Heliotropic List #2
Twinkly harp solos and a $10 wedding fit
List #2 is another mixed bag. You’ll find a speedy comfort food recipe that saves food waste, a hack to revive your favourite old clothes and a reframe that might just lead to more creative output than you previously had, or at the very least, a better relationship with your creativity.
Play while reading - the mystical twang of Alice Coltrane’s harp in this rare live recording. Married to John Coltrane she was a proponent of spiritual jazz a sub-genre of jazz emerging in the 60s. Other artists in this realm include Pharaoh Sanders and modern flag-bearer Matthew Halsall, who makes a great playlist on Spotify in this genre called Meditations.
Listening to - this Podcast interview on How To Fail so far with Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Just like you’d expect of an interview with Phoebe, it’s hilarious and irreverent and quickly became my favourite podcast on How To Fail so far.
This cheats one-pot plant-based lasagna - the only bad thing about lasagna is how long it takes. This recipe changes that. It’s as decadent and comforting as its laborious counterpart, but you only need to clean one pot. It’s also faster and there’s no layering required. Although the recipe is vegan, I like to add Parmesan. I still use cashews for the roux though because it’s quicker and more nutritious. I love all the tips she adds for building flavour here to, the sun dried tomatoes really make it. It’s also a good one to hide any old diced veggies in the mix too to save food waste.
Reading - a highly relatable article posted last week on Farrah Storr’s Substack on reconciling with our changing and ageing bodies.
A recurring thought I’ve had lately that I wanted to share for anyone who also has had a complicated relationship with their creativity - Like a lot of people, I’ve always wanted to keep my creative side alive, but with taste that exceeds my ability, I’d sometimes avoid it (aside from the odd arvo painting session or a hot second playing an old number on the guitar). That was until I noticed a through-line between the artists I’d interviewed for Urth Magazine. I saw that creativity served each of them in some way, whether that was an emotional outlet, meditation, record keeping, form of activism or expression, or a way to explore and understand something in more depth. This might be obvious to some, but for me it’s led to creating in my daily life more than I ever have, and in a way that feels a lot more effortless. I now see it in the same way that I see yoga or exercise. It’s become an essential part of my day. The outcome is irrelevant compared to how much it offers me. I create stuff now because I feel I need it. Crochet for example has become a form of meditation, singing a ditty to myself on the guitar or dancing in my living room is a really good way to release bottled up emotion. Interestingly, a lot of the things they say are good for our nervous system are creative. Singing hits the vagal nerve and dancing does too — two things that make us uniquely human. Maybe a creative practice is the true “wellness ritual” we all need.
Also reading - This article about a photographer whose Dad is his muse makes me smile. “My dad is a bit random. He takes naps with one sock on and one sock off so he doesn’t get too hot.”
This $10 thrift find (brand Hansen and Gretel) for an English Country Garden themed wedding - I dyed it blue (since you can’t wear white to a wedding). This was my first time dying something and the outcome was surprisingly flawless. I attribute this to the fact I stirred nonstop like a mad woman for 30 minutes. Next I’m planning to dye any stained clothes I want to resurrect black.
