The Weekly Download - Issue 4
Resting + having a rather slow week (and that's a good thing!)
Hey Film Fam!
Welcome to another sneak peek into what I’m doing in my little film gremlin corner of the world!
This week’s newsletter is going to be a super short and sweet one - which arguably is what I initially wanted my Weekly Downloads to be before I got carried away as usual… lol
So, let's dive into our weekly creative hangout! Grab your favourite drink (sipping on a sweet can of Pasito perhaps?), settle in, and let's get cracking with it!
This Week in My World:
I’ve been mostly resting and picking up the pieces.
The last few weeks have been challenging but I think I’m working my way out of this funk I’ve been in, and it feels really good to return to a baseline of sanity of some kind.
This week’s update as I mentioned is going to be short and sweet as I’ve been flat out at appointments every single day and don’t want to delay this newsletter any longer - so let’s skip ahead to the good stuff.
You don’t need to hear me waffle on like I usually do!
Weekly Adventures
It’s been a somewhat quiet week - at least creativity wise - which I really needed. A chance to catch up on sleep and unwind in daily life.
I had a really powerful Undercurrent poetry workshop on Saturday - and most of my classmates are in the US with diverse and marginalized backgrounds - so you could imagine how a lot of them were feeling after the latest round of political drama happening over there.
This particular workshop was more of a community gathering type of one. We had a safe space carved out that allowed to take as much time as we needed to vent or talk about the state of the world or more personal things directly affecting each of us.
I won’t be sharing anything here because I believe in privacy and the sacredness of online spaces like that - but it was very cathartic in the end. I wrote a glorious ‘rage’ filled poem which ties in nicely with how I’ve been feeling lately in my creative and freelance work.
To round that up, yesterday (Monday 11th November) I actually met up with one of my fellow poets in person for the first time!
We reminisced about how long we have each been in Undercurrent - both having joined in 2020. Chiara used to live in New York so she was in the morning classes, whereas I’m in Sydney I would join the ‘evening’ ones which worked out to be 10:30am the following day for me here.
I love how artists from all over the world can find a space to belong and learn some really cool skills, discuss poetry, write some new work and share it on the spot each week - and it’s all thanks to our good friend and mentor Desiree
Chiara brings such a wonderful energy to classes. I really adore the way she writes poetry and performs it too. It was so wonderful to meet in person and spend a few hours talking about all things writing, how we feel about working on a novel and navigating the challenges of getting published, our lived experiences, and of course trying to plan a sneaky catch up again soon!
Playful Film Challenges
Of course I couldn’t leave the city without shooting a roll of film!
This time another fun photography challenge with Jordan - and I’m not going to get into the details of this newsletter as we’ve planned it in a way to make it a full blown special newsletter later on.
We had a bit of a friendly competition and will be comparing each other’s shots, composition, and techniques used across 20 specific themed shots we attempted to capture. I kind of went a bit wild and started loosely interpreting them towards the end, and of course we had a handful of bonus shots to finish up the rolls.
I cannot wait to share that with you - and for once it’s not going to be developed or scanned by me! All will be revealed soon…
Grieving and Moving Forward
I have to confess that things may be a little slow for a few weeks here - dear reader - it’s been a rough time for me and things are going to be a little bumpy as we wrap up the year. One day I will talk about it when I’m a bit more removed from it and have healed enough.
For now though I’m mulling over how far I’ve come in life and all the times I’ve inevitably had to move on from a friendship, or walk away from a relationship, or had to accept that a mentor of mine was ready to retire and I will be let loose in this world without their guidance.
It’s always really hard for me as one of my biggest trauma triggers is feeling a lack of security or stability - and although I’ve been preparing for this current ending of one of my most important relationships in my life - I’m still not truly ready for it to happen.
Today was the second last time I’d see them and we’re coming up with an action plan moving forward. I’ll have a ‘replacement’ person, but it still sucks and won’t be the same. It always takes me a while to adjust to change, so I’m trying to hang in there and trust it’ll fall into place. I’m being as gentle with myself as I can through this anticipatory grieving process too.
I’ve taken a lot of short walks - with no music or distractions - and every time I see this gorgeous tree that the kids in the neighbourhood have now turned into a swingset. I walk up to it and always grab its leaves and say a little hello.
It’s cheery near year round and sways oh so gently in the breeze. There’s something really grounding and sweet about it.
I’ve also been keeping up with my daily yoga practice which has helped move energy through my body, and I’m doing my best to reclaim a daily routine that I can sustain. Something Chiara said also has me thinking about changing my routine a little. She was shocked at my ability to do so much without burning out - to which my partner said that it’s probably what’s actually prolonging my burn out at least in terms of my film practice. (Both of them are right the more I think about it!)
I have always had a need to be doing something. It’s an inherited trait to say the least.
Currently I’m taking 3 different writing courses, while juggling Pentax 17 work, as well as 1-2x weekly newsletter posts, while also working on longer content to post here and there. I’m trying to keep up with socials too, document my daily life, and the behind the scenes of my work, while also trying to dedicate time to a new personal project. Not only that but I have to navigate endless medical appointments most days of the week and strive to maintain functionality with my disabilities - a full time job in itself.
