...in which I deem myself broken, again. ? - ⚡️Kristen Kalp

…in which I deem myself broken, again. ?

depths headshot

I used to write all my articles in about twenty minutes. I touted myself as a productive and efficient writer, popping off 1,000 words in no time flat.

And THEN.

As the depth of my writing increased over the years — going from ‘how to build an e-mail list in 15 minutes or less‘ to ‘reasons I cried in Hawaii‘ — from ‘how to hold a sale without breaking your brand‘ to ‘internal goals,’ my writing pace slowed. When it took longer to come up with the recent ‘get picky‘ than with ‘behind the scenes with every product I use in business,’ I was at wit’s end. (Tell me you see where this is going.)

Naturally, I blamed my depression.

Something must be wrong, right?

Something must have gone awry, right?

I must be broken, RIGHT?

Nah.

Depths take time to reach.

In relationships, in humans, in writing, in life.

It takes far more stillness, silence, and space to write now. When I come up from the depths, you’ll find things like ‘How to hermit without breaking your life.’ Or ‘The four kinds of tired.’

Those articles and podcasts aren’t popped off in quick, witty fashion, but dragged up from 100 meters down as I learn to hold my breath for longer and longer periods. This new phase of making is slower. So much slower. And deeper. So much deeper. With any luck, it’s also so much more rewarding for you to read and listen to and ponder, too. 😉

If you’ve been beating yourself up because your pace has slowed, your need for stillness has increased, or you can’t abide life without far more silence than ever before, consider that you’re moving into the depths.

Our culture loves the shallows and the instant. Our culture loves the quick fix, the four-hour work week, and the latest silver bullet/distraction.

The depths are, as Brene Brown puts it, where you’ll brave the wilderness. (ALSO buy Braving the Wilderness NOW, please. Five stars holy hell awesomeness awaits you!)

The depths are where I’m headed, personally and professionally, and I hope you’ll join me there.

Breathwork, my newest venture into the depths, the body, and fewer words than ever before, is here! It’s 1-on-1 work we do together in which I hang out and help you breathe, and you release an epic shit-ton of stuff you’ve been carrying around for weeks/months/years/decades.  Check out 1-on-1 here.  Try out a class for $22 here.

Here’s to coming up for air and then plunging right back in, friend.

P.S. Related: the waterfall, the bucket, and big magic.