Things that inspire: Writing practices, family stories, authentic voices, fresh beats {episode #01}
Spin
Inside the Creation Stories of Dancing Mother
Episode #01
Things that inspire: Writing practices, family stories, authentic voices, fresh beats
by Mother Mother Binahkaye Joy
Here are some of the things I’ve been reading and listening to that are inspiring me, my studies, and my creations. In the mornings I listen to audiobooks or podcasts that nourish my creative practices. In little pockets of time I read, ebooks, articles, and yes, sometimes even real books with pages and covers! There is also music that I love for dancing to, or writing, dreaming and mapping out projects. I hope something sparks or leads you to something else that inspires you. Enjoy the discovery!
My mother found The Joy of Slow: Restoring Balance and Wonder to Homeschool Learning by Leslie M. Martino when she was looking up resources to help her better understand the ideas around unschooling, and give her more context for ways she might support her grandchildren’s Wildseed flow. She recommended I read/listen to this book alongside her because it might help us create some language bridges in dreaming up practices and study adventures for the munchkins. I have been popping in and out of it as an audiobook, and have been sharing it with homeschooling families in my circles. I’ve also recommended it to artists and creatives who are reimagining their lives outside of an artificial pace of production, and reaching instead for what I call the pace of possibility. The Joy of Slow also inspires me because I’ve been slow-writing a text about the evolutions of Wildseed over our first conscious decade of existence, and it’s encouraging to see another mama write her story down and share it with the world.
There are so many things to love about Sasha Bonét’s brilliant, tender, honest, courageous portraits of the women in her family that she weaves together in The Waterbearers: A Memoir of Mothers and Daughters. This is one of the books I am reading with book in hand, even though I started with the ebook on Libby. I especially appreciate the great care she takes in sharing intimate moments from her family, some very difficult and heartbreaking, in a way that is still reverent and honoring of each family member. I am deeply inspired to keep feeling for that truth-telling voice in my own writing. I have also been studying the relationships between mothers and daughters, and between sisters and aunties my whole life. I love finding works that echo the magic, mystery, and beauty of these particular dynamics.
I recently discovered the Design Matters with Debbie Millman podcast. I was immediately curious when I read about the show’s premise: “Hosted by designer, writer, educator, and artist Debbie Millman, the show centers on how the world’s most incredibly creative people—designers, writers, artists, musicians, educators, scientists, philosophers, athletes and performers—design the trajectory of their lives. Each deeply researched long-form interview features a guests origin story, the challenges they’ve encountered, the choices they’ve made and the remarkable art they create.” For my first adventure with Design Matters I chose Jon Batiste’s episode. I have only just started to learn more about his artistry and music. I loved hearing his stories of the musical family he was born into in Louisiana, and especially how much his mother encouraged him to find his authentic artistic voice at a young age. I am inspired to celebrate all the ways I pour into my children and their dreams.
I just began my 3rd sojourn into this massive body of work that is brilliant, heart-stretching, and soul-stirring. I started reading The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson when I was sitting with possibilities with Luminous Glory. My first time around with this book I had the paperback. My second time I picked up where I left off in the ebook on Libby. And for my third time I am delighted to have a hardcover from the library. I love having paper-pages books for texts that are dense and have extensive endnotes and bibliographies. We’ve been studying the Great Migration for several years now, and I love how there are so many stories to unpack in our own family that intersect with the journeys Isabel Wilkerson chronicles in this book. I am inspired to map our family’s migration stories and to help my children consider how these choices made so long ago by family members—some by ancestors they never got to meet—shape their lives today.
I can always find a lovely groove with a Boddhi Satva track. As Far As I Know by Boddhi Satva and Ifrika is just what I need to dance out the tensions and tangles of the day. I especially love the Afrikinstrumental Mix, because dancing to instrumentals gives me more space to be with my thoughts or empty my mind.
Letters From A Stranger is a digital journal by writer, filmmaker, and creator, Nneka Julia that I just discovered. I’ve been sharing her piece, 010. Be Who Little You Needed., with my sistermamas. This is such a moving reflection of what is possible when we sit deeply with our inner girlchild. I love the layering of text, image, film. This piece inspires me to get creative about how I commune with my inner girlchild, and what creations might emerge from these collaborations.
I started listening to the audiobook and now I’m happy to have the paper-book version of How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill. Each essay introduces another part of the writing practice in a new light. I’m enjoying hearing from writers and poets I know well, and also discovering new authors. This book inspires me to keep trusting my nonlinear writing process, and to stay open to the surprises and feelings of expansion along the way.
Supports for parents & Educators
Mother Mother offers curated, soft-time portals of engagement for curious folks who want to grow and enliven their family’s learning practices, archival systems and portfolio creation. Parents, educators, and leaders receive tailored support at their preferred pace, and expand their toolbox for navigating their sovereign learning programs with more joy, ease, and creativity. Mother Mother also hosts boutique workshops for small groups exploring innovative ways to integrate the Curious Seeds story building methodologies into their learning experiences.
Read Mother Mother’s Wildseed Stories
