Hi Cafe! Welcome back to another edition of Monthly Wins! To make things a bit easier, I’ve included links so you can jump around the article.
THIS MONTH’S THEME:
CREATION
CHALLENGE
✨ Media Consumed My Heart, Soul, and Mind
✨ Something to Remember the Month by?
✨ Creation is Key!
New TikTok Alert!
I started a digital diary! Check out @whimsywheel on Tik Tok to see my Pottery creations! I’ll also start linking them to Creativi-Tea as weekly posts on Sundays!
Artist’s Way
Each week I’ll be updating you all on my journey through the Artist’s Way! These will also be under Creativi-Tea!
✨ Media Consumed My Heart, Soul, and Mind
Reading
💫 Empire of AI by Karen Hao ⭐⭐⭐⭐4/5
Read my fully detailed review in We’re Living in an Empire of AI!
💫 Diavola by Jennifer Thorne ⭐⭐⭐⭐4.5/5
Amazing read! Getting back into the swing of reading for fun with this book. The MC, Anna, is a smart woman who uses her artistic skills and quick wit to outsmart a ghost. What could go wrong?
Essays
Some Quotes that helped me this month! Find the Articles below in Recommended Reading!
Watching
The disappearance of rituals and the exhaustion of constantly becoming by Nina Montagne is a perfect video that explains how we experience time and making it habitable. She explains the difference between self-transcendence and self-optimization.
To explain how we experience time, Nina defines serial perception as moving through an endless feed of stimulation. She breaks it down further into dwelling; you get to experience time in a way where you’re actively in it instead of passingly experiencing it.
Making time habitable with the introduction of rituals, we can give ourselves a predictable experience for each day. In contrast, resolutions give us a HARD deadline to complete it. A resolution could look like “hitting the gym every day for my summer body”. (Guilty as charged). Rituals force you to look inward at what you want without a hard deadline; it’s a guide for your day. Something that I’ve been doing since I’ve been going to the gym is calling my Dad on the way there. Yes, I’ll see him at home, but it’s a ritual now to call before reaching the gym.
Self-transcendence is a ritual. We learn to fit our rituals into our lives, it transforms us into the people we want to be. On the other hand, self-optimization would be considered a resolution. We learn to optimize ourselves to reach a goal. These are “short-term” changes we make!
You already know what matters, Nina states. She starts with “How we experience time can shape what we remember, and what we remember can shape who we are.” I think that is one of the most powerful lines I’ve heard recently, and it’s affected what I give my attention to.
Stop thinking about changing your life and start changing it by Alice Bow. Based on this essay by Hannah Bay.
This video is Alice’s own personal experience with the Orbit Theory. She starts off the video talking about how younger her would be SHOCKED to see where she is now. Alice begins with how her life used to look - stuck at a desk job watching the life she always wanted from outside a window. One day, she took the leap. In this video, she fully breaks down the Orbit theory, explained by Hannah, and her story is proof that YES you can stop thinking about the life you want and start changing it to match.
Check out the rest of June’s Inspo HERE!
✨ Something to Remember the Month by?
Surprise! We have TWO themes this month! One theme I revealed at the start - something I wanted to work towards. The second theme is something I’ve learned as the month has gone by.
Creation
I revealed this theme at the start of the month! Creativity is something I’ve been leaning into. With my pottery, art, and writing, I felt like I was hitting a wall. I couldn’t understand why my passion was there but the drive was off. The key was literally in the ignition, my foot was on the gas, yet, I stayed still.
Creativity is a part of my life I had closed the door on. I thought that by giving up my Artistic side, I could lean into into my STEM-self; albeit, with less luck and a downward spiral. The door began to crack and now I have all this creative energy flowing through me. What will I do with it?
Well, I started a Tik Tok. Yes, the same app you’re thinking of. Yes, short-form videos that are playing into our brain-rot. But! I’m choosing to lean away from that line of thinking. You see, I’ve decided to use it as a Creative Digital Journal! I am forcing myself out of my comfort zone by filming short 30 second videos each day - trying something new as a challenge.
Challenge
Challenge. That was the lesson I learned this month. You see, art doesn’t come easy to me. I love reading, I love consuming. Yet, making something of my own takes strength and being seen! Failures are shown to the world, oh no! Failure isn’t as scary as I thought. I could either sit there with the failure, or challenge myself to try again.
The 30 Day Comparison challenge FORCED me to look inward. It forced me to understand exactly what was making me tick. What started the comparison clock? It’s easy to say you would or wouldn’t do something until you’ve experienced yourself.
Challenge is something I’ve had to come to terms. I had to pick myself back up after falling. Posting my writing vs posting a video - those are two different beasts! Writing is no walk in the park, but at least I have room to organize my thoughts. After writing for nearly a year, it’s become easier for me to map out what my next few steps are. The challenge with posting videos right now is: what is my goal? I’ll answer that question next month!
☕ What’s Next for the Cafe
Here’s the Calendar for July! We have 2 series dropping! The first begins June 30th and will run until July 14th. The second series is in honor of my BIRTHDAY! We’ll be celebrating for a whole week!
The last essay of June will start the theme for July!
Growth.
And that, my dear Reader, wraps up June!
How was your time spent?
Let me know in the comments and please share your June Triumphs!
🔖 Read June’s Essays!
