Half-Written Blog Post

My mind has been swirling in a million different directions this week. 

I bet you can relate. 

As I tried to write this week’s blog post, I found it nearly impossible to stick with one thought for long enough to finish it. 

So instead of one complete blog post, I present to you a series of blog posts I started and didn’t complete, as spoken into and then transcribed from my Otter app.

Monday, 5:56pm

If you’ve ever taken a class at JWS, you know that our two favorite questions to ask are “who’s it for?” and “what’s it for?” (Thank you, Seth Godin.) What happens when you take these questions and turn them in on yourself? What happens when the “who” is YOU?

Monday, 5:58pm

I had a sort of “aha” moment over the weekend. Nope.

Monday, 5:59pm 

The shit has hit the fan. Really, Jen? 

Monday, 6:01pm

There is no right answer. That has been my mantra for the last couple of weeks. When faced with two completely unsavory options, there is no right answer. And yet, a choice must be made. Oh no. People will assume I’m talking about the election. I’m not. Ahhhhh!!!!! Delete. Delete. Delete.

Monday, 6:02pm

I’ve heard so many people, especially the artists in my community, struggle with the impossible balance of practicing self care while consistently showing up to fight for what’s right. 

Monday, 6:04pm

Our studio has been facing a bit of a crisis the last seven days. Our email has been completely down. We’ve been unable to communicate with the thousands of people who subscribe to our emails to let them know what’s going on at the studio. I have felt my blood pressure creep higher and higher and higher with every passing day as I recognize that our October session starts on Monday and thousands of people don’t yet know it exists. It has been quite the terrorizing experience. Here’s the funny thing, out of this panic has come my best idea of 2020. Nope. Stop. Wow. You’re really stuck. 

Monday, 6:05pm

I have written almost a dozen blog posts, while writing this blog post. I have started and stopped so many times about so many different subjects that I’m just about ready to hurl myself across the room. And then it clicked. Oh, this is what the blog should be about. What do you do when your thoughts are swirling out of control? When you’re distracted by every passing idea? When you’re completely dissatisfied with the quality of your thinking? When you’re worried that you’ll put out lousy work. and nobody will come back for what’s next?

You explain what is on your heart.

Your mind is a mess right now. There are so many things that are important and urgent. It’s hard to keep track of them all. That your heart is breaking for the devastating losses you see all around you. That you’re concerned about your daughter returning in person to school. You haven’t seen your New York apartment in over six months. And you’re worried the cockroaches have moved in. You can’t remember where your winter coat is anymore. And all you want to do is finish your book but you just can’t quite make it to the end, because every time you sit down to read your mind wanders. Ah. It was good to get that off my chest.

Ugh, why am I speaking in the third person? Delete.

Monday, 6:09pm

Welcome to 2020.