This is NOT A NEWSLETTER No. 21
Skillful Effort
When I was writing my last quarterly newsletter of 2024, I had no idea that my echo of Robin Wall Kimmerer's entreaty for reciprocity and collectivity in The Serviceberry would be so immediate and so specific: Here in LA, we're in disaster mode, helping each other out amid extraordinary tragedy, gradually moving from triage to long term care and recovery. I've been spending my time this month alternating between checking in on friends, colleagues, and clients; attending to Continuous Project work; and volunteering with Grief and Hope. So many have lost their homes, studios, archives, and life's work in the Los Angeles fires. Our city is forever changed, and the art world community I cherish is deeply impacted. There is also a long road ahead.
The day after the fires broke out, I was talking with one of my best friends on the phone. She and her family lost their home in the Eaton fire, and as they settled into temporary housing donated by another friend, she expressed a sense of liberation amid the devastation and a desire for the spirit of appreciation and cooperation and care emerging from this disaster to be cultivated amid ordinary life, too. It reminded me of Rebecca Solnit's thoughtful account of community bonding amid emergency in her book A Paradise Built in Hell: “If paradise now arises in hell, it's because in the suspension of the usual order and the failure of most systems, we are free to live and act another way.” What way will we choose?
Now that the shock is softening, and I'm comprehending the scale of what has happened and what's to come, I can see the practicalities and presence of mind required to move forward with capacity for long term mutual aid. The coming months will require ample space and time for grieving, healing, and rebuilding. It begins even now as the fires still burn, and there will be more challenges ahead; there always are. I'm keeping my friend's dream of ongoing cooperation in mind as I pitch in and do what I can, and while I'm trying to stay focused on the present need, I can't help but think about the longer term. Solnit is lighting the way: “Disaster shocks us out of slumber, but only skillful effort keeps us awake.”
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I have several notes I want to share amid the upheaval of current events~~~
+ For those of you who are artists/art workers experiencing loss from the Los Angeles fires: I know there are many of you whom I have not yet connected with, and I’m sending you love and strength. Please register with Grief and Hope by midnight TOMORROW, January 25; you will receive a cash grant from their GoFundMe (the page also has a lot of helpful FAQ), as well as selected resources offered within the art world community, such as connections to housing and studios; art materials; health and environmental advice; pro bono professional services; help with the Getty-led LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund application; and personal support from volunteers like me.
+ In light of Monday’s inauguration, I think it’s important for me to say in writing and out loud as much as possible: Continuous Project is an inclusive practice. I offer services and support to—and I affirm—art workers of all genders, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, immigration statuses, religions, abilities, and neurodiversities.
I love you
+ The next Group Consulting cohort begins on February 12 and runs for 8 Wednesdays at 11:30am PT via zoom. Register here.
+ Growth Planning Level 2 registration is open for the Growth Planning Workshop Fall 2024 cohort. GPL2 begins on February 12 and runs for 4 Wednesdays at 10am PT. Email me for information or to register.
+ The Guggenheim Application Cohort is back in 2025, starting May 21. Registration will open in early March.
+ There will be a Growth Planning Workshop again this year, but I’m not sure when yet
+ Please know that many California residents eligible for CCI Quick Grants for private consulting or any Continuous Project services.
+ If you’re curious about working together, please book a discovery call here.
+ And private consulting meetings are always available for established clients here.
Your continued engagement with Continuous Project helps me support myself and to serve our community. THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
With love from,
Corrina
