guide.notes 25 | a map of the big picture
dear spirit friends,
last night I came home from a few days in Adana, an ancient Mediterranean city on the far eastern side of Turkey, close to Syria -- famous for its kebabs and being a super macho place, where, (it is said) on the hottest days of the summer, the men take out their guns and shoot at the sun...
I spent my days with my 8-months pregnant friend, living with her Turkish family, walking amongst the pomegranate and citrus trees, and towering cactus shrubs, like this:
this week, I've been thinking about how to work on the "big picture" -- of my dreams, goals, projects, systems, creations... and out came this visual diagram:
an ecosystem map of the big picture
Here's the key + a journaling question to go with each element:
Ether - your dreams & visions.
Which possibilities inspire you forward?
Water - your creative flow.
What does your creativity need to flow?
Rhythms - your systems & processes.
What systems can support your world?
Garden - your creations & results.
What seeds are you tending to, everyday?
Earth - the vessels that hold your work.
Where are your intentions & work contained?
Fire - your core drive & motivation.
What keeps you on fire?
Shadow - your resistance, fears & blockages.
What is holding you back?
this diagram helped me reflect on all aspects of my world - and especially as an obsessive, lost-in-the-weeds kind of person - seeing the big picture really helps me stay focused, so that I can dive deeper, one project at a time.
things that inspired me this week
exploring: when gastronomy meets art - a chinese chef designing poetic landscapes as food dishes, on google arts & culture - so beautifully inspiring
browsing: daily art app - a daily, nourishing spoon of art history -- and their magazine articles are surprisingly interesting (and a great Instagram replacement)
listening to: love letter by zalagasper. a dreamy, float-in-your-head sort of love song
that's all for this week's letter, my friends. thinking of you from a particularly windy day in istanbul.
see you next week,
kening
this is guide.notes no. 25, a weekly letter on the labor of love of tending to your infinite inner & outer gardens.