To rest is also to re-engage
February's newsletter... out in March! A fitting mood for Rest Season
In the spirit of REST this February newsletter is coming out in March. I (Anna) am notorious for running late anyway - I’m always trying to do one last thing before I leave the house in a fluster. This week is no different. Plus Feb is a short month.
Yesterday Chloe and I spent the whole day working on a proposal for a possible Sourced project, which will be a collaboration that will bring us money so that we can continue working on Sourced in a pro bono capacity.
That is how we juggle everything - specific work that we get, off the back of how we commission and edit Sourced (or I guess our ‘rep’), allows us to keep Sourced entirely reader-to-writer funded. As readers grow, then writer fees grow.
But spending a whole day brainstorming and writing and planning is only possible because we have taken this Rest season. Rest is also about re-set, re-engage, re-evaluate, re-reading.
Our day started with coffee in a coffee shop we had not been to, we returned to Chloe’s and had more coffee, lunch, tea and then wine and pizza. We took time! We ate, we chatted, we walked, we sat in different seats. We engaged with our environment. We got so much work done!!
Re-engaging has also been a theme in writing my book, as I dug up old articles I'd written, favourite academic documents, books and authors, essays and films, to try and formulate my arguments and anchor them in theory. Theory that has built my outlook, but I’ve forgotten where I originally got my thinking - so burying myself in words has been my ‘rest’. I then poured out 60k words in three weeks.
Not much of a rest it would seem.
But here is my counter argument. As a freelancer / professional hustler, to be able to focus on one thing has actually been a breath of fresh air. I got up and wrote, I structured my day around sitting at my desk and just staring at a blank page until I was writing. I was focused. I had a friend's whiskey on my desk, sent to me mid-writing, which felt like it was my reward for when I submitted, as a focus too. I could look out the window at the neighborhood animal antics - there are many power struggles between cats. I build a little world to exist in.
And, it allowed me to daydream about Sourced, for example. And so we’ve been able to put together this project idea. In fact, we have two project ideas for later this year… keep your fingers crossed for us that they happen!
I also went back to Ballet, after about eight years. Re-engaging old, forgotten muscles. I love it. Following orders of a teacher on how to bend and move through space is meditative.
With all this in mind I wanted to share with you some of my books, if you want to look them up - sure, or just enjoy the covers, the titles, the many post-it notes.
But first, here are some ballet tutorials my teacher has been sharing with us during the week - give them a whirl! It doesn’t matter if you get it wrong!
Pas de bouree; Pas de bourrée tutorial - YouTube
Pirouette; How to Pirouette - basic Ballet steps for adult beginners - YouTube
Lastly, I wanted to recommend pieces on Sourced - icymi!
I have been re-reading Thomas Haigh’s The Politics of Flavour in Coffee, for a research project this (Feb) month - it is so so good!
I go back often to Ryan Chetiyawardana’s interview about systems of knowledge in the bar world, and how flavour travels. Ryan’s breadth of knowledge - of everything - is incredible.
And Feroz Gajia’s look at hospitality and not drinking is always a favourite of mine to listen to.
David Paw is a hero of mine, and his The Ten is simply a must read.
Back to the beginning - our first season’s tutorials is such a great way to re-look at why we started this and the anchor of Sourced. I hope we can bring these back this year, once we’ve had a chance to to get some (paid) projects and can free up our time beyond commissioning and editing.
Concentrating on a single project and pouring out the words. Sounds joyful 😁
I like the analogy of re-engaging the body's muscles. Just like re-visiting old works, ideas, we need to re-engage our brain to consider differently! Such a useful and humbling exercise.