Hello, and welcome to Volume 32 of the Underground Binder Clip Society.
Please Enjoy the Video Version of this weeks newsletter above, with overlayed drawings and an original musical score. I did in fact work hard on it.
What do we do when life doesn't feel “normal?” How do we find homeostasis? What are we leaning on? What are we hoping will be the one thing left standing when all else crumbles?
This feels like a point at which I'm supposed to talk about God or relying on a higher power or the power of community. While I do believe God and community can procure joy, I also believe in a good push of the Snowball. I think when I say “Joy is a discipline,” what I really mean is that experiencing the supernatural and getting out of a rut often require a push. Forced-forward motion. To “boot-strap it” means to succeed only by one's own efforts or abilities." Spiritual and Mental bootstrapping it means putting yourself in a posture of readiness to receive your blessing.
Creating habits of mindfulness and self-care is crucial to finding homeostasis as a human and as a creative. Working harder, playing harder, and slowing down — harder. I mentioned it in a previous letter: putting ourselves in front of other people is strong medicine. It can melt a heart of stone…
Solitude and reflection are also strong medicine.
David Dark says, “We become what we normalize.” We become more of whatever we are daily choosing. It all compounds. The snowball snowballs. So we’ve got to keep track of what we are choosing. You surround yourself with certain people — you become more like them. You read more—you gain perspective. You look at your phone — you get addicted to it. You overwork yourself — you do crap work. Where we draw the line directly impacts our longevity in our craft, our relationships, and so on.
“Mental bootstrapping it” means keeping a captain’s log, journaling, keeping lists, and reading. I assess where I’ve been, what’s working, and what’s not. I keep track of what I’ve learned and am still learning. I lay down direction for the immediate and not-so-immediate future. I read and rest and I then take next steps — despite how I feel. Once the wheels are spinning, I start to remember. I have dreams. I want to accomplish things. It all compounds.
We need solitude and reflection in a world where all this boulder-pushing and outside input can feel endless and impossible. If we don’t come up for air once in a while, we’re going to drown.
I do not always meet God, become inspired, or find peace in my morning writing practice, but I do tend to hear things I wouldn’t hear otherwise. And it does tend to help me calm down and be more kind to myself and others. I think we have to at least try to keep track of our days. We have to look back, mark checkpoints, and find things to be grateful for, and things we need to let go of. We have to take inventory. Ensuring that all that we carry is conducive to all that we hope to become.
Stand strong, and let nothing be lost on you my friends.
Godspeed,
and Amen,
again and again.
Yours truly,
Jake Smith
Here are this week’s “Quick Clips”:
* My new album “Good Grief” is out now and you can stream it!
* New shirts and stickers are available at happymediumtn.com. We have the Share a Song Today tees back in stack, as well as Binder Clip tees and New Stickers!
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As always, shoot me an email if you want to work on music, remote or in-person, here in Nashville, TN.
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