weekly retro: last full week of my 30s
laws have become a gentlemen's agreement and we are not ruled by gentlemen - that's how i'd explain the last week at a higher level with what's going on in america and even on the streets of my own community.
amy wilson wrote a great post explaining the trouble that my city's non-profits are facing, ending with a call to action to donate to the waterfront project. i did, and i encourage you to donate to a similar org in your community that helps your neighbors avoid homelessness. giving and engaging in community is one way to keep grounded during a time of chaos and loss of control.
another is in finding daily joys in things i can control, like cooking new things. the moment i saw rainbow plant life post this braised tofu recipe, i told andy "i have a plan for dinner tomorrow".
one thing i cannot control at dinner is keeping pumagreg off the table.
this image was edited to hide my location using mac os preview, not with ai. that's the jenn schiffer guarantee™
another thing that i've found to help me through chaos is lifting weights, doing long, steep incline walks on the treadmill, and aerial yoga. intense, physical activity not only makes me physically stronger, but it really shifts my focus and attention to just not getting hurt or dying instead of all the many thoughts swirling in my head at rest. also a benefit: no screens.
on wednesday, jamie and i hosted robot karaoke at this really cool art and games space, boshi's place. i got us both hats embroidered with "karaoke professional".
i really enjoyed the space, it was our first time (hopefully not the last) bringing the weird algorithm there. if you're not from nyc, you should know that despite the loss of lots of our indie spaces to slumlords, pandemics and/or media monsters, the scene is still vibrant and these spaces have found new life or empowered entirely new ones.
our next show will be at one of those spaces, wonderville, on march 10th. it's free, there's a bar with plenty of non-alcohol options too, and - most importantly - gourmet hot dogs curated by my pal who is also named jenn.
i've also made great progress on designing and making sculptural candles. it's another no-screen exercise and i'm learning a lot. this week i hit a couple of breakthroughs and got to really put my new little wax melter to the test.
this month i'm working on opening an online store to start selling them made-to-order (a lot of these ones i've made will be given out to friends), so i'm getting to play around with product photography and staging.
andy and i found this during a walk home from buying non-alcoholic sparkling rose, which i'm drinking as i type this - NOT in this mug.
moving my body through exercise and community activities, and my brain through making food and art, has helped me feel less trapped during especially bad times. i'm trying to intentionally find the beauty and humor in my day-to-day amongst the unfairness. i'm also not trying to understand everything because everything feels really irrational and impossible to understand.
like, why is the ice cream bungee-corded and locked in duane reade like this, but the drinks aren't?
things i liked this week
- colin's explainer on the google ai ad flop is really good because it isn't just "google bad, ai good", it is centered on how the web being consumed by ai is already pretty poisoned. that's not to say we should forgive google for making mistakes like this, though, because 1. they're the reason the web is poisoned (ads, seo) and 2. letting that cheese fact through was such a bonehead move and companies keep doing this!
- casey's fosdem talk includes not just fun history, but questions and uncertainty, which i feel is often missing during conversations about creating any new technology, especially decentralized social media. the more unanswered questions we allow in conversation, the more thoughtful and careful we are about innovating human interaction. casey, i miss working with you!
- nora has a new newsletter sharing progress and updates on their glass kiln adventures. if you like glass and pretty things, subscribe and even check out their wares.
- i got some cool patches from jim in the mail. he's always been prolific and generous with his art, which is what i am trying to be in my candle practice.
- jerseyscript is back on tuesday, february 11th aka my birthday, and yes i will be there because you all are my people!
- this video:
i watch about 500 hours of youtube a day, especially of creators who talk about their process through creation and creative blocks - so i've been a fan of doechii forever. she's been so generous through her earlier years in sharing her progress through creative recovery. this video is one of my favorites of her earlier ones because core values are such an underestimated superpower in art, and life in general. i actually cried when she won a grammy last week. she's such a talented and special young artist who i'm so excited to keep following long into the future.
going through photos and posts this week was actually a nice way to remind me that there are people and events and pumagregs to be around and enjoy. i hope you enjoyed this weekly retrospective here, it's something new i'm trying. see you next time!
xoxo jenn
