[originally published in weekly newsletter]
I feel at a loss of what to say here today, but my hands love to write, and I made a commitment to myself to keep connecting with folks in this way, on good days and bad.
So today, I’ll let the message reveal itself as I write. IE, I’ll share some process.
Some creatives plan their creations, then work toward achieving that thing, relying on a bit of serendipity and the good will and help of others to nail the final outcome.
And even if you are not an artist, you may find yourself holding an outcome of a future time: a time when everyone is healthy, wealthy, wise and relating all lovely to each other.
Perhaps this vision peppered with accolades and laughter, a beach house, and a pair of jeans that make you feel like a rock star.
Or perhaps you feel more like a process person, experiencing the unique breezes of today and acting according to them. Maybe you take action in accordance with what is, right now, and have faith your movements land in others’ hearts in a way that helps them heal, or feel strong, or just even want to carry on.
As a recovering “doer,” I tend to judge process as a bit, I don’t know, unworthy. And yet, process is 1000% what makes us human. Process IS our humanity, our relationships, our self-development, and authenticity too.
But why should anyone need to write this? Well, we’ve all been trained via industry and society to value efficiency, output, outcomes, and achievement; with process being something belonging to “the workers” or random spots in an org chart, or unseen housewives, housekeepers, and other underground makers of our world.
With introduction of AI in many fields, process is being obliterated as an irrelevant mechanism that no one needs to see. The machine and the final output are paramount in this world view, and the message to all of us is: the workings of a machine are more important than humanity. And the machine makes money.
I hope you constantly question this cultural value: the value of outcomes over presence. Is this really “progress”? For whom?
And I hope you get to revel in the most glorious processes in your life, the sprouting of plants, the growth of children, the brewing of coffee, the day to day mundane-ities that brings you into relationship with all kinds of living things.
I hope you admire the messes, misfires, and the abject failures. Because the sh!t storms and the serendipities are ours: they are our humanity.
I know I will notice a bit more process today, and I’m glad I just reminded myself by writing about it to you. I hope you find some joy in your way today and thank you for reading.
with gratitude,
Elizabeth
