Hi friends! What a week! My auntie was staying with us most of this week. I put her to work sorting stickers into binder pages and Nicole and I made a bacon, brussels sprouts, and shallot frittata. We also made raclette one night, which was a joy to be able to share with her. In our decluttering of the office, I’ve finally unearthed a couple things that are priceless to me: one of my grandmother’s typewriters and her recipe box. I have finally started listing stuff online for sale like this vintage cheshire cat backpack and this Harley Quinn backpack. It’s fascinating to see all the different people I have been, what has remained, and what has evolved.

Newest EEDA Pod: Make It a Production: The Art of Intentional Creative Time

This episode of Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice focuses on the concept of building a "container" for creative activities—a ritual framework to spark creativity and cultivate focus. Patricia and Nicole share personal examples and discuss how this approach can be applied to various activities, from art projects to difficult tasks like doing taxes.

You can find our show, Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also support the show on Patreon, where we have some perks for paid subscribers with even more coming this year. You can also just make a recurring donation through subscribing to our Patreon, as our show is independently run and without ads. It helps keep us going!

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Here’s what I’ve harvested for you this week:

Resource 1: Cut Off the Spigot now has a website!

The first time I shared Cut of the Spigot here was back in October. They’ve finally launched a website for those of us who don’t support Substack, though they are still also using Substack, which is a bummer. Still, you can go to https://cutoffthespigot.com/ and find their posts, resource lists, and more.

Resource 2: 4 ways to end the cycle of sleep anxiety via NPR's Life Kit

Sleep is a tricky one for me. Sometimes it takes me hours to fall asleep and once in a while, I am asleep once my head hits the pillow. Part of this is my OCD but there are also many things I am doing (or not doing) that really aren’t conducive to a healthy sleep process. This article from NPR’s Life Kit offers up a few starting places if you find yourself in the same boat.

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Essay: The Life-Changing Magic of Chilling the Fuck Out