“How stubborn they were! And, fundamentally, though they would rarely admit it, optimistic — deep down they believed the work would emerge...” (16) writes Adam Moss in The Work of Art — his book that studies artists and writers and asks the question of how art comes to be. How does an idea turn into a reality? How does the Work, as they say, Get Done?
I will show my cards here: I’ve been in a bit of an idea drought. I sit down to write and like some ideas a little, I suppose — a few, I want to write before anyone else does (the value and cultural significance of Junk Food t-shirts in the early mid-aughts!! One day…). Writing always takes a certain amount of clumsy inertia; an endurance that allows me to think something is stupid and still write it, share it, and let it go. But force is a different thing, and not something I find terribly attractive.
It’s wild and sweet to know that there are more and more of you reading! How fab! This is something you would think would make me think of better and more frequent ideas. That would make a lot of sense, if things worked that way. But guess what? The Muse has other plans here! Ha! I’ve thought about this a lot and one thing seems clear: There are so many good Substacks out there (just look at my recommendations list!), I would rather not put out any half-hearted ones for the sake of you clicking on my name.
Instead, I am going to take a pause and go a little quiet. It’s funny — I started this project (almost 4 years ago!) reflecting on and attempting to process my time as a line cook, defiantly arguing against the valuation of consistency. Now, of course, I disagree with myself. Now, it feels most important to be consistent in nature, character, and quality. Not in logistics, really, though those always reveal themselves as more important than I would like to believe. But to be consistent in goodness and authenticity, well — you deserve no less from me.
So I’m taking a breather to figure out what to write that I will like, and what you might like, too. This page will go Wild West mode! Wooo00oo no rules! I’m taking down the paywall, so that you can poke around if you want. (I just reread some of the early stuff and it is in fact crazy!! In a fun way. But insane.)
If you are a paid subscriber, you are of course more than welcome to continue donating — I will be back soon. Otherwise, I’ve turned off automatic payments while I am on my little sabbatical.
I’m a little fatigued (and honestly spooked by) the internet — but if you need me, there’s Instagram (at least right now. Lol). And you can email me at feedingyou@rosashipley.com, or through Substack herself.
I am honestly very excited about this breather— there are ideas and Works in Progress floating around my brain, little fireflies lighting on and off, constellating. Seductive! They deserve a minute. Which of them might stay alight? We will see. Thank you, lots of love, and stay warm. xoxo