Episodi
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My paintings and poetry: https://www.winphyo.com
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Episodi mancanti?
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Subscribe to my newsletter: https://winphyo.substack.com
My paintings and poetry: https://www.winphyo.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
My Dear Rose Bush
My dear
Cut yourself some slack
A rose bush with wilting flowers
That are not getting the right nutrients
She needs to flourish
Is not beating herself up About being unable to celebrate
The blooming neighbouring bushes Her attention at present is too focused
She's merely trying to sustain herself
With what she has been given
As best as she can
In the Studio
This week Iād like to put your attention onto two things.
Number 1 - I recorded this episode for you, totally unscripted, filled with spacious gaps and vulnerable musings from today. I am prioritising to not go to bed at 1am tonight so no music, no scripting but pure riffing.
The audio contains much more than what I am writing to you now.
I hope it adds a bit of inspiration for your day.
Number 2 - Last week I made a Youtube video that I am really proud of. A video that is starting to have some hints of the type of storytelling I like and would like to do more of.
I will delve into my journey recording my life in another newsletter podcast.
But for now ~ if you have a spare 14minutes of your day where you are not sure quite how to fill it ~ check out the following video. I would love to know what you thought of it.
As always, thank you for tuning in.
Love,
Win
Some housekeeping refreshers:
* Firstly, check out this page if you have forgotten who I am.
* I am using Substack to publish this newsletter. You will start receiving from right here in your inbox. Alternatively, you can check out Substack website or on the Substack app to read and listen to the full archives.
* The audio file is also being broadcasted as a podcast so if you prefer, you can find it and follow on Apple Podcast and also on Spotify.
3 things you can do to support my work:
With love,
Win
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://winphyo.substack.com
My paintings and poetry: https://www.winphyo.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://[email protected]
My paintings and poetry: https://www.winphyo.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
If you like what you've heard, subscribe to my newsletter to get these episodes straight to your inbox on > https://winphyo.substack.com
Find my paintings and poetry on >https://www.winphyo.com/gallery
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
This week I am back at my mumās house to help her with the final parts of the cleaning and moving.
Last week I shared the beginning parts of a chapter in a fiction book I was writing three years ago. I must admit, this was my first time I let it out into the world. Unfinished, raw, unedited.
Are 1am decisions sensible? All I know is I woke up Sunday morning thinking, āOhhh no, why did I do that?ā
But I am creatively impulsive. And I do believe that everything happens for a reason whether we planned it or not.
The journey of this book is still to be confirmed.
For now, I have been in my studio painting out stories rather than writing them.
And I am enjoying that very much.
Without further a do, this is part two ~ the part where the moon drops some truth bombs onto Ona.
Love,
Win
Some housekeeping refreshers:
* Firstly, check out this page if you have forgotten who I am.
* I am using Substack to publish this newsletter. You will start receiving from right here in your inbox. Alternatively, you can check out Substack website or on the Substack app to read and listen to the full archives.
* The audio file is also being broadcasted as a podcast so if you prefer, you can find it and follow on Apple Podcast and also on Spotify.
3 things you can do to support my work:
With love,
Win
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Dear listeners, readers and loyal email subscribers,
Between running household errands, giving myself the grace of having a break this afternoon to have some chickpea curry and masala chai at my favourite spot in Bristolā¦
to then spend a delicious afternoon in the studio painting and filming before indulging myself again to make Vietnamese spring rolls and ramen with my boyfriend Brett, whilst watching the infamous EDM festival, Tomorrowland, on Youtubeā¦
I foolishly overestimated my capabilities that I would be making sense to write something at 1am in the morning.
Today I gave myself the grace of rest and it entered me wholeheartedly than I have felt all week. I am grateful.
But what has given is the perfection I normally take to compile my weekly newsletters.
Forgive me. This week, the writing doesnāt match the audio. The image doesnāt match the strength and loneliness I feel in my heart in experiencing my mum, the cats and the pigeon move out of my house.
Thinking I would record a short poem for you tonight, I came across a chapter from a book I wrote about three years ago. It was what I needed to hear.
And I guess I was crazy enough to record it at the early hours of the morning. This one is special.
Maybe it will materialise in the world one day.
Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.
Love,
Win
Some housekeeping refreshers:
* Firstly, check out this page if you have forgotten who I am.
* I am using Substack to publish this newsletter. You will start receiving from right here in your inbox. Alternatively, you can check out Substack website or on the Substack app to read and listen to the full archives.
* The audio file is also being broadcasted as a podcast so if you prefer, you can find it and follow on Apple Podcast and also on Spotify.
