The Body's Work of Remembering
The subtle movement of knowing
Dear Reader,
My hair is long enough to fit in a braid now, a sign of patience. Two pigtails as our first grand gesture, the braid in the back as the final form. I have grown my hair long once and it felt so triumphant. To celebrate I cut it all off.
I stand before you in a deep not knowing, in a wanting to rush but staying still. I’ve been returning to the Pilates method after almost two months out of practice. As soon as I said it wasn't my job I couldn’t figure out how to integrate it into my life. I find that when something is my job I know how to weave it together, and when it isn’t income earning I have a harder time.
https://codycookparrott.substack.com/p/pilates-is-not-my-jobSo I do my little project - Public Access Pilates. A small expression of my dedication to documenting the body’s work of remembering. Without judgement I film myself, without knowing what it’s for, where it will go, or who will see it. I know I do it for myself. I like how it makes me feel, doing the movement, recording it, and archiving it.
I screen record the video, screenshot my favorite moment, and upload both to the website and to my Public Access Pilates Are.na channel where the videos live.
I reinstated my little YouTube channel, again with no clear plan. I just wanted to remember how nice it felt to make the videos without needing to know how they would lead to monetization.
It feels like a time of collecting, of gathering, preparing for Winter with each passing moment of creative indulgence. I am reminded again that the body of work is allowed to grow without a clear outcome in mind. It is the writing that creates the through line, that weaves the tapestry of work together to become one entity.
My website world, both my personal website and creating mini websites for projects, is another hub that reflects how it all sits on the same shoreline. And yet I am no stranger to the question of : Does this all make sense together? Does this all go together in a way that the people will understand?
That isn’t the right question though. The question I want to ask is : Am I being creatively fulfilled? Am I finding joy and delight in my work and the scope of my practice? And if something is missing can I unhook from capitalism long enough to know that not every part of my process needs to be income generating.
I am drawn in to what is contemplative and cyclical, not what makes me the most money. This as a starting point takes more trust.
The work of being an artist is to practice devotion in all directions — to let the projects pollinate each other without forcing a single flower to carry all the meaning. The Pilates videos teach me how to write with a new steadiness. The writing teaches me how to move. Each practice feeds the next.
If you’re also sitting inside a field of unfinished or half-formed work with no clear direction — poems, essays, recordings, scraps of fabric or sound — I made something for you.
→ Pollinating Through Projects is a two-day workshop this weekend (Nov 1 + 2) about learning to see your creative ecosystem as a whole. We’ll map your current projects, trace the invisible threads between your mediums, and find clarity in what already exists through writing prompts and mapping out what wants to come forward.
It’s not about starting something new — it’s about seeing what’s already alive.
Each gesture — the writing, the filming, the small acts of care — belongs to the same cadence of creative practice.
It’s less about knowing where it’s headed and more about noticing that it’s still moving.
That’s the through line: the motion itself.
Cody’s World is my digital garden Notion universe of writing and dance experiments, research and book notes, and more. Become a Paid Subscriber to access for $5/mo or $35/year
→ I added the Library of Research - an experiment in using my private Notion as an inbox and then filtering things I am actively ready to share into Cody’s World. I added this after taking Podge Thomas’ AMAZING digital gardening class.
→ Documented Katy putting up the drywall in the small shed
→ Two new short experimental essays : Getting Back To It and The Great Returning
→ The fundraiser workshop to buy back books with my deadname on them is going well! We’re at $1935.70 out of $8820! We meet for Reclaiming the Archive on November 9 and you can contribute as much as you want to this humble effort - thank you to everyone who has participated so far, it means the world to me to not take this on alone
→ Just announced OBJECT STUDY which starts Nov 1 and will have a very cool free Notion template and Google Sheets template
https://codycookparrott.substack.com/p/object-study-a-30-day-experimentThe newest episode of Common Shapes is an interview with the amazing Kening Zhu
https://codycookparrott.substack.com/p/weaving-worlds-on-the-web-with-kening
→ Tired of forcing discipline in your creative practice? Join Make it Delicious — a free live session to design a creative practice you (actually) love.
→ Stop working alone. Focused Space is an online co-working app & community for writers, artists, entrepreneurs & anyone who is sick of procrastinating.
→ Cosmic Playground 🪁 a creative community exploring Art, Astrology, Zines & more. Join our Monthly Reset this Friday for ease, grounding, & inspiration. Use MONDAY30 to get 6 weeks free
→ Diaries, journals & daybooks : Write in warm, low-key community and start (or continue) a journal practice. Read diary excerpts from writers like Moyra Davey and Helen Garner & write together. $75 for 6 weeks.
→ Midwestern Daughter A 6 month container for anyone who has ever identified as a girl or woman affected by the ethos of the Midwest, to rewrite their own stories of identity and reclaim themselves with joy. MWD25 for $25 off of registrations in October
Want to include a classified ad for next week? Click here to read more
→ Website
→ Are.na
→ info@codycookparrott.com
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