Sweet Pals forgive my radio silence, on camera duties called (and also ironically, a radio job!)

To pick up where we left off we were right at the tail end of rounding out our Winter into Spring themed inner exploration and fittingly in my attempt to tie up those loose ends of all that I’ve observed over the course of this series, I made a rather neat discovery about myself.

For years now I have been plagued by an inner conflict of what artistic impulses I should pursue. I have written quite extensively about this—my seemingly compulsive ability to receive ideas, my meta-spaghetti skewed approach to creative process, my overwhelming desire to write which is where this Substack started. There are others too, you can check out the full archive here.

I have been repeatedly reassured during this time “but writing and acting make for such great collaborators!”, the most “natural of bedfellows”, and I get it I get it, the Krasinski and Blunt of power couples, I get it, I do, a pair so decisively made for one another that there’s no need to choose between them—though truly this has never sat right in my body. What on paper presents as a perfect partnership, within me they insist on being solo artists. But it is only since embarking upon this period of sustained reflection where I have allowed myself time and space to observe my natural inclinations and behaviours, my calls and responses to work, rest and play, that I have begun to understand why.

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For those who are new here, welcome welcome! This is part of a loose series exploring our relationship to time and entertaining an idea of slow living. To start at the beginning head here.

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Here’s a joyful thing: when you start playfully interacting with time, spending more time in nature and properly connecting with your own true nature, you might just end up creating a short series of seasonal posts without planning it that loosely tracks the transition from Winter into Spring and the final post will satisfying land just as we arrive into the latter, the year’s true awakening (what I take for my personal New Year.) I was born in Spring so perhaps that’s why I have such a strong affinity to it as a new beginning but in which case, all the more reason to align myself with the cycles of the natural world which are also coming to life at this time of year—can you feel it? The shift is decisive now, not just a weather pressured warm day, one-off. It’s not even so much about temperature either - it’s still been pretty chilly where I am, particularly in the mornings - but the inundation of sound, light and insects has announced the arrival of Spring with a flourish. The pollinators are back to keep the food chain intact and suddenly everything feels alive again.

My intention this year is to not get swept along by that energy but instead to observe and absorb it as best I can. Like all the birds I’ve seen fastidiously nesting, gathering earthly smatterings to create a warm and safe cocoon for their hatchlings to grow in—which will take days, sometimes weeks, sometimes months before they’re ready to sally forth as independents; I want to take my time stepping out into this new season, as I have been since last October.

There are foxes in my garden too and I’m certain one of them is pregnant. I’ve been looking into how best to protect them for when I need to commence some urgent works required on my garden. According to everything I’ve read, the cubs, born blind and fluffy brown require not just Spring but almost a full Summer to find their footing and take on the world for themselves—and shouldn’t be disturbed before then. Now this is a rhythm I can get on board with. I knew there was a reason I loved foxes. My profession meanwhile, has other ideas.

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For those who are new here, welcome welcome! This is part of a loose series exploring our relationship to time and entertaining an idea of slow living. To start at the beginning head here.

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Following a gorgeous burst of Spring optimism last week I awoke to an exceptionally cold, wet and overcast morning. The air felt thick and maudlin. Everywhere I looked this brooding energy was being reflected back at me in fifty shades of grey—the ends of my hair curling up against the damp; overnight snails seduced by wet pavements crushed and smeared across the tarmac; even my dog, normally a ball of energy, wouldn’t be persuaded beyond a plodding trot. To cap things off I ran into a friend “How are things?” I asked - he told me he’d split up with his long-term partner. I told him how sorry I was - I mean my heart, they were the forever type - then narrowly avoided an icy wash-down from a speeding bus meeting a puddle.

These are the times when it is particularly helpful to lean on the practices which we know hold us up. These are the practices I refer to as my non-negotiables which I shared some of last week. Invariably, they can also be the first thing to go by the wayside when we hit a speed-bump. Or they can for me. I can become a little more reckless—better, slapdash? Making excuses as to why I don’t need to show up for myself. But non-negotiable practices, if they’re the right ones, are the bare necessities that will keep us structurally sound whatever storm of emotion might be building inside of us—or being reflected in our immediate environments. This is definitely not an advert for positive vibes only - that’d be about as effective as heading for the cover of trees as lightning begins to strike - it’s about creating space for your feelings, however you’re feeling. On the sunshine filled days as much as the rain-soaked ones. I like to think of these non-negotiable practices as investing in a really good raincoat for life, as opposed to a cheap umbrella grabbed on the fly that will blow out in a storm within seconds.

For those who are new here, welcome welcome! This is part of a loose series exploring our relationship to time and entertaining an idea of slow living. To start at the beginning head here.

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Hey pals, how are we feeling?

Long week? Busy week? Easy week?

Either way, I got you.

Today is going to be easy like Sunday Morning(s) should be.

Place your hand on your heart for a second and as casually as you like… bring your attention to your breath.

Now just notice its rhythm, its ebbs and flows. Sigh it out too if that feels good.

Continue on like this for a few more moments, just as long as it feels right, close your eyes too for a bit, if you want.

When you feel ready, gently blink your eyes open, rub your palms together like you’re a Disney villain about to do something dastardly :) and read on.

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Welcome welcome, make yourselves at home :)

Hello! Each month I send out an eclectic collection of the brilliant things I have chanced upon in the last month that I loved so much I think you might too. I keep the list (relatively!—quite a lot this week) concise but I’d never assume you didn’t get there before me, hence the In Case You Missed It of it all. The archive of past editions of this series can be found here and in the comments you are always warmly invited to share all the wonderful things you’ve stumbled across yourselves.

Share your brilliant things!

Now, onto the main event…

THOUGHT PROVOKING

You Don’t Need to Share Everything

This was heavily shared on Notes including by me but sharing again because my GOD. This piece is as powerful as it is forthright and I couldn’t get enough of it. Incredibly astute observations and an effervescent pep talk to the social media generation to not aspire to the relentless documentation of everything which will ultimately amount to nothing, and to get the hell out of there before it’s too late.

on How To Break Free From Dopamine Culture

What Ted said. (More on very similar themes but it’s the way Ted says it.)

on Not Keeping Up with the Kardashians

I found this piece unbelievably powerful. I have never actively watched or engaged with anything to do with this family but their overwhelming influence on pop-culture cannot be denied. This beautifully articulated exposé of their exploitative business practices will likely come as no surprise but is no less jaw dropping in its scale. Another must-read from Jess DeFino.

FOR THE WORD NERDS

with some Words of Wonder

Grant Snider has launched ‘A Weekly Treasury of Language’ so I imagine this is something for all word-lovers out there (and you know I am literally in heaven when it comes to libraries so love the above pic so much.) Grant brings his weekly words to life through his beautiful illustrations and thoughtful insights (this is a pleasingly calming, predominantly picture based newsletter) and I am living for it. So far we have Words of Wonder Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 (Revelatory Words), along with Luminous Words, Extravagant Words, Monosyllabic Words and most recently even more Words of Wonder. LOVE.

Office Ladies Podcast

The List

If you’re a fan of list making, discover the delightfully surprising origin of the word ‘list’ which was used for the first time in the context we understand it by Shakespeare in Hamlet Act 1 Sc 1—anyone know how many words/ phrases he is said to be responsible for in their first recorded use in the English language? Around 1,700 according to my research. Woah. I love love love stuff like this so for my fellow amateur etymologists out there, head to minute 50:25 for the full down low. And briefly for some other fun Shakespearean tidbits, I found this (readily in print to buy in lots of places from what I could see) which I also really enjoyed.

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FEELING CHARITABLE

with a Fundraising Raffle for Practical Action

This. Woman. And the joy she brings. Just look at her beaming in the picture on the left above. My HEART. And now she’s put this fantastic raffle together for Practical Action which you have today and tomorrow to get involved in, with the chance of winning a subscription to one or more of 50+ best-selling Substacks. For more info click here, to go straight to the raffle head here. There are discount bundles too so you can improve your chances of winning!

TAKE A TRIP

Let’s go for a stroll in Paris with

On y va à la boulangerie? Man, I wish I could speak French. But whilst I take that challenge on with painfully slow intensity on Duolingo, I was enchanted by this Winter offering from Summer Brennan. This is a delightful meander through Summer’s Parisian localities (coupled with delightful videos and pictures) and it is pure slow living joy.

Where’s Wally The Totally Essential Travel Collection

I picked up this mini collection of everything Where’s Wally at a train station recently and my HEART. I used to adore spending hours poring over the pages of Martin Handford’s illustrations as a child, seeking out my fave travel buddy Wally and later his friends—the Wizard, Woof, Wilma, Odlaw; checking off the boxes of the myriad hidden extras on each page too—and now I’m at it again. This edition contains all seven of the original Where’s Wally books plus six gorgeous high quality postcards. It’s intentionally on the small side but super chunky so it’s easy to travel with, and I suppose also makes everything even more challenging to spot, perfect for returning readers but I am tempted to buy an old school detective magnifying glass to accompany it all the same, feels like something Wally would approve of. Though he goes by other names internationally, this classic speaks the universal language of peak geekdom nostalgia must-haves. (Also ace for actual children too, lol.)

Available in all good bookshops but to support your local independent, buy it here.

What if you could trade a paper clip for a house?

I also have the Office Ladies Pod to thank for sending me down this rabbit hole—have you heard this story? I hadn’t. It’s about a guy who traded a paperclip… for a house. Ok, not directly but that’s the joy of this tale; the meandering adventure, the chance encounters, the leaps of faith, one person’s trash being another person’s treasure. And though the tangible, the material, is at its heart, this is really a story about the most humane and deeply immaterial; kindness, generosity and connection. I mean, imagine a world where human trade and transaction existed beyond the realms of currency… just a thought. Speaking of, here’s…

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with some Trains of Thought

This is a blissful and deeply comforting read from Emma as if you are in fact being rocked gently to and fro on a train thundering somewhere in deep countryside, wide open landscapes racing gently by and gifting you endless possibilities of quietitude and brain space. Adored. 🚂

EYES PEELED 👀

The Crown

I’m surprising myself sharing this one but guess what, Imelda Staunton is one of the reasons I became an actor and I was reminded why in this final season of The Crown. The Princess Diana narrative that has dominated recent seasons dramatically drew to its inevitable devastating climax and the focus pitched sharply back to the Queen (also why I thought the above poster was an epic example of visual storytelling.) Despite some genuine reluctance to get onboard with this season because of its salacious potential I was proved wrong again and again, sure it has its moments, but overall it’s just so masterfully made with some of the best casting in television history (across all six seasons.) Both the restraint and scale of the final shot in particular took my breath away. This is ultimately an almost annoyingly classy show that could have gone so horribly wrong but I’m thrilled to say, stuck its landing.

Available to watch on Netflix.

NAVALNY

This Oscar winning documentary has been described as ‘one of the most jaw dropping things you will ever witness’ and I concur, utterly.

