earthquake country
dear stranger-friends,
hello from my first digest of 2023. these days, it's been zombie weather in istanbul -- neither dark nor light, but heavy and grey, suspended in between.
since the earthquake, there has been talk and forecasting around the next big one to hit Istanbul. I've been thinking about what art I can create about the city before I go, and how to give it my very best.
here's what's inside this email:
1 | earthquake country
a prose poem
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in earthquake country, you must get used to the idea of dying in your sleep. it will be quick — if you are lucky. if the earth stretches its arms for forty-five seconds, maybe you’ll wake up to find your hometown gone. what is a city, but the imaginations of its men? so one day, they were lazy. they flicked their cigarettes, paid up a bit of money. what if the rescuers never find you, or the bodies of your family? your president will say: regrettable, but fate. we have been this way for millennia; the earth shakes, but it will continue spinning. animals will try to warn us - but the ground goes quickly. twenty years of earthquake taxes will not stop us from falling. our fates say: no worries. we'll breathe under rubble, we'll sleep inside concrete.
2 | istanbul, rainy winter nights
one strange thing about istanbul is that, for such an exaggerated city, its four seasons are extremely balanced. three months of winter, spring, summer, fall. at night, it's incomplete darkness and glittering skylines.
3 | drawing an avocado lightbulb
I drew this as a plant study. it was an avocado I bought from a grocery store sometime last year - it sprouted roots, then I imagined it generating its own electricity.
4 | creative circle
a tiny community for your creative practices
I'm restarting the 3rd season / 3rd year of creative circle - a small, 3-4 person community to support your creative practices.
about this spring season:
small & gentle support
8 weeks: March 31 - May 19
video calls twice a month (4 meetings)
ongoing creative guidance from me
voice messages via Whatsapp
sliding scale pricing
5 | four creative practices
here are the four creative practices I'll be hosting in creative circle -- as well as multi-form groups. below, some brief notes about each practice.
writing: writing is more than about finding words. it's about deep psychic untangling, and diving - to get to the truth. it is both emotional and intellectual - investigating, imagining, grappling, clarifying, distilling, finding meaning. when I don't write, I feel dazed, confused, and existentially clogged - weighed down by the incomprehensibility of this world.
visual creation: creating images creates my way of seeing the world. this can be any form -- (drawing, painting, collage, photography, still lifes). it sharpens observation, perception, and as a result, understanding. when i don't draw, I feel like I'm walking through the world half-blind.
sound: music, audio art, moving vibrations of the world. I've always felt like playing music is the most concentrated form of meditation in the intensity of focus it requires. when I was in Japan, I started playing piano again after 14 years. in this practice group, I wrote "sound" because I also want to include audio art, in all its forms. 
web creation: (websites & digital content) this is a form that can hold and intertwine all the others. over these last years, I've discovered how to create on the internet; how to think of the internet as its own canvas, vessel, house, art-form. how to balance the need to express -- with the fear of being seen. how to nourish and embody your digital presence as a deep and true part of you.
if you're curious to join a creative circle, go here.
6 | inspiration log: what's inspired me lately
learning about code: on the handmade-web.net and codeacademy
I discovered this (generously public) handmade web course syllabus via are.na, and got so excited about it I could feel fireworks exploding in my brain. coding feels like a puzzle game I'm eager to begin unboxing and playing.
nope (2022) by jordan peele, a film analysis
I wrote a film analysis/reflection notes about this western noir sci-fi UFO monster film. my imagination is usually too wild to handle movies even a little scary, but jordan peele is something else entirely.
7 | [❗] I'm looking for a trustworthy person to stay in my Istanbul home & dog-sit for me for 3 weeks in April. plus water my plants.
my gentle dog Luna needs a dog-sitter in Istanbul while I'm traveling for ~3 weeks in April. in exchange, I offer you my 2 bedroom apartment (spacious, sunny, bosphorous water view) all to yourself while I'm away. she's chill, adventurous, and very sweet - the caveat is that she cannot be left home alone often (or will bark nonstop and create complaining neighbors), so you'd have to take her with you as often as possible. reply if you're interested.
more threads
guide.notes: letters on building the creative life
process-obsessive letters on the "how" of doing creative work, nurturing digital ecosystems, and world-building on the internet. the next letter goes out next week. sign up here.
dear kening: ask me a question about anything and I'll reply.
house on the webs: build your website with me in 10 days, with ease.
support my work: your support feeds my world, and helps me make focusing on creation more possible. thank you for any amount of giving ❤️
thank you for reading!
write me back anytime.
kening