November Mood
The turn from pleasantly warm to crisp, cool chill air was so abrupt, I truly didn’t have time to think about it. Caught off guard in the early morning hours last week, the air and wind were so borderline unforgiving during my walk, that I’ve been traumatized since. Needless to say, I have left the house every day bundled and topped with cashmere. These are some of my favorite months, though. Days where the mornings are long and inviting, staring out with bright, warm light, and offering so much promise in the morning and progress for the day. Most people tend to dislike daylight savings, but I find it a bit of a gift for those of us who rise before 6:30am.
Today I am spending the morning running to the market to get all the fresh root vegetables for a little outdoor pre-thanksgiving gathering. Roasted parsnips, carrots, squash topped with tangy sauces to bring balance to the deep caramel flavors. Every Christmas I am tasked with coming up with some kind of roasted vegetable side dish, so I’ll be pulling on some of my reserves to make something for today.
November has brought new air and new light, slower days and a very cold apartment. I’m used to it—I’d rather bundle than have an outrageous heating bill. This week I lost my favorite hat after a walk. It was a small cap cashmere beanie (such a great price point) and I’ve already placed an order for another. It is an absolute staple of mine every year when the days turn cold. I’ve been pulling together some favorite Fall/Winter essentials, but truthfully, I have spent most of my free time researching things completely outside the bounds of this little space. November has been a month (so far) of research— grad school classes, pocket film cameras, cinematographers and directors, campaigns taking massive creative risks and landing on nothing short of true genius, conversations on the realities of our country and the lack of political literacy or even direction— and it all makes me come back to the same conclusion. I genuinely believe this country can be better, and will be better, and although I won’t ever be running for office, I will spend as much as I can on creating works of art that serve to do just that: make this world better. Lighten our loads and foster conversation for healing. Tell provocative stories that nail a stake in the ground so deep you can’t unsee it and can’t unknow it.
The reality is, if your life looks different than what you’re imagining it to be in the future, there is no one who can change it for you. Personally, I am tired of my own excuses for not creating what I’ve dreamt of since I was small. There are home videos of me with a camera in hand, directing films, hours and hours of b-roll, making my cousins pretend fall in love (don’t ask, it was not a very glorious directorial debut), and I realized this month that truly, the future I dream of will not just happen upon itself. Yes, I’ve made strides and I love art directing and the work I do. But, I need to pick up the camera, or the ballet slippers, the chefs knife or the yoga mat, whatever your dream it’s only in your hands to make it possible. I say that after coming off of nearly a decade of ground so unsteady, some days it felt as if it literally wasn’t even there. I say this becuase I do understand there can be an element of timing, security and stability that is a privilege. And yet, if the work matters, if the stories inspire, and if your soul burns for something so deeply you can’t imagine yearning for anything else, you need to step into that. For the sake of the world, don’t even step. Jump.
Things inspiring me lately
A brilliant campaign video celebrating the depth and diversity of London.
Director Lee Isaac Chung’s newest film. A Korean American family searches for a better life when they move to a small farm in Arkansas.
Dee Rees and the Art of Surviving as a Black Female Director
A great read from NYT Magazine