I saw this when it was released in 2022 but in light of Alexei Navalny’s recent passing it felt necessary to share particularly if you’d like to be more informed about the political implications of his death, but it is also probably the best documentary I’ve ever seen or certainly amongst them.

This chilling quote taken from an article in the Guardian also from when the film was released (and a great complimentary read) reminded me of the importance of this unmissable piece of work.

“I just hope that Alexei is able to stay alive, that the public attention that the film is receiving will dissuade the authorities from murdering him in prison. I hope that he has the ability to one day get out and walk his daughter down the aisle and live his life and, if he decides to run for the presidency again, to run for the presidency again. But it’s all of course built on him surviving this horrible moment of his life.”

Daniel Roher, Filmmaker and director of ‘Navalny’

In the UK you can find this on BBC iPlayer and internationally it is widely available to stream or rent.

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GOOD THINGS HAPPEN IN THREES

THE BEAR

So I finally got around to watching The Bear. Truthfully this was my third time of trying, I really struggled to get past the aggression and shouting initially (my god the shouting), but I went back because so many friends whose taste I trust told me it was worth persisting and once I did… ooh, it really is *chef’s kiss* good. A lot of American actors set apart their British counterparts and hold them/us in (wholly unwarranted) reverence to the extreme, but the performances in this show are why I revere American actors in such high esteem myself. The commitment and earnestness with which they give themselves over to a role is on as fine a display here as I have ever seen. The filmmaking is also super dynamic and interesting too.

Available to watch on Disney+ in the UK and FX/Hulu in the US.

Severance

OMG. Okay. Pheeeewie. Deep breaths. (This is THE BIG ONE.) Where to even begin? This show has only one season thus far with a second on the way (pretty heavily delayed by the writers and actors strikes much to my dismay) but I am currently rewatching it for a third time because it is that good. I honestly cannot overemphasise that enough. I feel as though this one’s gone under the radar somewhat in a particularly heavy few years for ‘prestige television’. I have a friend watching it for the first time right now though and didn’t hesitate to use that as an excuse to refresh—so we could properly discuss it, of course. This is a slow burn dystopian thriller extravaganza, directed by Ben Stiller (yes the comedy writer/director/actor but did you watch the excellent Escape At Dannemora that he also directed? This is even better) and every aspect of production is exquisitely executed. I urge you to seek it out in earnest and then come back and let me know what you think—that is if you can even speak as it comes to its screamer of a finale.

Available to watch on Apple TV.

We Can Do Hard Things Podcast

Episodes 268, 269 and 281 with Elizabeth Gilbert

You know when you read a book and end up wanting to highlight every single line to the point that it becomes pointless? That’s how I felt listening to each of these episodes of We Can Do Hard Things where our hosts (Glennon, Abby & Amanda) along with their pal Elizabeth Gilbert discuss their approach to her Letters From Love practise in depth (that she has been practising privately for years but has shared widely on her Substack since September 2023.) Despite being best pals with Liz and by the sounds of things, trusting her in all things, all three women were resistant to trying out Letters From Love for themselves and all for wildly different reasons so for anyone that might have seen this around on Substack but whilst curious felt reluctant to join in - found it too cringey, too woo woo, think it’s likely impossible to get out of their own heads enough to even allow themselves to do this - to point their ears towards these epically candid episodes. What follows of course is a profound (and sometimes hilarious) experience for each of them in their processes and discoveries—again, all in wildly differing ways. I found each one absolutely fascinating and related to all three of their experiences just as profoundly. Below are all of the Letters as featured on Liz’s Substack in the order they were published, along with their accompanying WCDHT podcast episode. They are illuminating and revelatory and all of the things. I cannot recommend them highly enough, particularly for anyone seeking some loving guidance, even if it’s just from this extraordinary group of women.

Abby Wambach’s Letter From Love

Elizabeth Gilbert On Her Most Important Daily Practice + Abby shares her own Letter

Glennon Doyle’s Letter From Love

Glennon Shares Her Love Letter With Liz Gilbert

Amanda Doyle’s Letter From Love

How Amanda Finally Calmed Her Brain & Her Letter From Love With Liz Gilbert

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ICYMI on Still Space

The bounty of life-changing gifts that a decade of practising Yoga With Adriene has afforded me—

I’ve been allowing myself to experience my first true Wintering and it has been deeply comforting, so grab a hot choc and your squishiest armchair for this one—

Do you believe in perfect timing? In this piece I dig my heels into Winter, get candid about my relationship with the weird and wonderful space time continuum and commit to a new experiment in ‘anti-productivity’—

Feeling called to slow things down? In this piece, the first of four, I invited subscribers to join me for a collective experiment in altering our overall relationship to productivity, pace and time—

Later this week I will be sharing my observations from Week One of this practise and how those might influence the second stage of our exploration complete with our Week Two tasks and toolkit. This one’s for my paid subscribers so if you’re not one of those yet, join us below!

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Any of these pieces really speaking to you? Anything you’d love to recommend to the community? What’s caught your eye recently?

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There is a Zen Buddhist saying that goes a little something like this:

You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day unless you are too busy; then you should sit for an hour.

I love this saying for many reasons but here’s two:

1. Because it captures the joyfully ironic sense of humour of the universe in a way that I have come to experience it, daily;

2. Because it is true;

—if you want time to get stretchy, you have to get stretchy with time.

I’m not suggesting we kick off with a 20 minute daily meditation here by the way - quite the opposite in fact - I just want to acknowledge this delightfully bizarre phenomenon of time that in the writing of this previous post ‘In Perfect Time’, I remembered is no stranger to me. My only irrational explanation for this (I don’t see how there can be a rational one as it seems time operates beyond the realms of logic despite our desperate attempts to control it) is that in order to experience the true elasticity of time we have to take our time. A quantum paradox? Maybe. But it’s one I am anxious to explore with you further.

For years I have operated from a space where productivity was King, a sovereign state of doing, the kingdom’s motto a resounding “the only way out is through”. Sound familiar? Since rejecting that philosophy by force (mostly) or by virtue (more recently), I have come to recognise the overwhelmingly positive impact that slowing things down has had and continues to have on my life, and not only that, I have also discovered that slowing down contrary to basically every law of physics, creates momentum. Not the full throttle onslaught of opportunity, legs tangling, tripping over yourself kind of forward motion, more the steady thrum of something I’m going to call ‘sustainable living’.

Now, with everything that’s truly sustainable this of course comes with the caveat that this is a lifetime’s work in progress, and one you can expect to evolve and shape-shift enormously over time. Our goalposts and ambitions are constantly changing (and completely unique) so I’m always wary of being too dictatorial about these things. Also anything that claims to be the one solution to all our problems or that demands there is one right way, I think we would all do well to be wary of—I’ve said it a bunch of times before but it always bears repeating, trust your intuition.

I also realise that the idea of ‘sustainable living’ could sound incredibly boring to some people but after a lifetime in pursuit of the Capitalist ideal that busyness and burnout equate to success, I cannot overstate the subversive joy of actively choosing to walk rather than run, which I think also means getting to enjoy the journey along the way—this is a concept which I rationally understood (it being about the journey not the destination) but couldn’t truly embody until now. In reality, certainly for me personally, slow living thus far has made for a far more fulfilling human experience. And whilst currently living at the slowest pace I have maybe ever allowed myself to in my adult life, I also feel happier than ever. Again, not in a hit by lightning in-love kind of a way, but a far more powerful, long-term kind of a way; with a grounded sense of contentment. My mindset with regards success has radically altered, my priorities have changed and I am pursuing things, like this Substack, that I never would have before—I wouldn’t have had time to even consider it.

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I think this is perhaps one of those moments that it’s useful to apply the 80/20 rule as well, where if you observe a particular way of living 80% of the time it’s enough to sustain you for the 20% of times that you don’t. I quite like this as a general rule because it’s flexible enough to allow for (perhaps) two of the most human characteristics of all time: to err, and to be a total raving hypocrite. Lol. But seriously, the flippancy with which we change our minds sometimes, or the fickleness with which we devote ourselves to one thing over another is a totally natural compulsion I believe, and so… let’s remove judgment and have at it shall we? Be changeable. Be flexible. These days at least I always try to tread lightly when implementing any kind of lifestyle change to discover precisely what it is that works for me. In this case, starting as slowly as I mean to go on…

‘I cannot overstate the subversive joy of actively choosing to walk rather than run, which I think also means getting to enjoy the journey along the way’

Over the past few weeks I have begun to put together a toolkit of all the ways that have supported me in shifting my behaviours to a far slower mindset and so far I have identified four key areas that have contributed to the changes I’ve made, as well as why I’ve made them. Below I’m going to share those Four Fundamentals with you along with examples and then… *drumroll please* I am going to give you one super simple task a week, every week, for the next four weeks to start exploring these in depth for yourself—and if this feels too slow for you, you heard the Zen Buddhists, take twelve weeks ;) I will be taking part in this alongside you so I look forward to swapping our observations as we go!

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Many years ago, I can’t remember precisely when but I think I may have still been at school, I was rudely awoken by my alarm. I glanced at the display—red digital lines forming the numbers 07:50 A.M (that actually dates it a little, early 2000s, say.) I tossed it a dismissive, dirty look and violently flung an arm out to hit the giant snooze button on top—as a child who absolutely adored tactile, interactive objects, this particular alarm was joyfully much more button than clock. I fell immediately back to sleep.

What happened next was one of a number of experiences that occurred during my youth that I pushed to the very back of my mind and kept buried for many years, some until incredibly recently, discovering that to share them with my peers or family members at the time was to overshare, because it seems they were not experiences that were perceived as ‘normal’. I can still see some of their screwed up faces displaying an array of confusion, bewilderment, eyes wide, smiles strained, conflicted as to whether they should humour this strange child that spoke of dreams and much more besides. The shame that I felt then is also something I have been slowly unearthing and having to process, and I am beginning to recognise that though they may have been unusual experiences to other people, they were perfectly normal for me. It was other people’s perception of what I’d shared with them that made me feel ‘weird’ not the experiences themselves which to me were miraculous, extraordinary, life-changing, time-bending marvels. A total gift. And a part of me that I shouldn’t have had to silence.

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How are you feeling?

Take a second just now to really consider that question for a moment.

Place your hand on your heart if it feels good.

Close your eyes too if you want.

Now, really ask yourself:

How am I feeling?

Allow whatever happens next by simply acknowledging it—it might be calm; it might be sad; it might be excitement; it might be something you don’t even have language for. Try to just let it be seen and heard and known and felt.

Take as much time as you need before reading on.

