a playlist for creative rebirth

an ode to Alfred Molina going to town on desserts

this week we’re channeling Alfred Molina absolutely annihilating Easter chocolates

Happy Tuesday to my beautiful readers and to the ugly ones as well!

It’s disgusting here in Chicago today. The city is a sloppy, slushy mess; it’s only midday, and the sidewalk drain outside of our apartment is already overflowing, threatening to slurp wayward pedestrians underground. I think of the little boy across the street who shat directly into that drain last summer and wonder if he’ll hold an important government office someday.

today is, against all odds, the perfect day to do some deep creative work.

I’m starting to think that spring is overrated, and winter is actually the best time for creative rebirth. It’s dark and hushed and there’s absolutely no reason to leave the house. It’s a time of retreat, the perfect opportunity to quietly tuck oneself into a new idea.

Every time I hear the word “rebirth,” I think of Alfred Molina’s performance in Chocolat (2000). He plays the buttoned-up mayor of a small French town whose hobbies include maintaining a mustache and terrorizing the town’s sexy new chocolatier (Juliette Binoche, queen of my heart).

There’s an exquisite scene toward the end of the film in which Molina finally gives in to his repressed desires, absolutely going to fuckin’ town on a bunch of chocolates and falling asleep in the chocolate shop window.

It’s his own rebirth, in a way—yes, he’ll wake up with a massive tummyache, but he’s also finally allowed himself out of his comfort zone to embrace something greater. He is made new by the sheer indulgence of it all.

This month’s BIG ONE! playlist channels that spirit. It’s less about hyper-motivation and more about embracing the opportunity to create something new—to undergo creative rebirth—under the lush blanket of winter.

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but first, your weekly dose of treats:

Welcome to YEAH BABY YEAH, a weekly roundup of little treats to get you through your creative practice and/or stave off the darkness within.

1. Winter citrus: I’ve been stocking the house with little booby clementines and giant booby grapefruits, arranging them in a cute bowl, and leaving them out on the dining room table. It’s fruit! It’s decor! It’s booby

2. Bookworm: A community-owned alternative to Goodreads that I’m really loving. Plus you get to dress up your own little worm avatar <3

3. Stretching while the coffee brews: I’m trying to work stretching into my daily routine because I HAVE DEVELOPED A LITERAL HUMP ON MY BACK. Lately, that means setting the coffee to brew, and stretching for as long as the brewin’ takes. Sometimes our little cat will settle into my lap while I stretch, which is inconvenient but still very nice.

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okay time for the playlist

These monthly playlists are a paid subscriber benefit—free subscribers, I’ll see you next week!