Mossy trees on San Juan Island

Last week we finally got out of the house and rented a cabin on San Juan Island. The island isn't very far from Seattle but just being in a new environment broke me out of a rut. There's something about getting out of my regular routine that makes me think about things differently. 

During the pandemic I had time to experience a slower-paced life and realize how fast things used to move. I wrote a blog post called the slow burn that explores the creative benefits of slowing down.

• I'm still on a kinetic art kick. I revisited the book Kinesthesia that I got as a gift a while back. It has some excellent examples of mid-century kinetic art from Latin American artists. 
• Some standout artists from the book are Martha Boto, Carlos Cruz-Diez, and Jesús Rafael Soto.
• I enjoyed the book Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. The book mentioned the Dalí key trick that took me down a rabbit hole of learning about hypnopompic  and hypnagogic consciousness. I find that I come up with some of my most creative ideas when waking up from a deep sleep. 
• If you love 80s synth music, check out Answers 2 Trouble by Lauer.
• The Nevers is a crazy-good combo of strong Victorian women, time travel, and aliens.  
• I like how Dickinson depicts Emily's writing process and how she overcomes her family's disapproval. It's worth watching just for the Death scenes. 

I allow myself a half hour’s conversation . . . between my conscious and unconscious self before getting out of bed.

—Hans Selye

Naps are essential to my process. Not dreams, but that state adjacent to sleep, the mind on waking.

—William Gibson

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