Dear reader,
Glancing over the missives I’ve sent out in this newsletter over the past year, the theme that comes across most strongly is pacing. Life has been very fast and very full this year. It’s wonderful; there’s a lot of abundance to celebrate. But what I’ve noticed in my writing is this overarching longing to stretch time out a bit and stay longer in each moment. The snail mail en route to subscribers this week lingers on this: the desire to refocus on some projects that can’t be crammed in between the busyness of the rest of my life, projects that demand my full attention. Like some of you, my unfocused creative energy often lands me in the position of juggling, which I do enjoy—I get to touch everything! I get to do everything! But as we ease into winter, I’d like to drop a few balls and make space to go slow. It feels luxurious to want that, kind of impossible to carve out that kind of time, but there’s a season for everything, and maybe a little hibernation is what’s called for right now.
In the interest of not taking up too much of your one wild and precious life today, I’ll keep this email brief. But as I’m coming up on a year of The Doorway (wow!), I’d love to hear from all of you. If you have a few minutes to respond to this email, I’d like to know: what brought you here? what were you hoping to get out of this newsletter when you subscribed? It’s been such a joy to hear from friends that the themes and the “today’s practice” section of the snail mail letters have often aligned so perfectly with where they’re at in their own lives and creative work. Have you had a moment like that? Which newsletter has resonated with you the most?
I’m considering ways to expand or shift this project in the new year. Ideas include a pen-pal match for paid subscribers, more interviews, less frequent but more elaborate snail mail packages, mini capsule classes. Tell me your thoughts and hopes and dreams!
If you’d like reflections on creative practice and goodies in your mailbox every month, consider becoming a paid subscriber. I currently donate 20% of proceeds to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
Did you know that there are a number of these mini print vending machines scattered around New York (and in fact, in other cities across the country too)?? Lena planned an excellent walking date for our anniversary that took us to several Brooklyn locations, where we paid a dollar in quarters for a unique linocut print themed to the location of the vending machine (like this rainbow cookie print at Caffe Panna, and a Goodnight Moon print at Books Are Magic). It was an incredibly fun and budget-friendly excursion and now we have four little pieces of art to hang on our wall. Inciardi Prints, you are so cool!!!
If you don’t already do this: Next time you’re making cookies, make a double batch and freeze balls of dough so you can have one or two fresh-baked cookies whenever you want. My go-to recipe is a modified version of this brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookie, except I skip the toffee and usually just use a roughly chopped bittersweet baking chocolate bar for mix-ins. Sometimes I add pistachios. Lots of flaky finishing salt is non-negotiable.
Watching: We saw Cult of Love on Broadway today (shoutout to $30-under-30 tickets and the guy at the box office who looked the other way about 2/3 of our party not actually being under 30) and it was harrowing and excellent. Bring your Catholic guilt, your 12-step conference approved literature, and the alto part to that folk song you sang in high school choir that has apparently stayed lodged in your brain this whole time!
Reading: I’m re-reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and losing my mind all over again. Starting a support group for people whose copies are dog-eared on page 300. Xoxo
That’s it for me this week. See you in the real world ❣️
🌱 Nadine
