Hi there,
Last week I was in NYC to see my boyfriend, Andrew, while he’s on tour with his band Car Seat Headrest.
It was the very first time I got to see him play since we started dating (and also received concrete proof that he IS actually a musician). Obviously I’m a very proud gf, but the experience also sparked the thing I’m thinking about this week:
When one of the members of their opening band got Covid, Andrew and his bandmates decided to host a bit of an “open mic” to take their place. One of the activities they decided on, was setting Andrew up with an easel and having him paint while someone else played music.
Now, Andrew is most certainly a creative guy, but he’s never put a brush to paper before. But the work he was turning out?? I was impressed! It was funky abstract art that wouldn’t have looked that out of place at a gallery. I asked him where this artistic talent had been hiding, and he told me, “well, no one has ever given me canvas and a paintbrush before.”
I don’t think he knows it, but those words have stuck with me all week. It makes me wonder what kinds of latent talents we each hold inside. And what kinds of tools we need to be handed in order to express them.
The truth is, a creative situation like this is probably going to breed more creativity. And the impromptu nature and low stakes help create a conducive setting for art to occur.
But I like thinking about these secret talents we might carry. And that all we need is to be given the right tools or medium to bring them to light.
Have you had a hidden talent or artistic ability revealed by discovering the right tools or medium? Drop it in the comments, or reply to this email to share 🙃
Until next time,
Hannah
🎵 Song of the Week
A fun song that kind of gives me LCD Soundsystem vibes. Excited to see them at THING this summer!
📚 Things to Read
Let’s hear it for the 4 day work week (The Skimm)
The wellness to wackness pipeline never ceases to amaze me. This time, it’s about how wellness influencers are becoming cheerleaders for Putin (Mother Jones)
I am a fan of voice notes, but only for certain people and certain situations (The Guardian)
A very random piece on one of my favorite random internet people (Vox)
What’s up with inflation? It’s complicated (Vox)
Two very different motherhood pieces that I found interesting:
How Gen-Z moms work hard to keep it light on TikTok (Romper)
How nannies help powerful women do it all (The Cut)
🍴 Things to Cook
Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries & Bananas — just meal prepped this and it smelled so good while it was baking. Can’t wait to eat it for breakfast this week! (SkinnyTaste)
Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp — made this for my dad last week and he loved it. Super easy to pull together a nice meal with this + rice, green salad, & crusty bread (Serious Eats)
20 Minute Chicken Pho — I haven’t made this one yet - but it’s come highly recommended and on my list to try! (Woks of Life)
💪 Things to Try
Want to cowork with me this week? I now have a booking page for Flow Club so you can get a 30-day free trial AND find a time to get into the flow with me. I’m hosting a few “Start Your Day” sessions and will most likely be adding more sessions throughout the week.
I’m a BIG fan of skincare and always want to know what other people are using, so I made my own “shelf” on Shoplist so you can see my current recs. Click the little info button in the top left of each product to see my notes about each one.
Note: Some of the links are affiliates as I’m experimenting with different ways to support this newsletter in a fun, chill, and organic way!
Got an article, recipe or resource of your own to share? Drop it in the comments!