We’re seven weeks in to our fresh off the press new year. Mid-February. It feels established to me but not quite fully settled in. No feet up yet but it’s arrived. Blustered in, shaking off the cold and the wet. Damp scarf, gloves, boots, tumbled off. Bags set down. Hugs exchanged. Door closed just in time to keep in the cosied warmth. Guided further inside by the soft glow of electric light, towards laughter, chatter—a fireside? In my fantasy, yes. Where an abundance of armchairs softer than freshly baked buns await. A hot chocolate offered before bums even hit seats, cries of ‘yes please’ hollered to a room beyond, as hands reach for nearby bowls readied with overflowing snacks and eyes hungrily devour a walled library of all the books.

I have often thought of February as the darkest hour before the dawn. Spring might be on the horizon but it’s still just out of sight and certainly in England as Winter takes it last breath, it can get brutally cold. During the last few years especially, that cold has lingered well into what we would traditionally call Spring here in the UK. Last year I remember still having to reluctantly surrender to central heating during cold snaps in May. It can be exceptionally hard to get through this time, to see the Springtime light at the end of the tunnel, I have certainly endured that discomfort on occasion. And as an actor this can be a particularly quiet time for work too, typically my work year never really gets going until March or April.

Despite all that, this year it feels as though Spring has surprised us all and come early. Some might say, unseasonably early. It’s definitely mild for February and there are tentative blossoms poking their heads out already, daffodils and crocuses too, the birds are getting in on the action, underscoring it all. It’s beautiful and yet… something does feel ever so slightly, off. Is it the dark mornings still holding their nerve, shrouding this surge of life-giving energy in a mist-curling winter pallor? Is it the sudden stripping of multiple woollen layers mid-walk because I find myself unsuitably overdressed? Is it the birds that I caught warbling at 2am whilst my sleep adjusted from time spent abroad?

I have been growing into a steady flow of Wintering for the past couple of years now—taking heed of my body’s demands to significantly change the pace at which I had been living and taking time to self-reflect for an extended (and long overdue) period of time. That’s manifested in all sorts of ways, mostly a lot of attempts to slow things down until I was forced to but this year along with many others I decided to really honour Winter’s purpose - I noticed all around, a real call from the collective consciousness to stick with the season’s offering - and see what came of it; to really take this time to rest and restore, to conserve energy and withdraw inward as much as possible, to not give in to the modern maelstrom of back to school furore the second Happy New Year was chorused. This has been relatively easy to do given that I was already in that mode (and absolutely exhausted to my bones) but it’s also been revelatory. It’s made me realise how long I have been trying to fend it off but it also begs the question: when else are we supposed to take the time to fully recover from the incessant demands that are made of us the rest of the year?

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“God, I hate Winter”, a friend expounded in January on a particularly mud-soaked icy walk. I posited my newfound theory to her, that I was trying to see Winter through a new lens, experimenting with whether or not I’d been missing the point of this season this whole time. “Do you think you hate it because you feel forced to go out in it? If you were allowed to just be at home, in the snug for its entirety, having a think about the year ahead, or whatever, that you would still feel like that?” She considered for a moment, then laughed, “No,” she said “but what about work?” This seems to be the main issue for most of us. We are so used to going at break neck speed almost constantly with only ever increasing levels of productivity, that the idea that we should ever actively shift down gears or even stop entirely in line with the seasons, seems impossible. Our culture certainly doesn’t allow for it. And sure, perhaps the couple of weeks in the run up to Christmas are a universally accepted write off but what about after that? It’s that period of time that I’m actually really interested in. The time that we’re in right now.

There is a feeling of profound relief unlike any other, completely free of FOMO, responsibility, or of needing to be anywhere or doing anything, that I have only ever experienced in three very specific circumstances: in the early days of lockdown during the pandemic; on planes, particularly long-haul flights; and once a year every year during what I like to refer to as the Bridge of Peace, that blissful handful of days between Christmas and New Year where it is (more or less) socially acceptable to do your own thing without having to make any excuses whatsoever—and for that reason alone, it has become my favourite time of year and one that I guard fiercely.

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This year, as part of my seasonal experiment, I have been trying to create more of that feeling as standard for the duration of Winter. What if we were able to take some time to truly weather December into February? What if we didn’t rush back to full pelt before we were ready? I talked about this in my January post A Slow Start so this is really a follow-up to that, a doubling-down that I’m considering making a regular thing out of. Before now I would have thought of Winter as the hardest and harshest of the quartet but now I see it only for its softness. We are granted months to curl up into the powdery frost of its quietitude, in readiness for the buzzing vitality of Spring, the loud trumpeting vivaciousness of Summer, and the abundant harvest of Autumn—why not enjoy it? I know, I know—but what about work?

As the absolute Queen of overcommitting, I know it doesn’t always feel possible to allow for these types of lifestyle changes so next week I will be sharing some really simple tools I’ve been using during the past year to great effect to support slowing things down, as well as to check-in with your current pace of living and how that might be helping or hindering you. This will be for paid subscribers only so if you’re not a member yet, join us below—a friendly reminder that anyone registered as a paid subscriber in February will also receive an extra month added to their subscription on March 1st. 🎈

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And wherever you’re at in your own internal seasons, maybe you’re not sure, I’d like to invite you now to consider a handful of journal prompts that I’ve shared below, exploring this theme further. You can just meditate on these too but write down what you discover as well if it feels good—be free with it, do one, do some, do them all, do none. As always, trust your intuition. And of course I’d love it if you shared some of those discoveries in the comments, they will be protected behind the paywall if what you’re sharing feels vulnerable so only members of the Still Space community will be able to see them—for newcomers this is a wonderful, thoughtful community of generous souls so come and get involved if you feel called to. What I’d love to explore here is whether a part of us is in resistance to the current season or not, and also to check in with what our energy is truly craving. Do you still feel the call to rest but feel as though you’re not allowed to? Maybe you already have a spring in your step? Maybe you feel fully revitalised and ready to go, waiting for the rest of the world to catch up? Maybe you’re in wind down mode, wishing we were heading in to Autumn? Apologies to those joining us from the Southern hemisphere for whom this is all in reverse! Either way, have a play with these prompts and let me know how you get on:

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It is late Summer, 2014. I have just arrived in Nottingham in readiness to start rehearsing a play called Time and the Conways—a J.B. Priestley classic. I’m staying in theatre digs (slightly edgy rentals from a tattered list provided by the theatre) with a friend from my year at drama school, Sarah, who will be playing my sister in the show—yes I do love playing sisters with my old drama school pals.

We’ve landed in a house with an elderly couple who in a couple of weeks time will kick us out over a misunderstanding about a door—for which I can only reassure the reader that we were not at fault. All that’s in the future though. For now we’re rather cosied up on the top floor of this huge, creaky old house. We’ve cooked a giant lasagne that’s going to last us all week, caught up on a new series of Bake Off as well as with each other, and promptly swept off to bed ahead of our first day.

I wake exceptionally early—with excitement, I suppose, it’s been a while since I last had an acting job. I make myself a hot drink and get back into bed for a bit. In between scalding sips I glance at my freshly picked out clothes that have taken on the shape of the chair overnight, a final once-over from across the room.

I try to sit up a little straighter and puff up the pillows behind me and suddenly remember some pretty stern advice I received from a masseuse not long before leaving for Nottingham—I need to start doing yoga apparently, ‘for your back’ he had said to me. I’d had spells of doing it up to that point - hot yoga I’d gone to pretty religiously for about a year in 2012 - but I left because after a while it felt like I’d joined a cult. I’d also done quite a lot of other classes here and there elsewhere, but always found the rooms a bit competitive and kind of snooty, I would either overstretch or want to curl up into child’s pose until it was all over, so riddled was I with self-consciousness. I also didn’t love the teachers…

I open my laptop and type ‘gentle morning yoga’ into my YouTube search bar just to see what comes up—right, ok, woah, thousands of options…er… I’ll just hit the top one.

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Welcome to the opposite of doom scrolling :)

Hello to all newcomers! Each month I send out an eclectic collection of the brilliant things I have chanced upon in the last month that I loved so much I think you might too. I keep the list (relatively!) concise but I’d never assume you didn’t get there before me, hence the In Case You Missed It of it all. The archive of past editions of this series can be found here and in the comments you are always warmly invited to share all the wonderful things you’ve stumbled across yourselves.

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Now, onto the main event…

*If you have any trouble reaching the end of this email, click ‘view entire message’, apparently that should sort it :) or read the entire thing on Still Space*

THIS WEEK—SO MANY GOOD READS AND ALSO SO MUCH FUNNY

with a Poetry prescription for people who don’t get poetry

Not only does this selection of exquisite poems include one of my favourites ever by Mary Oliver which I’ve shared with you myself (Wild Geese) but it offers up the most gentle, lilting introduction for poetry skeptics. I love the premise of this, I love the collection of poems, I love the whole concept of a weekly poetry prescription, I love everything Maya is bringing to the world. I’ve taken a pause from my own poetry curation for the time being (though this post along with my recent anniversary review really made me miss it!) so for now Maya is my go-to provider for all things poetry related—I’d wager a weekly balm no one knows how much they need. I also want to give a shout-out to her upcoming series of virtual craft & poetry classes, you can get more info on those here. I also loved her recent piece on grief as well as How do we know that what happens to us isn’t good? I guess ‘Subscribe’ to her she’s pure gold, is what I’m actually saying.

on Standing Up For Comedy

MO COLLINS people! Joan freaking ‘powder my nose amongst other things’ Callamezzo of my beloved Parks & Recreation (imho, the greatest sitcom ever made and Joan one of its most sublime character creations) is on Substack. Now I’ve loved her as an actor for years but her writing too, my god. I could not be more thrilled. In this particular piece, everything Mo says I have thought about but not articulated with a quiet aching rage, notably that THE BEAR (as exquisitely executed as it is) IS NOT A COMEDY. Her rallying cry here on behalf of belly laughs everywhere in support of funny is funny, I second with all my pencil-headed might! She posted this mid-last year but hot on the heels of the strike-delayed Emmy Awards where The Bear went on to clean up in the comedy category?? she reposted it and is how I discovered her. This is a fabulous read. Also, her Substack is donation only for the time-being so you can dig in to the bounty of all her other awesome posts on offer right here.

is giving you 3 things guaranteed to change your life (a week)

When the comedians descend… two come along at once. My Substack inbox is getting funnier by the second and I cannot get enough of it. Paul Scheer, another Parks & Rec alum—actor, writer, podcaster and lols machine extraordinaire, joined Substack last month and his weekly offering 3 Things (think of them like perfectly formed short skits in the written word) is already cracking me up—like properly properly, out loud, till you choke on your own spittle kind of cracking up. So far he’s convinced me that wearing a gilet is a crime (except they call them vests in America), that I need to see a Jason Statham movie about bees and also that Jesse Eisenberg needs Abraham, a child who he cycles past every day, to know that he is NOT Napoleon Dynamite. Paul’s newsletter is free for now, f*cking hilarious and joyfully thoughtful too.

on How she learned to dress herself (aged 45 and a quarter)

What always surprised me most about my now notorious Marie Kondo clearouts was that the categories she set up as the easiest to tackle first—books and clothes, were the ones that absolutely floored me. My attachment to clothes in particular is what has prevented me from taking on another clear-out since. They hold the very fabric of my life’s history in their fibres and I was reminded of that sentimental-wrenching feeling reading this gorgeous piece by Farrah Storr. No one says it like it is, like Farrah. I’ve never really been interested in ‘fashion’ more so ‘style’ but Farrah expresses something in this piece which I found effortlessly elegant and pragmatic like all of her writing. LOVED.

