Hi everyone,
Here’s an update for July!
>>> The Master of Arts in Children’s Literature Summer Intensive is here! It’s a series that I have helped with so it’s exciting that it’s finally happening. The series is free and all sessions will be recorded so if you’ve missed something that was of interest to you, don’t worry. You can catch a recording later in the week:
https://macl.arts.ubc.ca/summer-school/
>>> I’m wrapping up my current assignments with the Tsilhqot’in research project and will be taking a hiatus from the group for the fall. Hopefully things will be sorted out by August 5th.
>>> Fun news, I have some writing in the next issue of Indigenous Brilliance. It’s been a long time since I’ve submitted creative work to a magazine and I’m really excited by the style of writing that I’ve produced for this issue. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I’m trying to decide whether I want to continue this as a comic series. I think it could adapt to that format pretty easily. Anyways, please do consider supporting this next issue, it would mean a lot to me.
Link:
Indigenous Brilliance - ROOM Magazine
>>> My graduate thesis is still in the editing process. I am finding it to be such a grind but I’m making headway each weekend. Physically, I am struggling with fatigue so it’s not possible for me to continue editing it in the evening after a full work day. I do feel confident that I will get this done within the next month.
>>> Finally, I broke my promise to myself about not taking on extra projects and I took on one last creative endeavour. It’s with an artist and maker that I think is so talented and I couldn’t turn it down. It’s just a great fit between both of our practices. So I’ve communicated a healthy timeline, she is aware that I’m having a baby soon so we shall see how it goes.
>>> My sister Kristen is taking some Nsyilxcen language classes in the Fall and was encouraging me to take them with her. I was almost convinced before I finally recognized, no. I can’t do this right now. I will be sleep deprived and struggling to keep up with course content. So that is on hold but I’m excited to hear how the course goes for her and who knows, maybe I will sign up for some classes in the new year.
Tips for my future self:
Do less. I’m very proud of all the projects that I’ve been able to take on this last year, especially the last 8 months while being pregnant but lately, I feel tired. I feel like I haven’t taken enough time for resting and focusing on preparing for life in the next few months. Each moment that I take for reprieve feels like a compromise against the many other commitments that I’ve taken on. It’s an internal bargain to negotiate how much time I can take for me versus what I owe to the many projects that I’m working on. Imagine not having that internal debate? Imagine not having the guilt seep in for going swimming at the pool or spending an afternoon at the park or the beach? I am at a stage in my life where I do not feel that inflated sense of self-importance from being “too busy”. I naturally take on projects to fill time or because I’m genuinely excited about them but I am recognizing that I am entering a huge shift in my life and I need to be more intentional about taking steps towards leaving space in my life to just live and to honestly, be okay with that. I’ve gravitated to projects this past year due to the pandemic and how it can fill the time that might be taken up through social connections. It’s likely been a way to make something out of the nights that I’d spend at karaoke with friends, or the cycling picnic trips that I’d take to various parks in Vancouver or gathering at a busy restaurant for food and drinks.
Anyways, this is not a new conversation, I have heard many people debate this in real life or on podcasts or on social media. I guess I’m just pitching my voice into the echo valley so that we can all hear the reverberation of needing time to just live and that it’s okay to do less.
Cheers, wishing you all a good summer. Hope you find that perfect berry bush during your next walk in the forest, that you get to travel back home to visit relatives, or that you spend some quality leisure time with your pets, loved ones, and friends.
Follow me on IG; @holysmoookes