Because. Not despite.
Holy shit! She is sending a second newsletter this week! Instead of retreating into her cave only to appear again in a few months with some unhinged garbage that is the written version of whatever it is that Adam Sandler wears in public?
She IS!
(And to be fair, she also dresses like whatever it is Adam Sandler wears in public. It’s OK, I live in the gayborhood. Everyone just nods and says “That’s Doc, she’s just buying cat food to feed the den of skunks that live under her house. That’s what happens when you get old. Don’t mind her.”)
OK, part of the reason is because I just found out that Unfuck Your Holidays is up on Kickstarter for pre-order. Do you have to use KS to pre-order? Of course not! Though the KS backers get their books before anyone else (this also includes me, we’ve discovered) and if it does really well we do funsie add-ons. I’ve got one I am hoping we get a chance to use!
I want my books to be solid on useful shit, and minimal on the superfluous filler that happens in so much non-fiction…especially from those of us on the mental health/self-help shelves. So it is full of pragmatic advice on handling rough situations.
Including scripts on how to respond to people pissing you the fuck off because they won’t shut the fucking fuck up about whatever unhinged garbage they have in their brains. Both the more polite boundary setting version and the less polite “do I look like a vomit bucket for you to aim what is coming out of your mouth at?” version.
(You can also say “do I look like a vomit bucket for you to aim what is coming out of your mouth at?” Just please, bestie, get it on video and tag me in it.Yakoke na ome.)
Ok. Uncomfortable self promotion done. More important stuff now.
We have a lot of discourse, especially in maker spaces, about creativity. I think oftentimes we are focusing on the wrong concept. That’s a book for next year (she’s a tease!), but the act of creation is something I do want to talk about a bit today.
It feels overwhelming to tap into creative work right now. To produce something that hasn’t existed before. The world is on fire so why bother?
I don’t think we are supposed to bring forth newness into the world despite ever-increasing moment-by-moment fuckery. It’s not a “Fuck you, imma write books/make art/sing songs ANYWAY” kinda deal.
I think it is exactly what we should be doing because this is an epic shit show that demands our attention and our resistance. And our fucking JOY. Happiness is dependent on circumstances and not a lot of people have much to feel happy about. Joy is something we cultivate through a life lived with purpose and meaning.
Bringing forth something new in the world that didn’t exist before? The act of creation? That reminds us of our purpose and meaning. And sometimes reminds others as well, if it is a creation we choose to share.
Whatever your jam is. A lyric poem in irregular meter? Embroidery on your favorite shirt over a stain that won’t come out? A huge, bright mural that makes you feel like you are standing in sunshine? A delicious meal that soothes you hunger and your heart?
This is how we fuel our joy when we are struggling with hope.
The resistance must include dancing. Because that is exactly the thing we are fighting for. If we aren’t giving up without a fight, we can’t give it up while we are fighting.
—Faith
P.S. — Also? Don’t leave. You know what I mean. If you are wondering if I mean what you think I mean, I do. If all you can do is keep creating yourself day after day? We need that to. Don’t leave us.