Day 51: Look at the moon!

inertia is real, even in space

Hello, friends—

More than halfway, we’ve tipped into the other side. We’re really in it now. How’s it going, how’s it feel?

A reader recently sent me this question:

Lindsay, I can’t seem to find my way back. I’m not planning to give up, but earlier when you gave us questions to ponder I wanted to give myself a theme to help put my mind at ease. When I go to work or think about working my mind just keeps rolling over ideas. I’ve also thought of working from photographs, but my head won’t let me once I’m close to working. I think part of the problem is it’s really hard to start back up again after stopping. Do you have ideas or advice to help me get back on track? Thanks for hearing me out.

This past week I’ve been watching in wonder as the Artemis II travels around the moon. I’ve cried more than a few times, overwhelmed by the humanity, the collective imagination and purpose, the loving leadership we need so desperately. You think the moon is one thing, and then you get to see it in a different light. You see colors you’ve never known. An astronaut names a crater, a “bright spot on the moon,” after his wife, Carroll. The poet scientist. The reminder that all we really have is this one home and each other. It’s all so tender; I am so tender.

The astronauts get into a spaceship and they don’t know if they’ll make it home. There are no guarantees.

I still have no doubt they would do it all over again.

“Why do this to yourself? Sounds like unnecessary stress.” I had to laugh at this comment on our Instagram. Even after all this time, I’m not entirely sure. And yet, every year when I check in with myself—do you want to do this?—I feel the pull. It seems I’m not alone—year after year so many of you return, and so many new friends join us. Why go to space? Why make art a project?

There’s some things you just have to see yourself.

And it is hard to start after stopping, reader. That’s not a sign that anything is wrong. Inertia is real even in space, it turns out.

I am asking you to do something that might feel impossible: look for another way of seeing it.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought something I was making was about one thing, only to realize through doing it that it was about something else entirely. You can’t know, you just have to trust. Mission Control has to trust. The astronauts and their families have to trust. And what does it all mean? We’ll be working our way through it for years to come.

You don’t need a theme to get started, you need a doorway. A window, even. Some of my favorite photos from the mission are taken from inside the capsule. Like this one: we’re behind the astronaut, in the dark with her, watching her watch Earth. You can’t help but go to her face first, even though she’s in profile, almost in shadow. She’s so close to the glass she could kiss it. The vastness, the longing, it’s all here!

You don’t have to go to space to find a new perspective or a sense of wonder. There are so many ways to find a way back in.

Where I live, the plum blossoms are blooming, their silky little poms bouncing in the wind. Their petals spray wildly around them and soon they’ll be gone entirely. Florals in spring? Groundbreaking, I know. And yet! Wow. My niece turns her sequin cape into a shimmering mermaid tale, so clever. She doesn’t need a theme, she just does. Play gives us the best solutions.

Look for just one thing today that makes you feel something, anything. What is it? Get curious. Look again tomorrow. And if you miss a day, look again the next. You’re not alone. We’re all in this together.

FOR YOUR PROJECT TODAY

Look at your first 50 days. Find one thing that makes you say wow.

FOR INSPIRATION

Earth from the far side of the moon.

Image credit: NASA

SHARE IN THE CHAT

Let’s talk about the moon and wonder. What fills you with awe?

(Favorite photographs and memes encouraged in the comments too!).

XO,
Lindsay

P.S. If you have questions, stuck spots, anything at all—you can write to me at hi@the100dayproject.org. I read everything, even if I can’t always reply. And if you want to talk it through in real time, the chat is the best place for that.