“For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.”
— Carl Sagan, Contact, p. 430

Well, because I don't write out of what I know; I write out of what I wonder. I think most artists create art in order to explore, not to give the answers. Poetry and art are not about answers to me; they are about questions.

'Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.' Kurt Vonnegut

Love is so embarrassing. I bled in your bed. I’m sorry. I have built you a shore with all my best words & still, the waves.

∆ Claire Schwartz, from Bound

“If my hands are fully occupied in holding on to something, I can neither give nor receive.”

Seek out what magnifies your spirit.

Patti Smith talks about writers and artists who magnified her spirit — it’s a beautiful phrase and a beautiful notion. Who are the people, ideas, and books that magnify your spirit? Find them, hold on to them, and visit them often. Use them not only as a remedy once spiritual malaise has already infected your vitality but as a vaccine administered while you are healthy to protect your radiance.

(Maria Popova)

Having a first draft mentality is being unafraid to put something down on paper, even if it’s a skeleton of what a finished-product should be. Iterating from the past and changing it until you get somewhere exquisite. Being open to a little play and experimentation. Listening closely to the deepest part of your heart and what sound it makes when something profound emerges. Doing things because you believe they matter, even if there’s no proof yet that they do.