Do the Thing. G'wan.
Stained fingers and stage fright
Vadouvan is a French influenced curry spice mix from Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry), a region of India occupied by the French (like me, maybe you thought it was all British occupied, but nope). Vadouvan has the turmeric and cumin and spices you know from things like garam masala. But it’s also citrusy, it has lemon or orange peel, depending on whose mix you buy. I know about this because I am working part time for a local spice business. I am a seasonal workshop assistant, weighing and packing and putting labels on jars. Yesterday I packed five different kinds of masala mix; my fingers were stained every so slightly orange when I finished my shift.
This is what I am doing when I am not walking dogs or swimming or working on CANNED or going to live storytelling events. Oh, I have a small gig for an electric battery recycling startup. Right now I’m doing IA (information architecture); I hope they will keep me on to write the copy once that’s done but who can say. It’s a strange patchwork of projects but it is also a pleasing mix. In answer to your unasked question, no, it’s not enough income but I am working with a safety net. I remain fine for the short term. Longer term, well, that remains to be seen, what with the fascism and all.
I mustered the nerve to stand at the front of a room of mostly strangers to tell a story about that one time I went to Indiana. My mouth got super dry and good god, I was nervous at the start, but then I just kinda told the story and did not die. I was not as good as some of the more confident folks I’ve seen but I didn’t crash, either. It was weird and thrilling to be at the front of a bright room with nothing but my ideas and a hot mic.
My companion at all these events is a communications teacher; the two of us are endlessly fascinated by what’s a story and what isn’t, the difference between performing a story and telling a story, how the organizers of the event set the vibe, oh, just everything. Of my stint at the mic he said this: No notes. It was nice to get an A in this class I was not taking.
Seattle area live storytelling events:
I hit publish on the 50th episode of CANNED this week. Apparently most podcasts don’t make it past three, even fewer make it past 20. I’ve had some cursory interest in the CANNED book project I’m pitching, but no deal yet; keep your fingers and toes crossed for me. I have a winter retreat planned in which I hope to get a good chunk of writing done. If I get a deal, I have to write the book, same if I DIY the publishing, so I guess I should just write the damn book, already.
Write the damn book, already, there’s the walk off. I’m a verbal thinker; I think out loud (or in writing) a lot about That Thing I Want to Do. From time to time I actually shut up and do the thing, or hey, in the case of that storytelling thing, don’t shut up and do the thing. I try not to let fear (like stage fright) or external ideas about success (like making money) prevent me from doing the thing.
Lemme tell you, standing empty handed at a mic is not the same thing as doing a reading when you have your notes in front of you. I’ve done that many a time and it’s so much easier! But I did the thing and now, I kinda want to do it again.
Whatcha working on, friends? What’s the thing you’re thinking about doing and haven’t yet done? And when are you going to do it?
Fight fascism, be weird, make art.
//Pam