The Peasant Wedding • 1567

Oil on panel • 45 in × 65 in

Artist: Pieter Bruegel the Elder

In This Issue: Doing Better

But first, what would you like to see in a rural innovation lab / maker space / education space / community hub? We really really want to know. It won’t take long— tell us here.

So Many Small Things

“So many small things aggregate into belonging or othering.” — Caitlin Strokosch

Part 5—the final part of a series on shifting our culture toward ecological ways of being in the world.

You don’t need to read parts 1 through 4 to make sense of this, but if you prefer to go in order, start here.

My last question right now is just, how do we start? Here are my best thoughts in that direction. Remember, this is a practice. That means it’s something you do regularly, that you expect to get wrong, that you continue to learn, and that you do with both theory and action, and both alone and in community. Ready?

Great! First, rest. That link goes, of course, to the Nap Ministry, described by founder Tricia Hersey as “an Organization of Multitudes.”

We are the originators of the ‘rest as resistance’ and ‘rest as reparations’ frameworks, and create sacred spaces where the liberatory, restorative, and disruptive power of rest can take hold. Our work is seeded within the soils of Black radical thought, somatics, Afrofuturism, womanism, and liberation theology, and is a guide for how to collectively deprogram, decolonize, and unravel ourselves from the wreckage of capitalism and white supremacy. We believe our bodies are portals. They are sites of liberation, knowledge, and invention that are waiting to be reclaimed and awakened by the beautiful interruptions of brutal systems that sleep and dreaming provide.

After a number of conversations with a dear friend, and some time with the book Unmasking Autism, I’ve come to understand that I am neurodivergent, and that the mask of normalcy I’ve been trying to wear for forty years has cost me a lifetime of anguish, anxiety, and depression. The questions of the last year have now become “how do you unmask?” and “who am I underneath?”

I’m coming to realize that this process of discovery is also a process of art making. I mean that literally—it’s only by allowing my brain to move into an utterly unmasked space—where I am deeply hyper-focused on a drawing project—that I can remember who I was before the mask, and start to reengage the parts of my brain that don’t care about masking. This art-making is a profound act of rest that is literally restoring my soul. Y’all know I’m pedantic and would never use the word “literally” figuratively, so let me say that again: this is an act of rest that is literally restoring my soul.

Rest matters for every person though, not just the NDs. Hustle is a kind of disassociation from our best instincts. Rest is way to keep connected. When we allow ourselves to rest—and more importantly, when we make space for others around us to rest—we stay in touch with what’s most important.

A close cousin of resting is slowing down. Wendell Berry once described this as understanding “how to remain patient in an emergency.” We see the opposite at work all the time—pick any issue you care about. This issue is so urgently important that there’s NO TIME to broaden consensus / respect everyone involved in the process / build trust / pause / rest / take care / eat well / sleep / reflect / write / listen well / get clever / get creative / go outside; there’s only time to reflexively fight. Our fighting instincts are built around urgency.

There are more things, but those two—rest and slow down—are the two most important. There’s a clever quote about meditation: “You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day — unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.” If you don’t have time to slow down, if you are resisting rest and reflection, you likely are pushing yourself, your institution, and your mission in the wrong direction.

Here are the next items in the list, condensed. Like rest and slowing down, these are meta-practices—ways of being that open the doors for the right values to come in.

Read the full essay (1497 words, 7-minute read)

The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration

|| 1 || Seth Bernard’s GoFundMe is live. Seth has been a long-time friend of Crosshatch and many of our staff and board. Texting with him this morning, I said, “People warming up to give back the smallest little piece of what you’ve given them.”

That said, there are so many others deserving of your money and care. Seth has a strong community to look after him—please don’t feel compelled to give if that makes your ability to care for someone else a compromise.

|| 2 || An Alluvion podcast is coming soon, featuring interviews with many of the performers who take the stage here. The first episode, with R.O. Shapiro, is in the queue, and our friends Christal Frost Anderson and Jordan Anderson at Pancake Boy Productions are getting to record another half-dozen or so.

We’re looking for sponsors for this project, and of course have lots of opportunities to help you connect with people who care about art, music, songwriting and the artists’ journey. A sponsorship guide will get posted to our website soon, but in the meantime, reach out if you’re interested.

|| 3 || I’ve been deep into Substack lately—where Medium often feels like lots of click-bait self-help posts like “Stop Trying to Manage Your Time: Do this instead” and “How to Use Brand-Building Techniques to Find Your Voice as a Writer—Trust me on this” (both on the front page right now), Substack feels like a deep well of weirdness and long-form thoughtfulness.