3 things you can do to support my work:
With love,
Win
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://[email protected]
My paintings and poetry: https://www.winphyo.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
My youtube video mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpuTzNYob_U
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://[email protected]
My paintings and poetry: https://www.winphyo.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
A Love Letter To You
From my studio to yours
This week I write this love letter to you, to the you who is feeling that you are failing, to the you who feels like you might just give up, to the you who has the biggest dreams, to the you who cannot see beyond your current circumstances.
Dear Beautiful Human,
Now expect nothing but softness and vulnerability in this letter, because after all, we are made of the shining stars that are seen against the darkness. I will be gooey like the chocolate oozing out of a brownie because our lives are really that delicious.
I know right now it seems like you can barely enjoy the flavours that make up the rich tapestry of your life. I know right now it seems like you are all alone.
But dear one, behind you, are thousands of your ancestors. We are cheering you on. We are chanting to you to,
āKeep Goingā
In your hands, you have the power of our souls. We have lived through many centuries, we have crossed many terrains, we have mastered many lessons and have overcome many challenges.
I know. I know. These days are hard. These days are tiring. These days are confusing.
To have a body, to take care of a body, to understand how to use a body well is one of the most joyous and difficult things of all.
But my love, you are well equipped. Our energies live through your veins. Your blood pulses with life waiting to be embraced.
Just when you think you are about to give up is when you are suppose to rise up to face it all with courage.
Just when you are about to look outward for answers, look within.
Just when you feel so weak, you cannot bear the thought of living like this for another day, dare to find what is love in this moment, even if all you can feel is little.
Just when you feel yourself spiralling in your own mind, drop it all and lay down on a bed of wildflowers.
We are made of the courage of the stars that shine in the darkness.
Keep believing that you are a creator, making something from nothing; that you have always been a strong person with a clear vision that you have seen in everyone else all this time.
Why do you think you see their good qualities in the first place?
Comparison shows us not our weaknesses, but our biggest strengths.
Trust that you do not know the big picture now but you are always guided into the right timing of things.
Trust in everything that unfolds moment by moment, day by day.
Trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
Live fully in your body. Recognise the nature of your mind. And together, know you are meant to dream big and you are meant to take brave and steady steps to get there.
I am with you. We are all with you.
You cannot see us but you can feel us when you enjoy how the sun feels on your body, when you watch the clouds go by in the sky, when you experience your heart beating like a steady drum.
All the things that can go by unnoticed are our footprints that we have existed and that we are still here.
Do not stay in the murky waters of self pity and guilt for too long. You can never do us wrong. We will always love you and forgive you.
For as long as you are alive keep walking. Keep loving. Keep having faith.
Love,
Your Ancestors
Some housekeeping refreshers:
* Firstly, check out this page if you have forgotten or donāt know who I am.
* I am using Substack to publish this newsletter. You will start receiving from right here in your inbox. Alternatively, you can check out Substack website or on the Substack app to read and listen to the full archives.
* The audio file is also being broadcasted as a podcast so if you prefer, you can find it and follow on Apple Podcast and also on Spotify.
3 things you can do to support my work:
With love,
Win
Instagram | Youtube | Paintings | Hire A Poet
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://winphy.substack.com
My paintings and poetry: https://www.winphyo.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://winphyo.substack.com
My paintings and poetry: https://www.winphyo.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Check out the reference images and videos mentioned in this episode in my newsletter {link below}
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://winphyo.substack.com
My paintings and poetry: https://www.winphyo.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Check out the reference images and videos mentioned in this episode in my newsletter {link below}
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://winphyo.substack.com
My paintings and poetry: https://www.winphyo.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Welcome Home
You have been through a
Long journey
You have crossed the
Most difficult terrains
Encountering the violent weather
Parched from the dessert
Heat from the rainforest
Your clothes are drenched
Your skin is dry
Your feet full of blisters
Welcome home
Now dear
Take a rest
Deep full breaths
Sip some tea
Letās put a warm blanket
around your body
You are here
At the right place
And you are always
On time
In the Studio
Itās four days left before I take the train on Friday evening to London. Then an early morning flight on Saturday will take me all the way from London to Chicago OāHare Airport where Brettās dad will be waiting.
We are due to spend less than a day with his parents in the suburb, just outside of Chicago.
Then, an early morning drive on Sunday will take back us to Chicago OāHare Airport again for a flight to San Francisco, where our second hosts, Brettās brother and wife, will be waiting.
That means, by the time you get this message, I will be getting ready to get on my second flight, baggy eyes and all.
But look at me. Touring around the United States, kind of. I am happy to be with my American boyfriend, who has family there. It means I have a really good excuse to go back frequently. Experience the City life and immerse myself into a different culture.
