The November Merge: In Awe

What apple pie has to do with new eyes for the everyday and daily prompts for the month ahead

One of our central beliefs here at Brainstorm Road is that you don’t have to do it by yourself. 

Making Dream Projects happen in Real Life doesn’t have to be a solo endeavor and, in fact, it can’t be. Everything is born from something else and if you zoom out far enough it’s impossible to see only you. 

We might feel alone while we write, draw, paint or weave, but the idea of creating in isolation is a myth. This month, let’s remember those who have created before us and beside us. Those who have inspired us, opened doors, kept us going. Let’s call to mind those who help us directly and those we’ll never know by name. The people who work in the factory that grind your paint pigments. The delivery driver that brought you the notebook that was bound by someone and made with paper from a mill that someone operates supplied by a logger who cuts from a forest someone tends to.... 

Let’s see if we can find a bit of awe as we look at the long chain of humans who make our practice possible:

“For most of us, encounters with awe are rare—but they don’t need to be. As Keltner, the other authors, and Carson persuasively argue, we can break up the humdrum of daily life simply by adopting fresh eyes that allow us to discover awe in everyday things—what the playwright Christopher Marlowe described as “infinite riches in a little room.” With that perspective, we can find awe not just in the stars but in the stardust that constitutes everything—even the most mundane objects—on Earth. As the science writer Carl Sagan once quipped, “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” Isn’t that an awesome thought?” (source)

You’re not alone; you’re supported. This month, let’s look for new ways that’s true. What’s already here? Where did it come from? Who made it possible? With any luck, we’ll find a bit of awe and perhaps stumble into some gratitude.

Daily Prompts for November

We’ve created daily prompts with a weekly rhythm to help you find a sense of steadiness in your practice.

There’s no right or wrong way to do the prompts. Use them as a warm-up or when you get stuck. Print the calendar and check off the yellow circle on each line if you’d like, or don’t. Some of the prompts are simply a phrase (“a moment when…”), others will invite you to remember or reflect.

Use the prompts as a jumping-off point. Answer them literally or figuratively. Let them take you in whatever direction they take you. Let your responses be weird or wonderful. You can’t mess this up. You’re getting a high five every Friday no matter what.

Mark your calendar for November 21st

Join us Thursday, November 21st at noon ET for our monthly community huddle. It will be held in this Zoom room and is a chance to connect with new folks, chat about this month’s theme, and share our projects.

It’s one part happy hour, one part group coaching, and one part secret society (we’ll give you the signal when you join the huddle).

See you there 🚗 🚙

beep beep