Hello Reader,

I lifted all the plants off the cedar chest, regretting my choice to move the massive jade by myself. Inside, wrapped in newspaper, were all the china and glass bits that I’d collected, but never used. Somewhere, there had to be a china tea cup and saucer, and I had to unpack most of the chest before I found the cup. No saucer, but I found one of those in the cupboard.

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I was on a mission to make myself a proper cup of tea and have it, with biscuits, in the early afternoon, all because someone on Instagram told me it was better this way. I used to have tea parties for my friends, where we would drink tea out of china, and use the silver service, but it had been a while. Afternoon tea sounded like the perfect way to transition from working to afternoons with my son.

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My grandmother loved tea, and drank her Red Rose in massive quantities at all hours of the day. I don’t remember ever seeing her without a mug, tea bag string dangling, the tea white with milk and sugar. For her, tea was a habit, just like me with my coffee as I drink it mindlessly while working.

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​A ritual is mindful, and tea, from preparation to serving, forces you to slow down, be patient, and enjoy the process. The days when I’ve practiced the ritual, I appreciate the moment of calm.

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It’s a ritual that’s different from the one I have in the studio, where I begin each work session by lighting Nag Champa incense. That’s a ritual of action, where the smell of incense moves me to work, not to pause and relax. An art practice needs both reflection and movement, and my rituals help me achieve that.

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​While rituals are lovely, and important, it’s habits that get the work done. In my art practice and business, habits structure my time. I have habits around planning my week, social media, weekly tasks, and cleaning. In this week’s blog post, I share the specifics of some of them in an expanded version of this newsletter.
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What rituals or habits anchor your creative practice?

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Sarah

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