A time to really get outside of myself to meet reflections of the external world that exist beyond my own.
Brett and his presence alone, gets me out of the house. Thatās just the kind of person he is. He loves to stay active. He goes on lots of walks. He gets me out of my own world. He is very much a good influence, although the amount of travelling he does gives me FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) sometimes.
If you get to know Brett, you would realise how much he loves travelling.
When we got together, I very much saw that if there is one thing that gives back to him so much energy and appreciation for being alive in this world- itās travelling.
Since I started pursuing my dreams, Iāve become a messy person.
The mess can wait if it means the idea is completed or explored.
I donāt do it intentionally. I just seem to forget everything else around me when I really have something I want to focus on.
And a week before this trip, I suddenly found myself working on this newsletter, rather than packing.
What else is there to do but write, as I felt compelled to do?
That is the thing about doing the work.
There is no other way around it.
The writer must write.
The speaker must speak.
The artist must draw.
The traveller must travel.
The identity itself is a label. We just do what must be done.
And to give time to what makes us feel alive always has a trade off.
For me this week, itās the lack of sleep.
We donāt have graduation in creativity or entrepreneurship.
We donāt have right or wrong answers.
Artists rarely compete with each other but instead we compete with themselves.
And ever since I started asking questions about:
* how can I create paintings that resemble the feelings from my heart?
* or writing that stirs my soul?
* or questions about how I can let go off this idea that to be an artist means we must always act from a place of being wounded, or naive or being too introverted or too extroverted?
* and how to just let my expression be as diverse as my interests themselves?
Ever since I started asking these kinds of questions, Iāve never been able to look back.
Iāve become addicted to learning as an adult.
Learning as an adult on the journey of pursuing dreams is like playing a video game.
Every level completed gives a boost of confidence that this isnāt so bad after all.
That it is possible. I can do it.
And the deeper I go, the more I realise perfection is overrated.
It prevents one from learning.
It prevents one from taking risks and doing things.
It prevents one from experimenting.
And ultimately, it prevents one from growing and keeping an open mind in life.
We try to have everything in order but chaos has been the fundamental birthplace of our solar system.
So if you feel like youāre definitely not doing things correctly or that you are making things up in your own life, congratulations.
Iāll let you in on a secret. This whole newsletter thing? I donāt have this figured out.
But isnāt that how unexpected discoveries happen? You know, the stuff we tell stories about?
If you want to hear more about imperfection, I talk about it in this Youtube video. You can find it on the link below:
Some housekeeping refreshers:
* Firstly, check out this page if you have forgotten who I am.
* I am using Substack to publish this newsletter. You will start receiving from right here in your inbox. Alternatively, you can check out Substack website or on the Substack app to read and listen to the full archives.
* The audio file is also being broadcasted as a podcast so if you prefer, you can find it and follow on Apple Podcast and also on Spotify.
3 things you can do to support my work:
With love,
Win
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Hi friend,
After nearly two years of hiatus, I come back to my newsletter Contemplations again.
It has been a long time coming and before I tell you about why I had such a long break and what you can expect in your inbox from now on, I want to say:
THANK YOU.
I am quite sure to bet that your life in the past two years have also been an interesting ride- full of both the ups and the downs, the peace and periods of fast momentum, of growing deeper roots, BUT -
You continued to stay subscribed to this newsletter. This act of loyalty and support, I am deeply grateful to you for staying.
Where have I been?
Shortly after ending last season of newsletter and podcasting, life took an unexpected turn.
After some years of persuasion from my sister and I, my mother finally left an abusive relationship with my dad. I experienced a heartbreak unlike any other romantic love encountered so far in witnessing the divorce of my parents in my adult life.
My mother moved in with me, taking with her nine cats and a rescued pigeon.
It was a steep learning curve to be an independent person, with a life filled with solitude to a life that took a different form ~
My boyfriend a few months prior got his visa and he made a big move from the US to the UK to be with me.
There we were: 3 humans, 9 cats and 1 pigeon in 1 relatively spacious but now feeling suddenly small, house. You do the math.
I wonāt bore you with the details. But insert here moments of equal chaos, tears, anguish, confusion, happiness, love and laughter. We all had to grow out of our old skins pretty fast.
Where do we go from now?
Right in the middle of my parents ongoing divorce, naively or stubbornly or bravely (you decide), I made a decision to begin pursuing my dream of becoming a professional artist poet seriously.
I think my parents divorce and the changes I experienced made me realise that this life we have is short. I also no longer had my fatherās fear driven thoughts beside me, but instead replaced by my mumās infinite belief of possibilities.