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with a guest post from Alice Sophie on How to make paint from potatoes

Chip them, bake them, mash them, roast them, paint with them?? We already knew potatoes were up there for most versatile vegetable ever but it’s just topped out the table for good as far as I’m concerned, with this new revelatory information courtesy of the ever-wondrous Leyla Kazim. I am passionate about eliminating chemicals wherever possible from my life—and of course being a more responsible citizen of this precious earth, so this post made my heart sing. Of course humans must have used other means to create paint pre-industrial times but I’d never considered how before, nor how toxic modern paint with all its fantastical colour possibilities has become. Verdict: Farrow and Ball is out, potatoes are IN.

Continue reading on Still Space

on Why Is Music Journalism Collapsing?

Why does everything I read of Ted Gioia’s leave me with a feeling of unbridled hopefulness? That a New World Order - and one that serves the people - isn’t just possible but might just be right around the corner? Truly, the more doomsday sounding the title, Ted’s words only ever galvanise me towards action. This particular piece made me want to listen to music again and learn about its makers like I haven’t for years because like most people, I too have fallen foul of the streamers intent on destroying the industries they’ve monopolised.

Condé Nast recently announced that Pitchfork ‘a leading music media outlet for the past 25 years’ will be absorbed into GQ. As a music outsider this meant nothing to me until I read this piece which as always with Ted’s work, because he so deeply understands his field of research, is articulate and concise in a way that in just over 1,000 words (seriously, I checked!!) somehow leaves you feeling like you just watched a 10 hour documentary on the subject. It’s fascinating and essential reading for its further reaching implications, way beyond the world of music.

eliza mclamb on The Discourse Age

I absolutely loved this playful but forensic analysis from Eliza McLamb on how some of us choose to interact with social media these days, particularly those who innocently or not, offer up petrol to a raging fire. This is undoubtedly a piece even more so enjoyed from the sidelines (as someone who no longer participates on those sites) but it is as skilful in its chosen case studies (the innocuous posts that launched a thousand retweets), as it is in its deeply meta understanding of how the internet (as a metaphor for humanity??) is eating itself. Hilarious, self-aware and hugely enlightening.

on Substack stage-fright

A thousand times YES to this hot off the press piece from my number one fave EG. Emma has an extraordinary ability to help articulate feelings within my own body that up to now haven’t made sense. In this piece she discusses being a writer who found herself not writing but instead, attending lots of meetings—and then how her body brought her back to what she loves to do the most, write. I cannot tell you how much I relate to this as an actor who in recent times has found themselves having to do more press and promotion (that I have no skills in) than my actual job. Is it just artistic industries where this has become so prevalent? I suspect our old friend social media has a lot to do with it, attempting to turn us all into mini marketing execs. But I digress. Substack found its way to Emma and supported her on this journey, and thank goodness it did—another joyful and inspiring read from her, as ever. 💛

The Guardian’s You Be The Judge on Should my wife’s family stop using my toothbrush?

It has been a good few weeks since I first read this article (where readers pass judgment on petty domestic disputes) and I am still catching myself belly-clench laughing thinking of poor Edward and his REVOLTING in-laws. Full credit to for sharing this first so this a true ICYMI but I have not been able to stop thinking about it since nor will I maybe ever, so I had to share it again. I can honestly say this is an equal parts gem of a horrifying yet hilarious read with Roald Dahlian-esque energy. I am still laughing now even writing this. Go get some funny in your bones. (The following week’s article lists the public poll result, you can see it here, just scroll to the bottom. This made me scream even louder.)

GAWPING AT

Pandora Sykes’s London Home

I am absolutely obsessed with Pandora' Sykes’s home as featured in the UK’s Home & Garden magazine from back in May 2020. I generally find this magazine to be pretty exclusive and aspirational - not in a good way - but this piece feels like a mildly refreshing counter to that, probably because Pandora is so authentic and approachable herself—I’m a big fan of her Substack too, but this one is really about the visuals because I absolutely adore what she’s done with her house. It’s so playful and unique. It really subverts the very traditional staid ideas of decoration particularly her emphasis on bold colours and collecting eclectic vintage pieces wherever possible, and bold layers of different patterns and textures in the same space, and yet it feels completely in tune with the Victorian terrace that it all sits within. I wish I lived in this house/ Pandora’s brain. I found it super inspirational as someone about to get decorating who wants to do as much of it as possible myself (one more shout-out here for potato paint, yey!) So if you’re about to do the same, this might be a great place to start.

I’M (STILL) LISTENING

Office Ladies Podcast

“The Office BFFs Book” Q&A Episode

Last Office Ladies shout-out for a while I promise! But whilst digging into my own creative process recently, this episode of Office Ladies auspiciously cropped up with Angela and Jenna sharing their writing journeys as part of the promotion for the release of their book Office Ladies BFFs—and I loved it! They’re both incredibly frank about what worked for them and what didn’t and how they worked that out for themselves. I especially enjoyed hearing about how they found a way to work together on the book because it’s exploring their artistic collaboration (which in a wonderfully meta way is really about their friendship), but it’s also a really true account of how long it can take to produce an original work. So often in the promotion of new works, the true extent of the journey up to that point can get a little lost in the rose-tinted wonder of the shiny, new thing. It’s the difference between the genuine hardship of the Fellowship’s journey in the Lord of the Rings books that then wasn’t necessarily reflected enough in the movie version of it for me—lol. But Angela and Jenna are brave enough here to tell the truth and it’s more revelatory than a stay with the elves in Rivendell.

Thank you so much for being here. If you are enjoying this piece and would like to support my work, the best way is by taking out a paid subscription. Gift subscriptions are also available.

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ICYMI on Still Space

I interrogated my creative process and why it can be so hard to finish what we start—

For those that have had it with diets and diet culture and food fad trends; I shared an introduction to intuitive eating (lots more to say on this topic so consider it a leaping off point)—

I wrote about my tentative forays into ‘slow living’ with a postcard from Los Angeles—

This Sunday just gone in true ICYMI fashion to celebrate a year since relaunching Still Space into the stratosphere, I put together a comprehensive library of the 99 posts that I’ve published during the last twelve months. This is a great one to dip in and out of, especially for newcomers—hello!

And finally, upcoming this week I have another birthday post in honour of someone else very close to my heart—Adriene Mishler, marking a decade of practising Yoga With Adriene. This one’s for my paid subscribers so if you’re not one of those yet, join us below!

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A year of risk taking.

A year of artistic endeavour.

A year of dedication and commitment.

A year of trying something new.

A year of feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

A year of learning.

A year of growth and transformation.

A year of community and connection.

A year of defying the little voice that couldn’t.

It actually feels pretty momentous to have finally followed through on something that was so far out of my comfort zone. And more importantly, to have surrendered to the process, in the er, process. But come rain or shine alongside a full schedule of acting work (somehow the strike barely touched me), loss and grief, travel, unbelievably stressful life admin gumph, I have shown up and you have too. Thank you to every single one of you that has chosen to come along for the ride and support me on this journey through all the experimentation and tangents (and pivoting. My god, the pivoting.) Whether you’ve been here from the very beginning or you’ve just discovered my small patch of the internet—I love having you here.

In terms of my actual metrics thus far: 103 posts published, 3,000 plus subscribers - I hit that milestone only this week, Happy Birthday, indeed! And somehow I am just shy of becoming a best-seller. I’m not big on focusing too much on the numbers - shared a little on this already and more on that coming soon enough - but I can undeniably see an evolution from when I started out. This is a community that is growing alongside me as I dare myself to grow more into it. Again, THANK YOU, I cannot tell you how much your support means and compels me to keep going.

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To celebrate, I am sharing all those pieces (with the exception of those that just provided links for our much loved but short-lived Cult Film Club) so 99 in all if my maths is correct (which I guess makes this post the true 100th! How very tidy) but in bitesize pieces, organised by mood! I thought about doing a shorter list of just my faves or the ones I thought were the best written but that felt disingenuous and actually I want to treat them all with equal reverence, as the stepping stones that propelled me forward that they are.

These 99 offerings can be dipped in and out of to get lost in as you please but consider this a bit of a mind library, a guided tour mapping out all the weird and wonderful avenues my imagination and curiosity have led me down over the past twelve months—getting lost is about right! But I’ve also discovered some gems along those meandering pathways, even if I was ultimately met with a dead end. I can promise you that if nothing else they are an eclectic collection so with any luck that means something for everyone, but I’m also hoping that you’ll find something new previously missed and maybe even something to inspire you! As ever I shall encourage you to let your intuition lead the way… I am also inviting readers to share their own small victories or things they’re celebrating in themselves this month in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!

Share a small victory!

Side note: if you’re into presents and you’re not yet a paid subscriber needless to say this is the best gift you could give me—this supports me and my work, lets me know you’re enjoying it and helps keep some aspects of Still Space free for all to enjoy (including my most popular offering, my monthly In Case You Missed It curations.) My suggestion is that if you find yourself lapping up at least three of the below pieces (I’ve temporarily removed tons of paywalls for you to properly be able to explore!) then you should sign up. Most of what I publish now is for full subscribers only and I recently reduced my subscription fee to as low as Substack would let me which I hope makes it much more accessible—currently £2.92 per month on the annual subscription. And Happy Birthday to You: for anyone that signs up as a paid subscriber or is already an existing paid subscriber within this birthday month of Feb (annual or monthly/ new or long-term), I am going to gift you a free month to say thank you proper, just make sure you’re subscribed below—this offer will be applied to your account on March 1st.

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For free subscribers if you find yourself unable to cover the monthly fee for the time-being, please just email me sianclifford@substack.com with Free Month Please in the subject line and I will gift you a free month too so you can sample what’s on offer. You will need to be subscribed for me to do this so sign up below—you won’t be notified as Substack doesn’t do this yet so just check in periodically under your paid subscriptions settings for updates. I will get to each request as soon as I see them (usually within a few hours.) You can also choose to gift a subscription to a friend or loved one that you think might enjoy what Still Space has on offer.

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Now then, let’s do this—Happy Still Space New Year! And happy wandering… (please note this post is best enjoyed on desktop rather than mobile where possible! For the visuals, ya know)

Feeling contemplative

Moody long-form deliciousness.

Feeling dreamy

Sleepy-mind meanderings.

Feeling overwhelmed

Learning to slow things down (a work in progress.)

