I can see the finish line 🏁
On pacing and filling up my creative cup
Hello!
I’m out of the habit of writing these letters, as I’ve been pushing myself to finish the (final) draft of The Dark Beneath Us.
I’m so very close to the end now that I thought I’d take a moment to stop and say hi.
Just a reminder to join the wait list for the new novel here.
This past week, I’ve tried to get out and fill my cup in nature and art galleries. I hadn’t realised how much I’d needed a break, but I had needed it and feel better for taking it.
It is so typical of me to work in this all-or-nothing way. Like binging, it’s almost compulsive, and I’m in competition with myself. Each day I push and push. I’m my own worst/best taskmaster, depending on how you think of these things.
I went to see;
Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 at Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
Breathing With The Forest by Marshmallow Laser Feast at Compton Verney, near Leamington Spa.
The style of Breathing With The Forest felt familiar. I quickly realised I’d seen another installation/film of theirs back in 2018. It was at the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester, and I wrote about it at the time. That was back when I was so cool that I got press passes for exciting events.
Anyway- I’ve recently moved the Black Hole post, so if you’re curious, please have a read. Black Holes - there are photos too.
Breathing With The Forest was so up my street. All about the trees and the fungal networks beneath them. It was a more chilled, meditative experience than the Black Hole one was; I recall feeling quite shaky afterwards in the previous experience. This time there were benches and viewers were encouraged to sit.
The Women In Revolt exhibition was equally inspiring but in a different way. Speaking to the relentlessness of oppression and the cycles that are rerunning in our lives now. So many themes reoccurring. So many mirrors being held up from the past, showing us how far we have come but also how much still needs to be done in terms of education, sexism, and true equality. This show is a lot to take in, and I’d recommend more than one visit.
In a coupe of weeks I’ll be revealing the new Earthly Bodies cover. I can’t wait for you to see it!
Take care of each other.