you’re building. I offer lifestyle management and creative ops for artists, founders, and people building meaningful work. LA + remote

Coaching doesn't have to be about leveling up. It can be about balancing—community, career, and creative practice. Your wellest self is waiting.

You don't have to pick between creative fulfillment & financial abundance. Untangling Money Stories Workshop. April 22. Now 50% off (early bird).

Want to book a classified ad for May ? Read all about it here. I love reading them just as much as I love sharing them.

I’m curious — what projects are you working on right now and how do they intersect with your job? Comments open to all subscribers 

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