Feeling in need of a challenge

Thought-provoking fayre.

Continue reading on Still Space

Feeling in need of inspiration

Creative kick-starters.

Feeling stuck

Seeking permission to change direction.

Thank you so much for being here. If you enjoyed this piece and would like to support my work, the best way is by taking out a paid subscription. Gift subscriptions are also available.

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Feeling disorganised

Spit-spot, Mary Poppins-esque resets.

Seeking funny/ Feeling friendly

Light-hearted and heart-filled easy reads.

Share this with a friend

Feeling open

More left-field interests.

Feeling nostalgic

Rebellious back to school vibes.

Feeling highbrow

Culture Vultures ahoy!

Continue reading on Still Space

Feeling culty

Movie nerds rule.

Seeking something new

Recommendations station!

Feeling adventurous

Forget what you think you know.

Share Still Space with Sian Clifford

Feeling curiouser and curiouser

Readings and writings from way way down the rabbit hole.

Feeling in need of a little stardust

Readings and writings from the far reaches of the universe.

I consider myself a very nostalgic person but also incredibly analytical. This makes for a perfect storm of constant self-enquiry and reflection but it’s been pretty magic to look back through all these pieces, to see what worked, what didn’t, what I miss, what I’m glad I left behind, the moments where my confidence grew, where it waned and also to bear witness to an inner evolution as it happened in real time.

Are you someone who looks back over their work periodically? Are you reflective or do you tend to look forward? If you’re someone who journals do you ever return to what you’ve written? What are you celebrating in your life right now? Any milestones? I’m a big fan of the small victory, I’d love to hear about any of those that are manifesting for you right now too.

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Jill Murphy’s classic of which she is both author and illustrator, is one of my all-time favourite children’s books but I’m not sure I’ve ever owned it. I still have all my books from when I was a child but Peace at Last is somehow not amongst them.

I think of it often. I imagine myself inside the book sometimes to help me fall asleep—I am Mr Bear, moving through the house seeking out a quiet restful spot. I feel my eyelids heavy and revel in the dance on the edge of waking consciousness as I/ he/ we(?) go from room to room where there is some comfort but little quiet. The snores, toys, ticks and drips that interrupt his attempts to rest become a sort of Pavlovian drum for my own, a rhythmic soundtrack gently nudging me ever further towards the tipping point of blissful sleep.

Recently I have felt an overwhelming desire to read the book again. It must be more than 25 years since I last had my hands on a copy, or read it for another up and comer. I tried to buy it this Christmas with little luck. The shelves had been almost completely overtaken by Julia Donaldson’s Gruffalo series which are also lovely but I was actually quite saddened to see that most of what I consider to be classics of the genre (and my own childhood) not available. Gentle, sweet, tender stories have been replaced with an assault of more brightly illustrated, fast-paced adventures. Of course we had those too but it feels more plasticised now somehow, more commercial maybe? I’m pretty sure it’s harder to sell books these days, maybe that’s why. Or maybe I wasn’t looking in the right places. I asked the young cashier for some assistance, they’d never even heard of it.

In the absence of the book I start researching Jill Murphy and discover that she sadly passed away in August 2021. Also that she had once been married to a British potter named Roger Michell who at first I mistake for the Notting Hill film director who I had worked with shortly before his death and adored. I am taken aback for a moment as I realise that he himself passed away barely a month after Jill Murphy in September of 2021. A pause before I return to my search. I then discover there is a trilogy of ‘Bear Family’ books and make a mental note to order the others when I purchase the original. Further that she wrote and illustrated the Worst Witch books too - yet more classics with an incredible TV adaptation to boot (the ‘80s one baby, not seen the recent one)- as well as the bestselling Large Family series about a family of elephants with titles such as Five Minutes Peace—consider me sold.

When I’m travelling, along with a satchel of new reads, I always want something familiar with me as well, something that will remind me of home. That’s what made me seek out Peace at Last. It had been on my mind and I was headed to America for work for a few weeks. I’ve also been revisiting the children’s books I read as a child during the past year—something to do with tapping into both the reader and writer that I was then, I think. At least before high school and ‘what was cool’ got in my way.

Funnily enough when I arrive in Los Angeles (with the new miniature travel edition epic of Where’s Wally instead) I feel an overwhelming sense of peace. It’s colder than I knew LA could be which feels comforting coming from brisk, almost freezing temperatures in England. I haven’t been here quite so deep in Winter before.

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I don’t own a television much less watch any but over Christmas I stayed with family who do and the onslaught of advertising to which I have gladly not been party to for years but that is being ritualistically force fed to people, my people, astonished me.

I know it’s out there but who actually watches this stuff I thought, as I glanced over at gawping family members completely sucked in by its messaging.

The second January hits it’s all diets and Summer holidays, relentlessly shaming anyone who believes they are ‘less than’ if they weigh ‘more than’ coming into the New Year with their festive frisson on and can only hope to be saved by whatever it is these companies are selling. It’s demoralising and has absolutely nothing to do with health but some of these campaigns are very effective—by which I mean they’re incredibly, persuasively, manipulative. Remember women eating salads and laughing?

In 2021 I contributed to a brilliant book put together by actress, writer and all round excellent human Zosia Mamet called My First Popsicle to raise money for the World Central Kitchen, an organisation which was doing amazing work during the pandemic to get food to people without. She asked each of us to write a short story or an essay about what food meant to us. What came together is funny, moving and in some cases mouth-watering, from an incredible collection of people. Food is such an emotive and personal thing and those who shared really got vulnerable and offered up some truly wonderful stories—and recipes too. For those that are interested in reading further, you can buy the book here (this shouldn’t need to be said but I do not financially benefit from the direct purchase of this book and I genuinely think it’s a beautiful thing to add to any library, especially if you’re into cookbooks!) But to give you a flavour and offer up a counter to the January shame and diet lifestyle that seems to be rearing its lollipop head once again—did it ever really go away? I wanted to share my contribution, a piece on Intuitive Eating. (Side note: I fully credit Zosia with getting me back into writing and reawakening that passion in me. She encouraged me to keep going with this essay which ended up becoming a piece of writing I am exceptionally proud of. Thank you Zosia, I love you.)

There are all sorts of additions I would add now if I was writing it again—you can only imagine what I have to say about Ozempic; and calorie counting; and why it is that eating intuitively will not leave you living like Macauley Culkin in Home Alone; but I’ll save that for now (maybe this is a book-sized idea??) and gift this essay to you as a jumping off point because maybe it’s perfect as it is. Just as you are.

I would also like to pre-empt the alleged oncoming threat of ‘Blue Monday’—coined in 2012 by a pseudo-psychologist who claimed the third Monday in January to be the most depressing day of the year in the Northern hemisphere, who has since withdrawn his comments (yes, they were just comments not a thesis he was working on, but the world’s media ran with it anyway)—by first offering up my post A Slow Start because apparently it’s around this time that resolutions often start to fall by the wayside and if they have for you, I got you. And secondly, if any of those resolutions were food/ diet related? I’m thrilled you’ve fallen off the wagon. Let’s start over. It’s time to let our hearts and our stomachs, be our guides.

Continue reading on Substack

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Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…

Lol. Is it though?

“I’d be fascinated to see inside your drafts folder”—no this wasn’t a euphemism whispered to me by a creeping sense of internal dread but something a friend said to me a couple of months ago after I regaled her with all the things I’ve ‘started’ writing about… but am yet to finish.

The truth is I am an ideas MEGA FOUNTAIN. Not a crusty old one either. A smooth flowing, algae-free dream. Soft water here only thank you very much. Did I mention yet how many draft-worthy ideas I’ve had since I joined Substack? No? Ok right now, it’s 82. That doesn’t include the pieces I have published, the decades worth of notes on my phone - or my laptop. Or the ones that will come to me during the creation of this piece. But believe me, they will come.

Please know, none of this is to brag. If only. What I’m trying to get to the bottom of here is what it is that prevents me and maybe you too, from following through. Why from the moment of inspiration do some of us turn swiftly on our heels in the opposite direction and avoid seeing an idea through to its end? From finishing what we’ve started?

I am writing this piece in the hope of finding out. As well as sharing some of the tools I use to boost ideas and inspiration should you find yourself experiencing the opposite of my affliction.

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Hello and welcome to the opposite of doom scrolling :)

Hello to all newcomers! Each month I send out an eclectic collection of the brilliant things I have chanced upon in the last month that I loved so much I think you might too. I keep the list (relatively) concise but I’d never assume you didn’t get there before me, hence the In Case You Missed It of it all. The archive of past editions of this series can be found here and in the comments you are always warmly invited to share all the wonderful things you’ve stumbled across yourselves.

Still Space is a reader-supported newsletter. Free, paid and gift subscriptions are available with discounts on group subscriptions. If you want to support my work, the best way is by becoming a paid subscriber.

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ICYMI on Still Space

I sent out my Winter Digital Detox Guide to support anyone with a growing need to declutter their tech.

I shared a favoured super simple ritual and said farewell to 2023 with my piece The Sense of an Ending.

Last week I shared A Slow Start reminding myself and anyone else who might need it that Winter is here to let us all off the hook.

Later this week I will be sending out my new post 111 Drafts exploring my creative process and how to finish what we start, exclusively for paid subscribers — if you’re not one of those yet, come join us below. Gift subscriptions are also available as well as further discounts if you purchase more than two!

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*If you have any trouble reaching the end of this email, click ‘view entire message’, apparently that should sort it :) or read the entire thing on Substack*

Now, onto the main event…

ON SUBSTACK

with 18 incredible creative retreats

Little appeals to me more than a writing getaway. At least the idea of one. I mean, is there anything more romantic? It makes me think of Chekovian Summers and Victorian picnics and Call Me By Your Name. But if you’re going to treat yourself to this type of glorious indulgence, Emma Gannon has put together her wish-list of gorgeous retreats from all over the world that support creativity in all its forms. Emma is someone who knows precisely when to whisk herself off to knuckle down to the page, so I really trust her instincts on everywhere she’s highlighted here.

on How to slow down the passing of time

Little known fact, Leyla and I are actually the same person so if you like what I have on offer, you’re gonna like her stuff even better. Leyla is taking the big swings with a courage I could only ever aim for. Where I can be found barely dipping my toe just outside of the spiritual closet and mixing my metaphors to prove it, Leyla is getting on and doing it. She’s baring her full vulnerable inner mystic for all of Substack to see and I’m big time here for it.

Her Substack offers wonderful insights into whatever she’s intuitively feeling that week as opposed to the food and travel related fayre you might know her for — and it’s a smorgasbord of delight. Pun intended. I recommend hopping on over to check out all of it but first up I’m going to point you towards this epically gorgeous piece. Firstly because it was Leyla’s debut Substack post giving you an awesome introduction to her writing style and writing subjects; secondly, she’s just opened up the paywall on it so get in there if you’re not already fully subscribed; thirdly, she wrote this last June and she’s talking about the fluidity and weirdness of our relationship to time which feels perfectly meta whilst in the heavy throes of Winter which leads me to fourthly; there are the weirdest (but somehow, not weird at all, we are the same person) parallels between this and my recent New Year’s post The Sense of an Ending and I think they make for great companion pieces.

