Home Sick

Rhythm, Rest, and Andy Goldsworthy

The seasonal cold/cough has hit our house the past few weeks. Though I’ve avoided the worst of it (for now) I still feel much less than 100%. Listening and paying attention to what my body needs is a skill that I have been actively working on and building the past several years.

This is challenging as I tend to instinctively mute what my body is telling me so I can “push through” in an attempt to meet the undefined expectations I’ve subconsciously set for myself.

But I’m starting to gain some competency with this skill and it feels good to be able to help myself and care for the body I rely on. So this week I’m moving with a slower rhythm, taking more rest, and prioritizing feeding myself well.

Speaking of rhythms, I’ve been really enjoying revisiting the work of Andy Goldsworthy. His calm demeanor, thoughtfulness, and patience is inspirational.

“Instead of art being about expressing yourself, it’s about understanding.”

- Andy Goldsworthy

I rewatched the 2018 documentary Leaning Into The Wind…

I also love Andy’s words below from this profile (via Austin Kleon)…

“There is a hugely underestimated intelligence attached to manual labor…. When you use your own energy, your own body, you have to be economical about how you do it. If you’re picking potatoes all day, or picking stones, you are working repetitively. You have to work with a rhythm and a fluidity, and you can’t be fighting it or forcing it. That’s really important for what I do as an artist—if you work with the right flow and rhythm, you give the work that rhythm.”