Love this. Only recently came across the concept of third spaces and yes. So necessary. For me it's creating, as well, for no good reason other than it's fun and I never have to be great at it. I take pictures for me, pottery classes for me and eat from my very wonky bowls with great pleasure. I've rediscovered drawing, not to be an artiste, but just for the connection to the world on a different level than words. I used to cook, and someone once suggested I cater. No, I said, that will just take the joy out of cooking for me. What I lack is the community. I've found it to a degree on Substack. The writing community, but we don't "write" together, and I don't enjoy that. Photography meet ups are fun, but I'm an outspoken introvert. I'm loud and boisterous when I'm, there but I don't want to take any of those conversations to another level, outside of that space. For right now, I have, as they say, a lot of spinning plates on my plate, but I get it. You know what I really miss? Reading, strictly for pleasure, not with a pencil in my hand noticing how this writer did this or that, but getting completely lost in the world the author created....
Pleasure on Thursday nights during grad school in the late 1990s was relegated to one sacred hour... watching ER on t.v. at 9:00 p.m. because there was no way to record it or watch at a different time! No grading papers, no teaching prep, no reading, no writing, no research, no phone calls, no kids (always a mom).... just Noah Wylie and the rest of the gang. After I defended my dissertation, I took a Life Journey Necklace (beading) workshop, made collages, wrote poetry, etc. Creativity for pure enjoyment must be preserved.
I felt like I was looking in the mirror while reading this. Life, crap, commitments, literal obstacles block what used to be. It’s difficult to recreate that third space. Thank you for writing this.
Love this. Only recently came across the concept of third spaces and yes. So necessary. For me it's creating, as well, for no good reason other than it's fun and I never have to be great at it. I take pictures for me, pottery classes for me and eat from my very wonky bowls with great pleasure. I've rediscovered drawing, not to be an artiste, but just for the connection to the world on a different level than words. I used to cook, and someone once suggested I cater. No, I said, that will just take the joy out of cooking for me. What I lack is the community. I've found it to a degree on Substack. The writing community, but we don't "write" together, and I don't enjoy that. Photography meet ups are fun, but I'm an outspoken introvert. I'm loud and boisterous when I'm, there but I don't want to take any of those conversations to another level, outside of that space. For right now, I have, as they say, a lot of spinning plates on my plate, but I get it. You know what I really miss? Reading, strictly for pleasure, not with a pencil in my hand noticing how this writer did this or that, but getting completely lost in the world the author created....
Yes! One of the best things I did in recent years was reading whatever I wanted for whatever reason and not strictly as a craft study.
Pleasure on Thursday nights during grad school in the late 1990s was relegated to one sacred hour... watching ER on t.v. at 9:00 p.m. because there was no way to record it or watch at a different time! No grading papers, no teaching prep, no reading, no writing, no research, no phone calls, no kids (always a mom).... just Noah Wylie and the rest of the gang. After I defended my dissertation, I took a Life Journey Necklace (beading) workshop, made collages, wrote poetry, etc. Creativity for pure enjoyment must be preserved.
I agree! I’m still searching.
I felt like I was looking in the mirror while reading this. Life, crap, commitments, literal obstacles block what used to be. It’s difficult to recreate that third space. Thank you for writing this.
It’s like everything is in the way!