Hello! š
Hope youāre all having the most incredible Thursday!
Last week I posted a ton of GOOD NEWS and PHOTOS and AWARDS and HAPPY FEELINGS šš„³š¤©. Wow!
And that was all real and exciting and lovely-jubbly etc etc, but itās not the whole story. Social media creates this one-sided, airbrushed, polished version of life, and thatās exactly the opposite of why I started this letter.
I want to do something different here; to take some actual time and thought each week to write to people I care about, to connect in a way that feels a little more real.
After the graduation and film showcase and family events and film festivals and mega-high-emotion-levels of recent weeks, right now I feel kinda wiped out.
Kinda blank.
Kinda overwhelmed.
Kinda š®āšØ
I know thereās SO MUCH for me to do in the coming weeks, including but not limited to: moving house, finding an income, finishing āBirthday Boyā, applying for festivals, writing new scripts, returning to self-employed life, building a website, editing an up-to-date showreel, creating an up-to-date CV, visiting family, applying for grants, finishing music work, reconnecting with friends, training for a half-marathon, planning the next film shoot, sorting out credit cards, researching new opportunities and all-round general hustling.
Plus, you know, working on being mentally healthy so I can handle all that other stuff.
When does anyone find the time?
It can feel really disorienting to have this HUGE HIGH of FINISHING SOMETHING BIG, and then to be just⦠like⦠here⦠unsure where to go next, waiting for the next thing to start, looking at a long list of possible directions to go in.
So if youāre feeling that way right now, youāre totally not alone.
Actually, I think this might be an important part of the whole process: to pause, to not-know, to feel lost, to just kinda wonder/wander for a while.
Evenā¦
ā¦to do nothing.
The Playlist šæ
š āHow to Do Nothingā by Jenny Odell (thanks Madi!) (Bookshop) - So yeah, this book was perfectly timed for me to read this week. Itās not just a simple self-help solution about escaping into a cave somewhere; itās a thoughtful challenge to find ways of engaging with the world, without being sucked in to the attention-economy that keeps us overwhelmed, scared and absorbed in 24/7 never-ending bullshit. It matches up so well with a lot of my own thinking over the past couple months. This is a refreshing, smart, inspiring read that I super-recommend ā¤ļø
š±āHow We Feelā App (Website)- This is a simple (and free!) phone app that Iāve been using lately to help take stock of what Iām feeling throughout the day. It prompts you to check in a couple times a day, selecting from emotions grouped into pleasant/unpleasant and high energy/low energy. Honestly, this app is really helping me to notice and understand my own emotional states, without judging them or trying to āfixā them (which is honestly REALLY fucking hard sometimes). Itās very well-designed and genuinely helpful, and you can also link with other people if youād like. Another super-recommend ā¤ļø
š„ āThe King and the Mocking-Birdā (French: āLe Roi et l'Oiseauā) directed by Paul Grimault (thanks Key!) (Kanopy) - I had never heard of this French animated film from 1980, but itās AMAZING - one of the most gorgeous, magical, unique animations Iāve seen in ages. The backdrops are like surrealist paintings, the perspectives are odd and creepy, the story is funny and heartfelt and strange, the soundtrack is so evocative⦠it was even an inspiration to the legendary Miyazaki (of Studio Ghibli). Check out these gorgeous shots below, and if you have any interest in animated films, go watch it! Because⦠I SUPER-RECOMMEND ā¤ļø
š© You Can Now Hit āReplyā To This Letter! āļø
Thatās right, if youād like to send thoughts, notes, recommendations of your own, or updates on creative work youāre engaged in, you can now REPLY directly to this email, and it will come straight to me! What a world.
Seriously though please do send a āhelloā of your own. Itās always super-nice to hear back from people who read this, and Iād love to support and promote other work if I can along the way.
Thanks again for taking time to read this.
Have a lovely week! š
Rosa
Thanks for the playlist. Will definitely use. I always struggled to take time out to plan and prioritise my many tasks. Knock on effect was a tried to hit everything at one go and stress myself out.