{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Holding hope in a heavy world with Shannan Martin","description":"This week, I\u2019m joined by Shannan Martin to talk about her new book, Counterweights and how we can hold hope when life feels unbearably heavy. Counterweights aren\u2019t about denying pain or replacing grief with surface-level happiness. It\u2019s a way of naming what steadies us: the ordinary, specific things that help us stay upright. We cannot counter what we won\u2019t 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. Also: Why more time and space don\u2019t 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\u2019s 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\u2019t have to choose between being honest about what\u2019s hard and delighting in what\u2019s good. Links: Get Counterweights Sign up for Shannan\u2019s Substack, The Soup  Our Enneagram 8 episode featuring Shannan Download the Curtain Call Questions    ","author_name":"Artists for Joy","author_url":"http:\/\/www.artistsforjoy.org\/pod","html":"