It’s a lot I know. And yes it’s exhausting, but I also can’t seem to do less or stop! I’m genuinely afraid that things will fall apart in my life if I do. And I can’t really afford the time “off” to recover from that too if it does come crumbling down around me - funny how that works, eh?
Still - finding ‘me’ time and having self compassion has definitely been helping through this process. I’m sure I’ll figure it all out soon.
I always do…
Creative Updates
Film Challenges/Photoshoots
As mentioned I just did another photography challenge so that one will be a full blown newsletter.
I’m finishing up a gallery in the next day or so and then will be moving onto scanning a LOT of film again… please send my spine some good vibes lol.
I’ve got an amazing editorial photoshoot coming up in the next two weeks - assuming this terrible weather settles down! It’s really hard to plan outdoor shoots in my area at this time of year as it’s either too hot and we all risk sunburn and heatstroke, or it’s too bloody soggy from all the unexpected rain!
Writing Courses
I’m officially on Week One of ‘The Artist’s Way’ and it’s already been really challenging! I’m going to try to dedicate a specific time to it each day and figure out how to make it work with my already chaotic schedule. I struggle to function in the morning but I run out of time in the evening so I’ll have to make a compromise to make it work I think.
If you’re on the journey too and tackling the same course - you may like my paid newsletters in the “Interlinked” section. I’ll be doing a bit more of a deep dive of my experience as I get further into it over there too!
Newsletters
Working on a new ‘Through My Viewfinder’ newsletter - and organizing the next road trip of course!
I’m mostly in the planning phase of a huge chunk of my creative practice so it comes as no surprise that I’m having a bit of a slower week than usual right now.
Going Offline
Between Wednesday - Sunday this week I have some personal stuff happening so I’ll be mostly “Offline” during this time - meaning no pressure to complete work, and I’m just taking things as they come. I aim to stay off social media and properly look after myself I anticipate moving through some tough emotions.
Again this is part of something I hope to one day talk about, but for now just trust I’m okay! Shoot me a message if you’re worried and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can :)
And because it’s been super slow, no BTS for you this week!
What I'm Exploring + Weekly Recommendations
Meditation Music (again)
This time I’ve just had music playing while reading or doing something crafty. If I’m not listening to the rain slamming against my window then I’ve got something like this track playing this week instead
Getting Stronger
Back in May I did a yoga challenge that was really beneficial for me, and things have been on and off health wise since June. I fell away from my daily practice without meaning to, and have started getting back into it.
I’m one week into this practice again - Flow with Yoga with Adriene - already my arms and abs are burning - in a good way! I’m really excited to see how I feel at the end of the 30 days. Highly recommend it!
Past Life Healing?
I’ve always been curious (and a smidge skeptical) about past life healing although it seems to be popping up a lot lately. So I figured why not give it a whirl.
I’m taking a short 14 day course to learn all about it and if I end up liking it I’ll share the info in a future update!
I’ve taken a few other short creative courses by the same creator and really enjoyed them so I have a good feeling about this one too. Previous ones were more self love and goal setting oriented, and the classic manifesting woo-woo stuff.
Taking Stock
I’ve officially packed out my film freezer - I have no more room and have already purchased 1/3rd of the film I anticipate using in 2025.
I shoot about 100 rolls a year, so between the bulk roll of Cinefilm and slowly rebuilding stock of my colour film I have about 35ish rolls for specific projects and will grab more in the first quarter of ‘25. I have to plan and budget 6 months ahead of time for various reasons.
The rest of the freezer is mostly bulk rolls of black and white film, and a whole heap of expired experimental film I will be slowly using over the next year as well - so excited for that!
Questions of the Week
When was the last time you rested fully?
Do you feel like you can allow yourself to have a break? Or are you like me and strive for endless ‘productivity’?
Share your thoughts in the comments, or send me a message, and let's have a chat! :)
Josie’s Weekly Words of Wisdom…
I’m going to leave you with this rhetorical question I asked myself this morning while feeling overly self conscious about my body and well, my whole being really - right before I walked out the door for trauma therapy.
And that is this -
Why does my appearance have to matter to people who are committed to misunderstanding me?
Now, let that marinate in your brain a little - then go put on that skin tight dress to show off your curves, slap on some bold lipstick, and slide into some stompy boots. Go be the badass bitch I know you can be - because I guarantee you nobody cares nearly as much as you assume they do.
And that’s a good thing. Use it to your advantage!
Thanks for tuning in!
As always, don't forget to check out my Instagram for more frequent updates, behind-the-scenes content, and video versions of these weekly check-ins!
Thank you for being part of this journey! I appreciate your support and your willingness to connect with me this week, and have our cute little catch up.
Please leave a comment, shoot me a DM, or have a chat over on Threads or Insta with me.
Till the next one,
Take care!
xoxo, Josie
