Slouching Towards Steeze
Creative gestation, menswear, and meditation
Having a child is a big energy shift, and a perfect time for a style renaissance. While pregnant this time, I had a strong urge to trim the fat in my closet and around my house. Something about being a mother of two has hijacked my bandwidth for unnecessary bullshit. I got rid of boxes and boxes of stuff, including lots of clothes: cowboy boots (I am not a cowboy), costumey vintage dresses (I don’t want to dress in costume), unwearable antique things (I need my clothes to be durable).
After my first baby, I gravitated toward more masculine shapes and utilitarian styles, but was still wearing flouncy puff-sleeve dresses and florals. This time I’m even more into menswear, simplicity, uniforms, and formulas. I’ve found myself looking to my husband’s approach to dressing and working with quiet efficiency. I think my aesthetic masculine/feminine ratio has gone from 40/60 to 25/75, at least for right now.
Beyond aesthetics, I want to embody ease in how I approach life. I’m learning to let things happen, choosing my battles and breathing. Letting the kitchen floor get covered in baking soda so I can finish roasting vegetables, because eating is more important than the floor staying clean (and baking soda is a cleaning agent anyway). Sometimes, instead of getting things done, I build beautiful little towns in Outlanders.
Cool People Meditate
Guided meditation and reading Be Here Now helped me through my first pregnancy. Learning the basics of mindfulness has been wildly helpful even though I’m still what I consider “bad at meditating.” More than keeping a regular meditation ritual of my own, I read about others’. (Phil Jackson | Sacred Hoops, David Lynch | Catching the Big Fish, Rick Rubin | The Creative Act). Reminders to stay present in high-pressure moments and accessing creativity by looking inward.
I often feel like my thoughts are trivial against the tidal waves of tangible, horrifying reality, so thanks for being here anyway.
I leave you with this:
