How is the new year treating you so far?
Thanks to this post by Unhurried Reader, I learnt that the first Monday back to work after Epiphany (6 January) is called Plough Monday. Many of you will be back at the coalface; some of you (I hope) may be still enjoying your holidays. Whichever, I hope that 2024 has gotten off to a good start for you.
Personally, I thought that 2023 was a bit rough. My overwhelming memory of last year is of battling with technological corporations. I had disappointments or stoushes with my phone and internet provider, as well as Zoom, Discord, PayPal, Amazon, and Microsoft, a couple of which will be ongoing into 2024.
I spent the year mourning the disintegration of wonderful networks on Twitter (I just can’t bring myself to call it by its new and superlatively stupid name) which I miss personally and am worried about professionally (it’s affected my digital marketing). And recently I discovered that Substack apparently has a Nazi problem; I’m not sure what to do about that. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.
When I lifted my head up from my own enshittified digital world, then I was confronted with the rolling effects of climate change against a backdrop of corporate greed and political apathy (nurtured by subservience to that same corporate greed). And, of course, there continues to be an appalling loss of life and degradation of culture due to war and growing fascism.
In the midst of all of this gloom and doom I have been wondering what place my little forays into creativity serve. The workshops I have offered, the stuff I have written: does it mean anything to anyone out there? I really don’t have any idea if it does. But it’s all I’ve got to offer, “I weary of idle a being but by where wars are rife.”
Creative prompt.
“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” ― C.G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections
Before the year gains momentum and the demands of everyday life subsume us, can we take a moment to think about what we can do to kindle that light? To stop ourselves from being treated as mere beings by our corporate overlords?
Perhaps it helps to think of it this way:
A year from now you and I are meeting up for a quiet drink or a celebratory meal to welcome in the new year. You are able to tell me that you are feeling OK, that, amidst the climate, economic, and political tumult you have found moments of joy, inspiration, resolve, or solace?
Tell me how you did that?
How did you weave creative or reflective moments into your life?
A lovely opportunity.
“I believe in community building. I believe that when I amplify the voices of other creatives, it’s better for all of us. I believe in abundance, not in scarcity, when it comes to opportunities for artists and writers, which means I believe in collaboration not competition. And to that end, I offer lots of opportunities for collaboration here at Create Me Free.” - Kathryn Vercillo
Kathryn Vercillo writes about the intersection between art and mental health and she is looking for collaborators. Have a read of her post here to find out how easy it is to get involved in her Substack and then drop her a line.
Upcoming event.
To celebrate my new book – Near and Far, a collage of interviews about the arts within interdisciplinary collaborations – I am facilitating a free event:
Creative conversation: Transversal artistry. How do the arts and creativity affect interdisciplinary collaborations? Join me for a 1-hour discussion. 8am OR 6pm 28 Feb. 2024 AEDT. Free. Online. Book here.
I’d love to see you there.
Thank you so much for the mention. Collaboration and community are so critical to my work here. <3 <3
I hear you about the platform formerly known as Twitter. I'm surprised my replacement is going to be LinkedIn. But as most of my chat and wondering were generally archi-related....here we are. As for our imagined coffee when we are doing OK? It will be because my boys are still bright and curious, my local network of mums and women-business-people are muddling through, I'm still running (literally) and sleeping a lot by modern standards. And because every now and again I have a conversation with a woman building her house and her face lights up and she says, "YES! That's it"