“There is some kind of a sweet innocence in being human- in not having to be just happy or just sad- in the nature of being able to be both broken and whole, at the same time.”
― C. JoyBell C.
I haven't sent a letter since Lunar New Year. My parents and I celebrated somewhat somberly in Virginia, as we facetimed family in China with their masks on while they were cooking.
I wasn't going to write about coronavirus at all...there's enough misinformation out there and I tend to stay far away from writing about current events, let alone anything as political as this. So keep in mind—the following thoughts are purely from a personal, anecdotal perspective.
I started painting yesterday with my mom. My mom has been taking art classes on WeChat (and other Chinese platforms) for years now. Some of her closest friends are her classmates and teachers that she's learned with every single day. Despite time differences and being across the world from each other, they turn in their homework, give each other encouragement, and keep each other accountable day in and day out. It's an incredible example of the power of quality remote learning.
We got a ton of classes for free for the next two weeks. The class that we're starting with is on "painting the inner world of yourself". One of the first lessons is a self portrait— with your eyes closed. The idea is to trace your face with your left hand as you draw with your right, establishing that mind-body connection. I'll spare you the Picasso-esque horror I drew.
Below are subsequent lessons— five emotions that are in a slightly more presentable form: sadness, depression, anxiety, worry, anger (I think we're working through the "negative" ones before getting to anything "positive" lol).
So how are we getting this class and so many others for free?
Because of the mass quarantines and so much of the country on lockdown, the Chinese government has been encouraging people to offer free online classes as "public service" for the next couple of weeks. What better time to learn than when you're stuck inside all day?
A few of my mom's art friends live in Wuhan, and they have been diligently teaching and learning throughout the mayhem. Today, we found out that one artist's husband contracted the virus. It was his birthday, so my mom's friend drew a fun family portrait including their three-year-old son with a cake to remind themselves of happier times when they weren't separated.
What hit me today was that thousands of Chinese citizens, stuck in their homes all day and night, are taking this “painting the inner world of yourself" class with me, painting their sadness, depression, anxiety, worry, and anger just like I am.
For many reasons, I've had somewhat of a heavy heart these past three weeks. Among an intense month of learning and growing, meeting so many incredible new people, and reuniting with some of my closest friends in this world, there have been some pretty high highs, and some definite low lows. I've had some beautiful times with beautiful people this past month, which has reminded me that despite everything, there is so much good.
Thanks for sticking with me in the midst of messiness.
Much light and love,
Amy
et cetera
📚 reading
The Pitfalls and the Potential of the New Minimalism
It seems as if minimalism and Jia Tolentino are constant themes in these letters. The last paragraph of this New Yorker article sticks out as a reminder as to why I still care about minimalism, despite everything I hate that it's turned into:
Several years ago, Duane Elgin, who has become an author and an activist focussed on sustainability, published a paper arguing that either we can “continue along our current path of denial and bargaining” until we drain our natural resources and our capacity to relate to one another as humans or we can “awaken ourselves from the dream of limitless material growth and actively invent new ways to live within the material limits of the Earth.” This is, in the end, the most convincing argument for minimalism: with less noise in our heads, we might hear the emergency sirens more clearly. If we put down some baggage, we might move more swiftly. We might address the frantic, frightening, intensifying conditions that have prompted us to think of minimalism as an attractive escape.
🖊 writing
Background for the newcomers— I’m writing a book with the working title of Reclaiming Control: looking inward to recalibrate your life. If you have any thoughts or stories surrounding mindfulness or emotional intelligence, I’d love to hear them.
My first draft manuscript is due February 24th eek. Working hard to get as much done as I can before then.
📱 experimenting
I've been observing phone addiction lately, both with myself and others. As an experiment, I've been turning my phone completely off an hour before I go to bed this week. It stays off until around an hour after I wake up. It's fascinating how connected I am at all times, and how this subtle switch transforms my mindset. My friend who suggested this to me turns his phone off daily at 6PM...I'm not quite there yet, but working on it. Stay tuned for a project surrounding the topic of phone addiction that will be launching soon 🥳
That's all, thanks for reading 💛
If any of this resonated with you, feel free to share or subscribe below to keep up with more musings. You can read past letters here.