Portland, save the dates! I will be in conversation with Caro De Robertis May 20 at Powell’s. I also have an in-person Somatic Sometimes workshop series in June. More details below.
Hello Reader,
I’ve noticed an earnest, genuine effort of people reaching out in community spaces. We want and need to stay connected to joy, purpose, and deliberate action.
Dr. Robert Waldinger, happiness researcher, shares the importance of investing in relationships of all kinds as “We get little hits of well-being in all these different kinds of relationships.”
Especially as we stay present to the heavy complexity of pluricrisis, we must turn to and sink into the soft moments.
Fashion designer Willy Chavarría speaks of the “beauty of the darkness in the light,” and “how so many of us as people are under attack […] so I want to highlight the beauty of existence […] and our ability to represent our own identities.”
We can name and amplify the beauty we notice, whether simple or extravagant. We can welcome relational reciprocity in a full-body immersive way.
The pink flush of cherry blossoms and magnolias wash over me. The giggles over FaceTime of my baby nephew who discovers his feet. The savory taste of a special meal. The brilliant sun that bathed Portland for over a week.
Pops of color, sound, taste, love, so dense and intricate.
In a Plum Village podcast, Brother Phap Huu says, “You are a flower in the garden of humanity. Imagine if all of us were the same, we’re all roses, how boring Earth would be.”
The Earth is exquisite. We are exquisite. Let us not forget it. We can nurture, protect, and amplify the beauty of existence.
Reflection
What happens when you linger and slowly contemplate the beauty of the sensory world around you? Choose a sense and try to linger there a little longer than usual. What do you notice? (As always stop if it feels uncomfortable).
I practiced lingering on beauty as I stared at the pink blossoms of a tree recently (like if the tree was a human I might feel awkward staring that long).
Resources
My Creative Updates & Offerings
Join us on Tuesday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. PT, Powell’s Books in Portland. I will be in conversation with Caro De Robertis for their new book: So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color.
Somatic Sometimes: in-person workshop series at 10 a.m. PT three Saturday’s June 7, 14, 21, at Atrium, The Breathe Building, 2305 SE 50th Ave., Portland, OR.
A Toast to Our Multitudes, a lil’ sweet example from photographer Nick Mendez on our portrait session.
Community & Care
My practitioner friend Shelia Diggs is offering “Somatic Skills for Black Women,” a virtual series in June.
Creative Capital has a free virtual event, on May 9, "Artist Lab: Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Practices."
An essay from Kaveh Akbar: “What Will You Do? What’s your ‘I am Spartacus’ move to protect the more vulnerable, the targeted, the invisibled, the next-on-the-list?”
Writerly resources from Jane Friedman on “The Business of Being a Writer.”
Re-sharing some digital safety resources including an Activist Checklist; YK Hong’s Substack Liberation Toolbox; a Pen America Online Abuse & Digital Safety guide; a WIRED article on personal data safety.
Soft Pants for Your Mind
I had a beautiful time at the OMSI Planetarium sound bath album release of Neptune’s Garden by Yaara Valey. You can listen here.
Notes & Citations
https://www.npr.org/2023/01/15/1149063567/whats-the-1-thing-to-change-to-be-happier-a-top-happiness-researcher-weighs-in
Willy Chavarría's Vogue fashion video on inner saboteur, wearing vintage, honoring community, and more.
At the 53 minute mark Brother Phap Huu speaks of the diverse shapes in nature as a mirror for our own diversity.
Let’s resource! Let’s play! Let’s happen to notice, together.
In peace,
Vanessa Micale
Founder of Poderosa Voz LLC
(she, they, ella)
P.S. You can show your support by sharing this micro-newsletter with a friend, or you can send me a digital tip and treat me to a pastry.
P.P.S. Sharing resources is one of my love languages. Is there a resource related to somatic and creative realms you want to see or you know of? Hit reply and let me know.
