I always spend January away from social media. 

I log in a couple times to check messages and yeah, when I sit down on my computer and open the window sheepishly…I flirt with the scroll. I catch myself each time and say, hey buddy, why? Do you really need to look? I answer, no, not really.

I hear about events after the fact. I miss things I’m tagged in. I don’t know the who’s its and what’s its and happenings. But fortunately, the space that begins as a void evolves into a vapor. A vapor of life, minutes, and time spent this way and that…drifting along. And after a week or so, there is no recollection of the void I began with. I’m reading, creating, texting friends, doing crosswords, swiping on bumble…some replacement strategies for the doom scroll are better than others.

I think less about the fact that I’m aging. What are your instagram ads about and what does that say about you??? Dammit Meta!

I spend less time thinking about the money I wish I had to buy products to make me feel thinner, smoother, younger-looking, better-feeling. This is chaos bringing. I am aging just looking at these ads. This is true trickery.

I look down at my wrinkled hands and think, yeah, I am aging. That’s just kind of what happens when you are born in 1986. Or, whenever. Aren’t we all together in it? You might wonder what that has to do with taking a break from social media. I’m wondering that too. For some reason it’s one of my biggest takeaways from my most recent break from looking at my phone so much. I guess it’s not a huge surprise that social media leads to a whole lot of time invested in vanity and consumerism.

Could this break also be construed as avoidance of the reality of the state of our society and political crisis. YES. I am a relationally anxiously attached person while very much an avoidant-scram-at-the-first-sign-of-trouble active voting U.S. citizen. A few of my good friends have said I should be mayor. No. I should live in a cave where I only have to speak to people I agree with who love me and sometimes I will emerge to show my face to the sun and hope society is faring pleasantly. If predictably things are not going well, I will re-enter said cave and continue on until I truly am actually wrinkled and die.

I know, the ability to avoid the state of things is just a certain seat of privilege. The political climate not putting my imminent well being at risk just means that I’m one of the lucky ones. You know what they say about privilege right?

For real though. I am now thinking so much about these spaces we inhabit online. 

We are careless. But it’s time to take care. 

We doom scroll, we troll, we get into arguments, we tease and dehumanize, WE READ THE COMMENTS, we loose our energy into this trap. When I use the word “we” I just mean us…collective humans. This isn’t a confession, but I have been guilty of some of the things on this list and I bet you have too.

What might it look like to be very careful. Not cautious like that word sounds when I say it out loud. But full of care. What if we intentionally share joy and inspiration? What if we subvert the power of chaos that social media creates and manifest actual connections, actual helpful information, true beauty. While being careful to tend to our nervous systems and know exactly when to put the phone down and listen to the voice in our hearts when it says…”TOO MUCH”.

I feel compelled to step back into the privilege of my audience and re-establish my desire to make this space something I truly believe in. I don’t own instagram or TikTok or even the platform this email list is through. None of us have control of the future of these vessels. We have control of ourselves, and if we are struggling with self-control, each day is a new day to regain a hold.

I want to fill the world around me with color. I want to approach my spaces (omg I truly do miss myspace) with a belief that even in the depths this digital engine of flailing grotesque late stage capitalism that we can prevail in our very tiny efforts to make something sweet. Something meaningful. Something pure and honest and true and something that is really us.

We still have the ability to cut through to each other…who else are we trying to talk to? We have real work to do. Who do you need to face (yourself, your neighbor, your boss, god?), what work do you need to do (inner, creative, professional, relational, etc, etc, etc.)? 

Face to face. Nose to the grindstone.

Isn’t everything hidden there? Joy. Growth. A new world.

Speaking of nose to the grindstone! In place of doom scrolling I made 6 coil pots in January. I knew I would love making coil pots. I don’t use a wheel for my pottery so making larger vessels using hand building techniques can be challenging. That’s why I’ve been excited to work with the coil technique. I jumped in head first this month as ceramics can be a nice task in quiet winter months. I’m truly obsessed. They take quite a while to make but I’m slowly learning as I go and having so much fun. I’m excited to have a little collection this spring.

Everything in my shop is 20% off until Tuesday, Feb 4th at 4pm. And then the shop will be closed the 5th-10th while I’m on a trip to Mexico City! I’ve uploaded a bunch of my greeting card designs that have never been available online and a couple new print designs as well (including the swan above). Late winter is a super slow time for my business and it would be so nice to send you some colorful goodies. 🙂

Marrow cards and ceramics are also in the sale if you’ve been thinking about grabbing those!

No code needed! —→ Karli’s shop

Thank you friends! take care,

Karli