Continue reading on Substack

on her break-up with Instagram

With the New Year has brought some social media reflective reflexes with a raft of people severing their ties with the platform (I’m amongst them) and this piece absolutely NAILS everything I would ever want to articulate about a once delightfully innocent space for sharing pictures turned narcissistic billboard/ law unto itself trigger warning horror show. If you’re on the fence may this piece dare you into submission to take the leap of faith and say farewell to IG, for good.

is also saying Goodbye, Instagram

Another excellent piece on more of the same but what is significant here is that it’s Emma Gannon saying it, e.g. EG. Emma leads by example and is the most blindingly self-assured Queen of Firsts, particularly when it comes to internet trends. I wrote about this at length last year so if you need further incentive, it’s probably best described below:

“I feel giddy around Emma. I am constantly inspired by her... She is someone I pay attention to, we all should, because she is always ahead of the curve — whether it’s interrogating the Internet, podcasting, or now, Substack, she was there early. She is always one of the first. And you know what I love the most about that? She’s doesn’t do any of it because she’s trying to be the first, she does it because it feels good. If it doesn’t, she changes direction. And wherever Emma goes, I want to follow.”

on can obligation scale?

Loved this simple, elegant piece on the limitations of Substack (and how many publications you can realistically be subscribed to at any one time) which examines how this relates to friendship and thus how Substack’s very clearly defined working parameters are what will ultimately make it work for you — deliver what your audience wants with consistency and they will show up for you, consistently.

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with her 2024 Beauty Predictions

The insanity of beauty culture has become so far-fetched in recent years that it’s now somehow weirder for you to not want to permanently manipulate and alter your god-given face the second you start looking like you’ve lived a day longer than a baby. Thank goodness for Jess DeFino’s quiet reasoned stance (the most nourishing balm any of our skins could wish for) which can sometimes be hard to hear amongst the clamour of implausible skincare coming for our shelves and fears. In this post Jess predicts what she thinks will be introduced as some of the terrifying new normals of this billion dollar industry during the course of 2024. This piece reads like a dystopian sci-fi novella to ensure we don’t drink the Kool-Aid when it comes so soak it all up.

on (honestly absolutely anything, but in this case) being in snowy Finland trying not to get a UTI

Where’s Claire? If she’s still in Finland I hope she ran into Jess Pan because between this post and Jess’s last I swear weeks passed and I physically yearned for more of her writing. I even went scavenging on her page to make sure I hadn’t missed any wanton snacks. Meanwhile, having laid claim to being the cheapest Substack around it turns out Jess has opted for the same price point as me so go get it — she’s honestly my favourite writer on Substack. This piece is just as hilarious and charming and effortless to read like all of her work. A JOY.

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LISTENING

Office Ladies Podcast

Scott’s Tots with B.J. Novak

Inevitably as I make my way through the back catalogue of episodes of Office Ladies I keep stumbling upon absolute GOLD I tell you, so I’m going to keep sharing them because they’re just too good not to but I’m going to spread them out rather than bombard you all at once — kindly consider me your personal curator of the absolute cream of the crop from their library of over 300 episodes and counting.

This one focuses on an infamous episode of The Office (US) Scott’s Tots - Season 6, Episode 9 - which is repeatedly listed on TV round-ups as the most cringey episode of the entire series (because of Michael Scott’s failings not because anything within the show is remotely falling short) and in this interview, hosts Jenna and Angela call on the episode’s director B.J. Novak (who also stars in and wrote for the show) to answer for its outrageous levels of discomfort. B.J. is refreshingly candid here and I found everything he had to share about directing and how he came to learn everything he knows, absolutely fascinating.

WATCHING

Taskmaster New Year’s Treat

Taskmaster fans, rejoice! It would be remiss of me not to give a mention to this one-off special that comes only once a year to give us a Taskmaster festive fix although the episode itself is festive in name and media assets only — just in case that time feels past now and puts you off. This special captures all the fun of the fair of the regular show but as it’s only one episode weirdly the stakes feel even higher than normal. Throw in a super eclectic collective of guest stars and we have ourselves a winner! For anyone who’d like to know more on what this sublimely ridiculous show is about (nutshell: unapologetically unadulterated silliness) I dedicated an entire post to my love for it last year. For anyone in the UK you can watch it on Channel 4/ All 4, outside of the UK, all episodes are available to watch on YouTube. They’ve also just announced the air date for the latest Champion of Champions extravaganza, oh yes, January 14th, 9pm!

MAESTRO dir. Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper takes on Leonard Bernstein? I went into this one more than a little trepidatious so much so I almost cannot believe that I am writing this now but I was swept up in this movie within seconds, fully transported and utterly enraptured from first moment to last. The storytelling is so powerfully tender and sympathetic. The filmmaking feels visionary. The performances by everyone, but particularly Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper are out-of-this-world and I found the whole thing magical, magical. I sobbed and laughed and was delighted by it, more so for going in with such low expectations — so maybe ignore everything I’ve just said (and everyone else chipping in on this one for that matter) and go in as sceptical as you can muster. You can find it on Netflix but this is one worthy of a big screen day out.

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REWATCHING

James Acaster: REPERTOIRE

James Acaster is easily my favourite stand-up comedian though he sadly doesn’t do so much stand-up anymore. All the more reason to check out his four-part special on Netflix REPERTOIRE. I’ve watched this countless times and even when I know what’s coming it never fails to surprise me. This was airing on regular British television over Christmas and went from a casual I’ll just watch ten minutes to a rapidly turned full early evening binge. I find James Acaster so disarmingly funny and clever and weird, and his ability to weave a narrative thread through his stand-up sets let alone four hours worth, is something I haven’t seen done with such deft precision since Stewart Lee. Netflix hosts a ton of these types of specials but as far as I’m aware, only James Acaster’s has more than one episode. So if you like stand-up or consider yourself to have an eccentric sense of humour, this is unmissable.

Pride & Prejudice (1995)

Boy they don’t make ‘em like this anymore. Or rather, I don’t know that any Austen-esque drama has ever come close to the heights of the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which I also rewatched over the Christmas break quite by chance and joyously found it totally stood up to my rosey gazed memory of it. In fairness I’ve never watched the more recent movie adaptation which I know lots of people really love but I’m not sure I ever will because this heavenly six-parter truly is the gold standard. I just don’t think it could be made now either, it belongs to a different time of pre-internet innocence. I heartily recommend a revisit for those who are already familiar but an even more enthusiastic this is an absolute must-watch classic for anyone that’s never seen it before, especially if you love a bit of period drama.

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ELSEWHERE ON THE INTERNET

Marina Hyde for The Guardian on The Language of War

This is actually a piece from April 2020 so it directly relates of course to the beginnings of that which must not be named, but I revisited it recently because it resonated with me so distinctly at the time and wow, it somehow feels even more pertinent now. Marina Hyde taps into something here which speaks to me profoundly about our relationship to the language of war and its flagrant and loathesome usage which has spread virulently to all aspects of our culture. A truly thought provoking read on the power of our chosen vocabulary.

Allison Vallin Kostovick of Finch + Folly

I first discovered Allison Vallin Kostovick’s gorgeous patch of wildlife on Instagram and have since become a regular to her gorgeous website brimming with brilliant gardening tips, recipes, crafting ideas, homemade remedies and all round wholesome nourishing content. This is a gorgeous spot to have amongst your treasured bookmarks for homestead and gardening inspiration, or whilst the soils of the northern hemisphere lay dormant if you would simply delight in looking at pictures of lots of luscious green right now.

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Dear One,

Welcome to January…

2024.

Is it what you were expecting?

Place your hand on your heart for a second.

Let it rest there, and then take a breath.

Not a deep exhaustive forced one, just a regular one.

Sigh it out if you want.

Let your shoulders drop.

If you’re near a window look outside, if not just take in what’s around you.

What do you see?

My windows are blurry with rain, a silvery sun valiantly fighting its way through, making for a milder day than most though you wouldn’t know it — the wind is so strong it’s flinging birds off course in the distance, the bare trees are whipping violently, torn branches screaming against nearby panes of glass, it’s whispering something urgently though I can barely make out what. It’s growing dark already but it’s early. My dog is refusing to go out.

A healthy reminder.

I am the thrashing wind. I too am already battling a false sense of forward motion, thrust upon us every New Year as if January comes and we must immediately begin again.

If I thrash hard enough can I shake this off?

I look down at my dog as she glances forlornly between me and the relentless outdoor cold and wet. I know that deep down I also have zero desire to leave the house.

So why can I not take this as my cue to stay the course of this season? To ignore the pressures of our peers and our culture to resolve to do ‘better’ instead of simply allowing? To eat less when we really need more to keep warm? To get moving when we just want to curl up by a fireside and restore?

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We have forgotten that Winter offers up its own kind of bounty - tidings of comfort and joy I believe someone once said - and let me tell you something else, we have earned it. We have worked so hard and endured so much and burnt bright (sometimes out) and this is the time we get to slow it all down.

I hear the wind picking up again.

Can I honour this time? Can I allow for my own season of Winter? Can we all allow ourselves to take a collective pause for a moment, to let nature to do its thing whilst we do ours? Why the desperate need to push and prove, accelerating out of the blocks with no warm-up?

It’s January 2nd as I write this and already I have had to shift my expectations — not in a huge way but enough to disrupt some casual plans. How about you?

Who knows, maybe you’re storming ahead with your goals, 40 mph gale warnings at your heels, your new set-up going great thus far, the electric light and man-made heat taking the edge off it all a little…

But humour me for a few more moments.

Because if you do slip up on a resolution, suddenly find you aren’t able to meet a reached for goal, if you’ve already broken your ‘new year, new you’ routine; know that nature is right there ready to catch you without judgement — just hot foot it to the nearest window and take a look:

Winter has come but it’s just the beginning. It may have been Winter yet but it is Winter still. Though the days marginally grow a little longer with each earthly rotation we’re not even edging on the deathly slow march towards February, which is when we’re most likely to have snow here in England. Cold and wet will become so much colder and wetter still, long before we have any hope of seeing life again in Spring.

A healthy reminder.

Place your hand on your heart for another second.

Let it rest there, and then take a breath.

Not a deep exhaustive forced one, just a regular one.

Sigh it out if you want.

Let your shoulders drop.

What if I told you that Winter is here to let us all off the hook? So that we might all curl up like fireside cats. Not just for a mad-rushed two weeks either, but a deliciously drawn out few months? Offering us all an opportunity for deep comfort and restoration. A time to properly reflect and reset.

