On slowing down and re-gathering things

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This week the dogs are always hungry or barking at something and I'm trying to shut off work mode in time to cook something nice every night or venture out of my house at some point. My world was focused on production and performance for so much of this year that I'm re-learning how to do anything else. I've started learning random songs on guitar for fun off the top of my head which is not typical, as I usually need to have a task at hand or a goal in mind. Turns out Long December is the same four chords as everything else.

I'm getting back to sharing more of the ephemera that I had been working on, the other scraps collected along the way, the bits I forgot about for a moment. Click here for an excerpt from an acoustic version that I'm sharing with newsletter Supporters later today. I'll share another one next month and will be catching up on art drops over the next few weeks. Once again, thank you for your patience!

I see getting it together as an infinite process, and this month my theme is getting back into a routine with my own space and time and choices while I'm not traveling with a van full of people anymore. Some things on my list this week:

• Going to a dog-friendly coworking space to get out of the house
• Mapping out a whole week of dinners in advance - take out the guesswork
• Finishing one art commission and one personal piece for a show at Giant Robot and then THAT'S IT, no other extra commitments this month
• Going to a yard sale, a pop-up, and a pinball tournament this weekend
• Going to the queer parties in town for us elder millenials
• Making a graphic similar to a Gchat away message to remind my friends that I'm back home, please invite me to things
• Spending a few more hours on research for a Big Thing

I also wanted to share some personal highlights from this year that have helped me remember why I want to slow down this month. A lot has happened! And I would like some time to read more books. 🫠

Making Music Videos w/ Chelsea Christer & Gavin Murray

This year I was proud to make three music videos with Director Chelsea Christer and Director of Photography Gavin Murray that revived my faith in visual collaboration. They were able to take my ideas for each song and turn them into even more ambitious projects than I thought possible. A one-day shoot in a shitty office space that looks rad? Sure! A straight-up modern dance video? Absolutely. A multi-location narrative video based on one of my favorite movies? Piece of cake. Well maybe not THAT easy, but I couldn't have pulled it off without them.

Trans Pizza Party

Cass and I went to Transgiving presented by Trans Pizza Party and it was just really wholesome and lovely, eating dinner at a diner the night before Thanksgiving with other trans folks, most of whom I didn't know. It's typically just pizza at Pizza of Venice once a month but I haven't been to those iterations yet. If you need a hangout that's not centered around alcohol, look no further! And if you're not in Los Angeles, start something like this in your town! A+.

"You Will Find Your People" by Lane Moore

I've found it difficult to finish many books this year but I clung to the contents of this one a lot this year No matter what season of life you're in right now, this book is bound to relate to whatever weird friendship, social expectation, or other relationship hurdle you've navigated recently.

Learning Notion w/ Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank's insights into Notion have been a total game-changer for me. Both personally and professionally, his tutorials have helped me use Notion to organize my life and projects in a way that's just FUN for me. His approach to maximizing productivity and organization within this platform has revolutionized the way I tackle tasks and manage my day-to-day chaos.

Eileen Myles at Stories Cafe

Sorry, I was busy I had to go stand in the doorway of a packed bookstore to witness queer joy, beautiful poetry, and dry humor. Eileen Myles is one poet I will go see any day of the week and it was a true highlight of the year. Her new book of poetry, A Working Life, is available now.

Thanks for being here. The first ten people to sign up for an annual subscription as a Supporter this month will receive one of the riso prints from the Trust Your Gut video. That's the "Save Lucy's!" flyer in the video. Only 75 were made! That applies to the few people who signed up last week, too.

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