Here are three words each about some of my favorites:

https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/ serialized philosophical explainers

https://hollywhitaker.substack.com/ sobriety culture exploded

https://granola.substack.com/ short place-based writing

https://theconvivialsociety.substack.com/ deep technological criticism

https://robwalker.substack.com/ noticing the world

https://wolfmother.substack.com/ radical feminine health

https://austinkleon.substack.com/ rocking creative inspo

https://georgesaunders.substack.com/ GOAT teaches writing

|| 4 || We’re continuing the call for Land-Based Projects, even those in the most formative stages. If you or someone you know works on an outdoor festival, a skill-share, an eco-village, intentional community, public-facing farmstead, or any other project that connects people on and around the landscape, fill out this form. It’s quick. Likewise, we’re interested in your ideas for a rural innovation hub aka maker-space aka community project on the land in Bellaire. Another quick survey. Fill them both out and I’ll buy you coffee.

I’d love to hear from you. What keeps you reading these essays and emails? What else can we offer? What would you like to dive deeper into? And do you want to write one for us? Or do you want to drink coffee and talk shop?

Let me know at brad@crosshatch.org. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Share this around with other friends deep in these rabbit-holes.

The Weft — News and Events

|| 1 || TONIGHT! Honoring Indigenous Foods class at Oryana West. Immerse yourself in the richness of some of the varied cuisine of original American cultures in this informative class with Chef Darylin Berryman. Darylin, who is a Certified Native Food for Life instructor who grows her own traditional native foods, will focus on some of the true foods of North America. Together you will make No-Fry Bread, Wild Rice Soup, Boston Baked Beans, and a refreshing Apple Pecan Raisin Salad.

FRIDAY! The Kalkaska Conservation District is holding a Forest Owner Field Day (or should it be Forest Day? Is there a field? Either way, good forest management is a great skill to learn!)

AND, a chance to recycle huge tires! In Traverse City.

SATURDAY! Our friends at the Good Hart Artist Residency are celebrating 10-years of supporting artists! Join them on Saturday, September 16th at 5:30 pm at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey for a party and the opening of a new show: Art + Place + Community: 10 Years with Good Hart Artist Residency

|| 2 || Later in September: Buckwheat, Bees, Bacon, and Barley: Small-scale row crops, on-farm livestock, and cover cropping. A Twilight Tour talking about ways to increase the diversity of farm products and income streams. Ben and Brittany McMurray will share their experiences in year-round stewardship for pastured pigs, and will showcase synergies between crop production and livestock. Friday, September 22 from 6 to 8 pm at Hill Valley Farm, 6064 Stolt Road, Charlevoix.

Biochar 101 in South Boardman—a partnership between the Kalkaska and Grand Traverse Conservation Districts. I admit I remain concerned that biochar is over-evangelized and under-researched, and too often promoted as a one-size-fits-all solution. That said, it no doubt has some scenarios where it’s exceptionally useful—so take a look and do your research! Saturday, September 23 from 10 am to noon. Registration is required.

Crosshatch Carbon Cohort Showcase—a comprehensive presentation of local farm perspectives on ecological agriculture, on-farm conservation measures and climate smart farming. Wednesday September 27th from 5 to 6 pm at the Alluvion, 414 E. 8th Street, Traverse City.

AND, a chance to recycle ag chemicals! In Traverse City, September 26th or drop off at these participating locations during regular business hours Friday 9/22 and Monday 9/25

ELLSWORTH FARMERS EXCHANGE 11900 Byers Rd, Ellsworth

WILBUR-ELLIS CO 8075 US-31, Williamsburg

ENDEAVOR AG & ENERGY 6766 E Traverse Hwy, Traverse city

NUTRIEN AG SOLUTIONS* 13343 Pléasanton Hwy, Bear Lake *Bear Lake pickup on 9/25

CHERRY BAY ORCHARDS 2801 Jacobsen Rd, Suttons Bay

|| 3 || Late October:

The Fresh Coast Film Festival, a documentary film festival celebrating the outdoor lifestyle, water-rich environment and resilient spirit of the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest, returns for 2023 in Marquette. October 19-22.

The new Antrim County Writers’ Project is bringing the poet Keith Taylor, to Bellaire and Elk Rapids for two events.

October 24 @ 7 pm — Keith Taylor’s Reading and Book Discussion of The Bird-while

October 25 @ 2:30 pm — Keith Taylor Poetry Writing Workshop

The Whole Field • Volume 2 • No. 18 • New Moon • September 14, 2023