This week, I’m joined by Shannan Martin to talk about her new book, Counterweights and how we can hold hope when life feels unbearably heavy.
Counterweights aren’t about denying pain or replacing grief with surface-level happiness. It’s a way of naming what steadies us: the ordinary, specific things that help us stay upright. We cannot counter what we won’t weigh.
In our conversation, we talk about the evolving creative life, the grief and celebration of finishing a book, and how the practice of counterweights helps artists stay soft and grounded when everything feels like too much.
Why more time and space don’t necessarily make creativity easier
The every-hour crisis of writing a book and learning to surrender it imperfectly
How introverts can build a real, local community by simply noticing who’s nearby
Shannon shares how working in a community kitchen, watching the sky, and paying attention to the particulars of her own neighborhood all become spiritual practices. These are reminders that we don’t have to choose between being honest about what’s hard and delighting in what’s good.
Links:
Get Counterweights
Sign up for Shannan’s Substack, The Soup
Our Enneagram 8 episode featuring Shannan
Download the Curtain Call Questions