days 10 and 11: trust and take care. it's okay not to know.

oh. right. the output of creative energy is different then the output of other kinds of energy... it is so incredibly fulfilling, it doesn’t seem like it could be the cause of such exhaustion, but it so is! and that is so okay! (and certainly not something to beat oneself up about)

after working and pushing myself generatively for 12 hours on monday, i woke up on tuesday with a migraine. a real doozy...

the first few days in the space were all about the physicality of the space – a sensory exploration, the moving in of things, and the beginnings of 2 large-scale installations. it was easy to feel progress. i could see it. but when you’re working in intangibles, (i.e. unrecorded music/sound/dance/performance), it can be so easy to forget what you’ve done within your process – to feel like you haven’t done anything in days! as i transition into explorations in other mediums, that funny little, “i haven’t done anything!” monster has started to (re)appear...

a couple days ago, i went on a furniture rearranging binge in the space just to have tangible evidence that i had in fact done something that day...slippery slope, paris...slippery slope...

it also seems to be becoming LESS clear what i am making and what i will be showing as i settle into week 2. at first glance, this is a bit unnerving. okay. perhaps more than a bit. but when i take a step back and really look at it, really look at the last year, really look at the last 11 days in the space, i realize it’s actually the most wonderful, amazing, glorious, spectacular, exciting thing that could be happening! it means i’m in uncharted territory within myself and my creativity! it means i’m in a genuine conversation with the space! it means i’m truly open, truly experimenting and in a state of discovery!

with all of this (and my seething migraine) in mind, yesterday was dedicated to rest.
i watched 4 movies and ate my first real meal in days.


dear self,

be gentle with yourself.
eat well.
rest well.
leave room for the physical/mental/emotional toll that processing deep emotions, memories, wounds, and aspects of self takes.

love,
paris

with a temporary history of only dreaming about - not doing - the work, i often forget that it is just that – history. it is not my current reality. i am not lazy. i am a hard worker. i am walking my talk. breaks are necessary. vital. imperative. non-negotiable. i don’t have to fear that i won’t ever start again if i stop. this is now. and now. and now. and now...

i have grown. i am doing. i am giving her permission. i am showing up and doing the work. the real work. MY real work. i just have to keep doing it. and i will.

so i can trust myself and take care of myself already!