How does that make you feel?

If it’s the soft easy warmth of relief, know that I am with you.

Slow it all down, the wind whispers imploringly, as more rain lashes out against the glass.

Tend to your garden by all means but a better gardener than me might ask you, ‘why sow seeds in frozen ground?’ A good one would tell us, to wait until Spring.

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I haven’t partied like it’s 1999 in a long time. New Year’s Eve has become a much quieter ritual for me. Something much more in rhythm with the season. Slow, contemplative. A time to nourish and reflect. I might have a long bath, journal, go to bed early — and sleep through too if it wasn’t for the tribal midnight chorus blasting through walls and windows everywhere as if England had just won the World Cup.

As someone who has been trying to invite in a steadier pace of life in recent years, I like to create the same feeling that I am seeking in the newly arriving one, to set a precedent for all that’s to come.

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My most memorable New Year’s perhaps inevitably, was that old classic Y2K: were we going to make it through?? I almost didn’t, bouncing atop the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Halls on London’s South Bank without a care in the world — and a 40 foot drop to the skate park below unbeknownst at our backs. But we were young, there were fireworks! It was the Millennium and we were going to live forever.

There’s still the odd year where there’s a party too good to pass up on, an opportunity to hang with a gang of treasured friends whose schedules’ rarely ever align these days, but these gatherings have increasingly become the exception, not the rule. Most of my friends also now opt for the more pre-emptive New Year’s Eve eve get together instead — so that we might arise on January 1st with lighter heads and a springier step? I’m not sure but it feels rebellious in a way that chancing London Town for New Year does to teenagers who don’t know any better, plus it tees you up nicely for a much lower key homemade version of the same.

Continue reading on Substack

But where does this tradition even come from? What established this weirdly universally accepted time portal? How is it that our calendars became globally in sync? Is my newfound desire to curl up and honour the year’s highs and lows, to shed the dead weight of what’s past, to look ahead to the possibility of carving out a new path for myself, actually stemming from an inner, primitive calling that’s somehow related to it all? One that’s been part of our culture for thousands of years?

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God I love to clean. I even like watching other people do it — not in a creepy way but in a deeply satisfying Mary Poppins spit-spot kind of a way.

Spring got an entire piece dedicated to it earlier this year, now it’s Winter’s turn —except this time I will be turning my attention to the immaterial: the clogging, insidious, frog in a pan boiling over, crept up on you like a tsunami of nothing, digital junk.

At the time of writing I have 28,240 emails in my inbox, 3,248 of which are unread and zero of which are organised in any way which might make something essential, findable. The documents are beginning to overlap themselves across my desktop; the screengrabs, the videos, the random funny gif. And don’t get me started on my phone. Which means to say, O sweet solstice, the messages, the apps, the photos.

I wish I could just snap my fingers and be done with it but alas this is a far meatier task that requires methodical planning; a process I have been through before but always in parts — a file sorting here, an emptying trash there. The accumulated volume has now become so great that it needs to be tackled with deft precision.

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Hello and welcome to the opposite of doom scrolling :)

Each month I send out an eclectic collection of the brilliant things I have chanced upon in the last month that I loved so much I think you might too. I keep the list (relatively) concise 😘 particularly this month, I figured we all have plenty to contend with! But I’d never assume you didn’t get there before me, hence the In Case You Missed It of it all. The archive of past editions of this series can be found here, and in the comments you are always warmly invited to share all the wonderful things you’ve stumbled across, too.

Wishing you all wonderful breaks - if you can get them - and the Happiest of Holidays however you choose to spend this time of year. I hope you enjoy this month’s curation!

Gift subscriptions to Still Space are available for the holiday season. 🎄

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ICYMI on here

I told my subscribers to scram in my latest piece PLEASE UNSUBSCRIBE ME laying out my Substack plans for 2024 and shared a favoured seasonal practice of mine to run a little inventory and clearout anything we’d rather not carry with us into the New Year.

As a companion piece I will be sending out my Winter Digital Detox Guide later this week for paying subscribers only — if you’re not one of those yet, I also announced my whopping price reductions - as low as Substack will allow me to set them - so come join the subscribership here if you’d like to receive that and any future pieces exclusive to full members. Gift subscriptions are also available as well as further discounts if you purchase more than two!

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We got into the festive spirit as I shared my Ultimate Christmas Movie Double Bills in readiness for the Cult Film Club’s final gathering — this list is perfect if you’re seeking inspiration or even a prompt of a long forgotten favourite. Nostalgia galore awaits!

*If you have any trouble reaching the end of this email, click ‘view entire message’, apparently that should sort it :) or read the entire thing on Substack*

Now, onto the main event…

ON SUBSTACK

A few from the regulars and a couple of wonderful discoveries. In re-reading these pieces for this post, I have observed an emerging theme. Call it the hive mind or the collective consciousness but all of these pieces in some way or another, are exploring our relationship to connection from a fascinating variety of angles.

on the Tension Between Macroculture and Microculture Turning Into War

It’s Ted again, times two, well sort of because he featured this piece himself in an incredible round-up of his work from the past few months which I also want to point you towards 18 Warning Signs of a Deadly New Lifestyle. Ted’s observation of the culture within the culture blows my mind at least once a month and I love that he’s put together this incredible collection of essays, which are not only testament to his prolific output, but also its exemplary standard. He is truly my favourite newsworthy Substacker for this reason. The piece I have highlighted in particular though, despite the mention of the word ‘war’, offered me a glimmer of hope in the face of the many catastrophes humanity is confronting right now.

on how (& why) we make art when the world is still the world part 1

‘…The dissonance is more challenging than ever before’ Yrsa writes. This piece feels brave, it feels artful, it feels meta, it feels personal. Yrsa is reflecting in this piece what I know many people in artistic professions, including my own, are struggling with right now as we distract ourselves from the horrors of the world, or deny the capitalist structures which bind us, all whilst simultaneously, endlessly ‘…staring at the dark metal thing…’ More prose than poetry on this occasion, Yrsa directs us directly to the heart of the matter.

with a collection of Poetic Cures

I adore this new offering from Maya C. Popa which was borne of a Twitter prompt — ‘What poem would you prescribe to a person experiencing a break-up?’, she asked. Maya’s curations are a daily delight on my Notes feed but this new prescription inspired collection is to become a mainstay of her Substack and this first edition was an absolute joy to read.

Continue reading on Substack

on Ambition without Goal Setting and Escaping the panopticon of social media

As well as being a wonderful artist and teacher, Nishant Jain is an incredible thinker and writer. Two of his pieces that I discovered this month resonated with me especially, though they were both published earlier in the year. In fact the first is almost a year old, laying out Nishant’s intentions for 2023, a part autobiographical account of how he got started on Substack and why he is moving away from goal setting and getting over the illusion of numbers — Nishant you’re speaking my language! A glorious, timely bit of wisdom as we head in to 2024. The second piece from September is an astonishingly astute bit of observation about our relationship to social media for anyone questioning their participation on those platforms.

on The friendship problem

This is a phenomenal piece of writing that I found deeply moving. What Rosie is grappling with in this piece to me is present in all of the others I have presented here. A very modern epidemic of loneliness and isolation which for many of us is self-inflicted in many ways, but was also accelerated by the pandemic. She interrogates our social infrastructure’s role within that and provides an unapologetically lengthy quote from the great Esther Perel.

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on Not forgetting to write

Loved this short and to the point piece from Jami Attenberg about the beauty and importance of notebooks — not for the to do lists but to connect with ourselves in the most cherished of ways:

“…when I’m not writing, I’m not taking care of myself. In particular, when I’m not handwriting, I’m not being interior with myself, not being intimate in my thinking and feeling. And I need to be doing that in order to not only flourish but to survive.”

on The Specialness of ‘The Snowman’

A last minute addition and the only whiff of Christmas you’ll sniff around here but as an animation obsessive myself, I couldn’t resist. This piece is as beautiful as its subject. The Snowman is one of the greatest animations ever made and arguably the most magical Christmas film in existence but I had no idea how challenging it was to make; that it won an Oscar; that it stems from an incredibly British tradition… the list goes on. The research that must have gone into this piece is astounding and the insights it shares are enthralling and suffused with Raymond Briggs’ levels of wonder!

THINGS TO WATCH

Last week I bombarded you with Christmas fare so for anyone who needs the opposite of that, here’s a sitcom, a drama, and an exquisite (Oscar contender? It better be) film.

New Girl - on Disney+ (UK) & Hulu (US)

Zooey Deschanel might have made a name for herself in one of the most beloved Christmas films ever - that’s Elf by the way - but New Girl is her masterwork. Boy I am late to this party but now I’m calling all of you to tell you that you have to come. This show is insanely good. As close as a sitcom has gotten to Friends, it knows exactly what it is from the very first episode. An absolute joy to watch for anyone needing some laugh-out-loud funny, in gobble them up quicker than your dinner, 22 minute instalments. I honestly cannot believe it’s taken me this long to discover it. And you better believe I dived straight back in for a rewatch as soon as it ended!

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Lupin - on Netflix, worldwide

I absolutely adore this French series inspired by the Arsène Lupin mysteries penned by Maurice Leblanc in the early part of the 20th century. Part 3 recently dropped on Netflix and it is as beguiling and agile as its spirited protagonist, Assane Diop, embodied effortlessly by the mercurial Omar Sy. On y va! You never want a series to be done to death but I really hope there’ll be at least one more season. With 21 books in the original Lupin canon, there’s certainly plenty of rich source material to draw on.

Anatomy of a Fall dir. Justine Triet - in cinemas

Sometimes performances are so blinding that you cannot see where the acting starts and the person ends. I find this to be true of most Foreign Language movies because the standard has to be so high in order to even make it to the US/UK markets, and the central performance of Sandra Hüller in this uniquely shot film is no exception. She is so unbelievably complex and naturalistic, I was utterly memerised from first second to last. It’s a long one too, coming in at two and a half hours but I barely even blinked. In fact, every conscious attempt I made to find the seams in her performance only ended in my getting more and more sucked in to the ambiguity and tension of this story.

It’s been coined as a French film because of its Writer/ Director Justine Triet, though Sandra Hüller is German and large parts of the movie are in English — but even this, the role that language plays within the narrative, makes for a deeply satisfying dance throughout. Justine Triet has done an exquisite job of making a drama/thriller feel like a documentary, that keeps you guessing till the very last moment. Throw a superb child performance in there from Milo Machado Graner, that drops the mic on the stark lack of logic and humanity within the justice system, and it might just leave your jaw dropped too. If you see this one in the cinema (and I defs think it’s worth your while) you’ll certainly get your money’s worth.

