A Newsletter - WHY?
I recently took a writing course from the incredible journalist, author and co-host of the Get Around To It Podcast, Aoife Barry. On the first day, we did an exercise where you explain, for 5 levels down, why you want to do something. It’s called the Five Whys, and it was developed by Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System. I’m not a regular follower of industrial engineers, or indeed of businessmen in general, but it’s an interesting exercise developed by, let’s face it, the most reliable and practical car manufacturer out there. And I am a big fan of practicality, reliability and quality. So if you’re ever trying to find a nugget of truth, or discover a deeper motivation in your heart, I encourage you to try this.
Here’s what I came up with when I asked myself, WHY would I want to write a newsletter?
To connect (in a deeper than superficial way) with my followers and my students.
As social media becomes an increasingly difficult place to be, I want to find a way to connect that doesn’t rely on mysterious algorithms and shadow bans, or the doom-scroll that is engineered to keep us hooked, numb, and buying things.
I’m not saying I’m quitting Instagram, or that you should, but I don’t want it to govern all my relationships, because that is scary considering who’s in charge.
And especially for those who have taken my embroidery classes, we spend a few hours together, deep in focus on our work, but also sharing lots about ourselves. And then we just go back out into the vast wide world again.
WHY?
Because I suspect you have similar interests in the human-made arts.
You’ve followed my work, or you’ve spent your valuable time and your hard-earned money in my class, investing in learning something new, and connecting with others doing the same thing. We spend hours together, making something by hand, side by side, and that is deeply human.
WHY?
Because I suspect if you care about those things, you care about humanity and community.
Embroidery is a slow art, and you spent hours learning it, which shows discipline and an appreciation for authenticity.
It’s a labor of love, and when you can appreciate your own labor in this way, you can appreciate the labor of others.
WHY?
Beacuse if you care about humanity and community, you probably love deeply, and harbor hope.
When you appreciate the labor of others, you begin to care about the exploitation of those people. You wish to see liberation for all humans. You want to feel human and to be alive with others! And despite injustice, you probably have hope for all that humans can be.
WHY?
We are all here to create in our own way, and we can share that as a community, to liberate ourselves and others to express ourselves and celebrate each other.
If you like the sound of this, sign up to my newsletter. It’s not a marketing email, I promise; I explicitly don’t want to sell you anything!
My plan is to send you a lovely, whimsical letter, like a little Care Package from a friend, about once a quarter, or 4 times a year.
Take care, panda bears!
Love,
Amanda “Panda” Farrell