So in the time you didnāt hear from me, I was doing my due diligence and much experimentation and learning to continue to grow as a creative person and as an entrepreneur.
This journey of pursuing my dreams have changed me significantly and I have grown much from the woman who started this newsletter back in 2021.
Welcome to the Season of Climbing
Just like the seasons of the year, my poetry is linked to the seasons of my life. The previous season I have named Season of Contemplations - a time of deep solitude, questions and searching.
I look up at the heights above me and I feel my freedom knowing the winds and the rocky surfaceWould give me the protection I need on this climb.
Now is the Season of Climbing, my friend. A season where we learn to revel in the very real, very practical, very unpredictable path of new beginnings.
In this season, we are not just dreaming, but doing.
We are not just resting, but resting intentionally to grow deeper roots.
We are not in solitude, but very much a part of a family, friends and community.
We climb steadily with enjoyment and hope, faith and laughter, and should we also grieve for a past long gone, we grieve with possibilities for a better future, undetermined but very real to us just like the ground beneath our feet.
Every Sunday, I will publish a short poem as written and spoken word - just long enough so you can enjoy it while you have a cup of hot drink (or water!) and take a moment of rest from your day.
Should it take your fancy, there will also be a short segment where I tell you about my week and what is happening in my studio. I decided to add this to my weekly archive because I think it can be quite comforting to know you are not alone in this climb and journeying along this game of life.
I hope we can continue to be on this path of contemplating and growing together.
Some housekeeping refreshers:
* Firstly, check out this page if you have forgotten who I am.
* I am using Substack to publish this newsletter. You will start receiving from right here in your inbox. Alternatively, you can check out Substack website or on the Substack app to read and listen to the full archives.
* The audio file is also being broadcasted as a podcast so if you prefer, you can find it and follow on Apple Podcast and also on Spotify.
3 things you can do to support my work:
With love,
Win
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com -
Beyond my windowIs a whole wide worldThere are trees swaying in the windThere are birds singing songsThe dogs are barking and the carsAre moving alongJust as the people who stop and stareOr go about their business to somewhereThe sun still shines The neighbourās cat visits my porch Everyone and everything continues Beyond my window
There is a time for everything and today marks my last post of this season, which has unexpectedly lasted for 7months. When I first started this podcast newsletter, I didnāt expect myself to write for this long and consistently every week.
Sometimes the process challenged me, but more commonly, I found different ways of experimenting with spoken word, in finding old and new voices both in written and spoken formats, and turning up to a black page; surprising myself of the words that flowed out in front of me.
I also deepened some relationships and found a way of connecting with close and new friends, home and abroad. I found that a newsletter is a great way to connect with those far away. My visitation into their emails almost replicated the conversations we have when we are together. I learned from their sharing of their stories just as I shared mine.
Just as nature as its own seasons, I think I am also coming to a cycle of rest and renewal.
A lot of the poetry I read came from deep moments of rest and renewal. Of disconnecting to connect within and living life in many different ways.
It came from writing down my jumbled up thoughts without a form of organisation.
Iāve heard from a few people of how the voice I seem to have developed in many of my thinking and writing is of āwisdom.ā But I donāt feel wise. I feel like for the past seven months, Iāve merely recorded flashes of insights that I recognise in my own or someone elseās life.
Sometimes it is not based on a true story but of a theory. Sometimes it is based on many stories interconnecting with one another.
Regardless, I think, for now it is time for me to take a pause. Iāve seen many people take different forms of breaks this summer. Iāve been denying myself of one until now.
I am curious to the next stage of how my writing will unfold and how my voice will evolve and in what ways I will use it for.
If there is a next season, it will be as purposeful as this one.
I hope you will give yourself the permission to rest and unplug. To not just peer outside of your window, as the poem suggests, but to step outside of it. To experience the birds, the trees, the dogs, the cats and the people who are living their own lives, living centrally in their own lives as the main character of their own projects and dramas, as we all do; and recognise that all of this and more awaits for our witnessing of them beyond the windows we have built for ourselves.
In the meantime, do go back to the previous episodes and archives of the newsletters and podcast episode. Theyāre available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and if you are subscribed to this newsletter, it will go straight into your inbox.
Thank you for coming on this journey with me for the past seven months. I have really enjoyed writing and recording for you.
May we all live by our own wisdom, and for that wisdom to be crumble every once in awhile to be built up again.
Contemplations
:
How will you be pausing this year?
What are your favourite ways of disconnecting to connect?
In what ways can you learn to pivot in your life so that a renewal can take place?
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit winphyo.substack.com - Mostra di più