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OFFICE LADIES PODCAST

Interview with Mike Schur

Jenna and Angela are back, this time with a super inspiring episode of Office Ladies which instead of focussing on a singular episode of the show showcases an interview with one of its founding writers (and fan fave recurring character, Mose) — who also happens to be the creator of Parks & Recreation, my number one fave sitcom of all time (okay, tied with Friends). Mike Schur is a prolific television writer and creator. He worked on Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2003 and is also responsible for The Good Place and Brooklyn 99 amongst many others. Hearing about his early forays into writing, how he built his career, as well as the approach to his creative processes was absolutely fascinating, not just from a writing perspective but from a comedy one as well. All budding screenwriters should check this one out.

NEW YEAR’S TREATS

Yoga With Adriene — FLOW, A 30 Day Yoga Journey

At the end of every year I stretch to the sky with delight as Adriene Mishler unveils her latest 30 Days of Yoga offering. I’m not big on resolutions or goal setting but I never miss this series.

It’s more likely for people to have not heard of Yoga With Adriene these days but that wasn’t always the case. Eleven years ago, Adriene Mishler along with her friend Chris Sharpe, took a chance and launched her YouTube channel Yoga With Adriene. I found her shortly after (yes, very smug to have been an early subscriber). I couldn’t tell you precisely what quality, or clarity, or ease it is that she possesses that has made me a daily yoga practitioner for the past decade, but just know that like millions of others I have forsaken all other yoga teachers for her online classes, and I started as a complete beginner.

The 30 Days series is totally free, released daily on YouTube from January 1st onwards. Each year carries with it a new central theme which always seems to perfectly set the tone for the year ahead (her 2020 offering was unknowingly titled HOME) this coming year she has called it FLOW. Yes, please. You can also sign up to receive a daily note to go with each practice right here which will be emailed to you, like a newsletter ;) and I cannot recommend any of it enough. It’s a wonderful thing to participate in along with literally millions of others, globally, particularly at the top of the year although I return to past series constantly as well — you can too, on YouTube.

No matter your ability or mobility level, Adriene is always conscious of offering options for different bodies and each piece of the puzzle is perfectly mapped out for it to work fluidly as a series, as you grow in strength. This woman has changed my life and my back and I love her. If you want even more, I also highly recommend her Find What Feels Good membership, which operates almost independently of the channel and comes with all sorts of extra benefits; tons of members only content, including a whole host of other (shorter) series. It’s less than the cost of one yoga class per month so it’s more than worth it — I’ve been a super fulfilled member for three years.

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A FINAL WORD FROM SEAMUS HEANEY

The Tyranny of Stuff by James Parker for The Atlantic

Oh sweet glorious bounty on this almost Christmas Eve! More words from Mr Heaney?? How is this possible in his long missed absence? I’ll tell you. His letters have recently been published — guess what’s just bounced to the tippety top of my Christmas list? Not sure how I missed this one during my research for my post on Heaney earlier this year - you can read that here - but this fabulously succinct piece by James Parker - part review, part celebration - is as heroic as Heaney’s efforts to respond to every bit of dratted correspondence sent his way, I absolutely loved it. Full of humour and knowing, with some fab extracts from the book, here’s a taste below:

“In the last two days I have written thirty-two letters … The trouble is, I have about thirty-two more to write: I could ignore them but if I do the sense of worthlessness and hauntedness grows in me, inertia grows and, fuck it, I’m going to get rid of them before I board the plane on Thursday.”

Seamus Heaney in 1985, writing to his friend Barrie Cooke.

That’s all for now folks, the thing is done :)

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Any of these pieces really speaking to you? Anything you’d love to recommend to the community? What’s caught your eye this month? I’d love to hear from you!

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Spring’s got nothing on my Winter clearout. Only this time, it’s digital.

If you love being around here please know that that fills me with a joy beyond a red nose on a reindeer — but if you don’t that’s ok too and I’d like to ask you to kindly UNSUBSCRIBE by hitting the button below. Go ahead! No shade. Treat it as a present from me, for me.

Please Unsubscribe Me

“That’s newsletter suicide!!” I hear them cry. But if you’re just someone whose insides contract a little every time one of these messages lands in your inbox despite the best of their intentions, then I’d like to invite you to experience the freedom of an inbox with only the things you want in it (more on that later*).

To borrow from one of my most topical of 2023 references, the superb US Office that I finally watched this year — it is Season 5 Episode 5 Crime Aid, and Dwight has once again been spurned by Angela. He reluctantly calls on Phyllis for advice: “She ignored my ultimatum. Now, what?” he demands. “Now you move on”, Phyllis tells him. He scoffs “Okay, fine. I’ve moved on. Now how do I get her back?” Phyllis takes a breath, “Well, Dwight, I don’t think you do. I think you got your answer… I just think we all deserve to be with someone who wants to be with us.”

Right on, Phyllis. I want to continue my Substack journey with those of you that really want to be here. And I see this end of year period as a wonderful opportunity to empty out the backpack, reorganise and replenish. No need to carry any excess baggage with us into 2024. Travel a little lighter, I say. And if that means taking off in a different direction (I certainly am), I respect that completely. I love that you made it this far down the road with me. Now, scram! (But if you’re still with me or at least, on the fence, read on…!)

Please Unsubscribe Me

(Please be mindful of the fact that sometimes it takes a minute for Substack to implement these changes so if you’re in the habit of sending shouty capitalised emails saying things like SORT THIS OUT NOW the likes of which (and far worse) inspired the title of this post, please know that those messages come direct to me (or whoever else you’re sending them to.) Not a disembodied Substack robot, but a person. Or they did. I turned off the feature where people can do that, so now you will actually be shouting into the ether. So maybe, DON‘T DO IT. 😘)

*If you have any trouble reaching the end of this email, click ‘view entire message’, apparently that should sort it :) or read the entire thing on Substack*

What can you expect from my Substack in 2024?

More. Writing.

Lol.

Somehow on a newsletter platform created specifically for writers, celebrating long-form writing, I have still managed to work my way into a spot where I avoid writing. Instead I produce lists, or critiques, or… start a film club.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s been great. I’ve been able to write in short bursts which means I’ve been writing more consistently than ever. Not quite every day, but almost. I have grown in confidence as a result and am less self-conscious. Still pretty terrified to put myself out there in this way honestly but doing it anyway. I have allowed myself to experiment. I have stayed open and curious. I’ve stayed true to myself. I’ve not been afraid to pivot when something isn’t working or I’m just craving a change, even if that means losing subscribers. (Case in point.) In fact I gave myself permission to actively spend this first year on Substack trying things out with the only condition being that each offering be given at least a three month trial. I’ve even gotten to know some of you during this time. (What a JOY.) And all the while I’ve learnt how to navigate the technical side of the platform a lot better.

If you have stuck by my side throughout all of this, consider us pen pals for life! Thank you for your patience and the generosity of your attention. I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that I was taking some time to reflect and would report back on my findings. This is where I’ve landed.

Continue reading on Substack

Sometimes gifts come in a form we’re not expecting and this is certainly true of all of the above so I wouldn’t change a thing looking back, but up ahead is a new horizon.

In 2024 I want something a little more steady, a little more consistent, a little more streamlined. I also want to bed down and write.

I started there just shy of 11 months ago.

Then I got a little spooked. I think.

(I was maybe also trying to fulfil an idea of what others might expect of me.)

Now I’m circling back.

Call it a calling.

A return to the long-form.

Still playing. Still experimenting. Still staying open and curious.

But with a clean slate.

Still with me? If not, you can unsubscribe, right here.

Please Unsubscribe Me

If you stick around, from January onwards you will receive one considered, thoughtful, maybe thought-provoking post a week.

In addition, my monthly round-up of all the excellent things In Case You Missed It one of my most popular features on Substack, will still go out once a month.

This does mean that for now there will be an indefinite pause on my Culture Club offerings: the Cult Film Club, the Poetry Is For Everyone curation, A Little Night Music readings and monthly Cultural Digests — wowser, way to make it easy for myself. Is it just me whose default solution to way too much is to always add more to the pile?

Perhaps inevitably some of the elements of those formats may well crop up in my long-form pieces, or even make a triumphant comeback at an appropriate time in the future but for now, I have to recognise that they have fulfilled their purpose — they kept me engaged and showing up; they also distracted me, wonderfully, effortlessly!

All existing posts from those features will of course remain in the archive to be enjoyed at your leisure. However, if these cultural offerings were what was keeping you here; once more unto the breach dear friends —

Please Unsubscribe Me

Now I realise, some of you might have only just arrived — fresh-faced, clean boots on, a pack full of resources; so this bend in the road could have you feeling a little lost. Maybe you came seeking a new adventure and this appears to be a dead end. Fear not. I’m actually inviting you to join me on a journey that I hope will ultimately prove to be much more daring, enriching and expansive than it’s been up to this point. Here’s a bit of a roadmap to give you an idea of the direction I’m heading towards: I’ve discovered I love exploring the inner workings of creativity and the creative process in a deeply meta way so definitely some of that but also more reflective pieces; I really want to embrace my relationship to the esoteric more in my writing and share more pieces related to my spiritual and conscious living practices, as well as attempt to answer (for myself) some of life’s biggest questions. Below are a handful of the first posts I published earlier this year on Substack and they’re still the pieces I am proudest of on here. Tonally, consider these posts our new trailhead setting off point.

(Not your vibe? You know what to do.)

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Still here, huh? Ok! Please know that I do not take your engagement for granted for a second. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to start afresh here today, it keeps me accountable. And now in an unlikely turn of events, I’m going to ask you to sign up to the full package. What the hell?! I know. But if you’re in, come and be all in.

It can be scary pursuing something new and I am still finding my voice as a writer so full disclosure, I will be turning my attention predominantly to the subscribership. Where it feels right I will definitely share occasional free posts and previews, but most pieces will sit behind a paywall. This protects the community as well as me when discussing sensitive topics (which I really want to do) and truthfully, your financial support is crucial to my being able to continue to create on Substack, it also lets me know that you’re enjoying the work.

As an extra incentive contrary to every other Substack gaining traction, I have also decided to significantly lower my prices to just £3.50 per month or £35 for a year (I actually wanted to make the monthly cost £3 but £3.50 is the lowest Substack would allow so I’ve tried to reflect that initial saving in the yearly price). I don’t want to undersell myself, I pour a huge amount of time and effort into my work on here but I am very conscious of the fact that the cost of living is an absolute joke right now, and I also want to acknowledge that I’m still learning (and prone to experiments!) so this feels like a good balance to me. I know for sure that this cost is still lower than any of the Substacks I personally subscribe to, I also don’t know how long I’ll keep it at this rate, so come along for the ride and grab a bargain whilst it’s hot. You can gift subscriptions too and group subscriptions (2 or more) receive an additional 10% discount.

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To say thank you, *next week I will be sending out my Winter Digital Detox Guide entirely free of all Marie Kondo regret, for paying subscribers only.

Onwards sweet pals. I guess we’re really doing this! Thank you so much for being here. Let’s shed what no longer serves us and head into 2024, anew!