I hope the holidays treated you well, that celebration big and small was felt last night and that any consequences paid for today are discreet and relatively painless.
I've spent the past week writing an entirely different letter to you than the one that follows, drafted with my eyes focused on the many months of 2023 ahead and typed hurriedly between sparse moments caught within the whirlwind of holiday gatherings and year-end commitments. But today I woke to silence, palm trees and ocean breeze and all those words so carefully procured seem a world away. So, instead of focusing on what is to come, or what has been done, I want to focus on the present.
I am grateful beyond words to be doing what I love and am full of passion for, to work with all of the talented, creative, extraordinary people I do and to be able to share that with you. I feel hopeful for everything this year may hold, for all of the pieces and projects I am working towards in Perennial — but today I am tired.
This wave always seems to wash over me around this time, with the holiday rush over, the New Years festivities ended and at last, a moment of solitude found. Rest can feel like a frivolous thing, petty, unnecessary and too often considered secondary to a stacked schedule. But being in constant motion doesn't leave space for thoughtful reflection, serendipity or the ability to dream, all of which I believe are necessary to flourish.
As I learned in one of my favorite classrooms at Parsons with professor Raz Godelnik, boredom is a crucial ingredient for creative thinking. By letting our minds wander freely and move into a state of daydream, we have the ability to make greater leaps and bounds than blindly sprinting forward.
If just for today — rest, daydream, see where a little boredom may take you.
With gratitude,
Amelia