On Attention, Patience, and Teaching
We've started an artist collective with our neighbors in Kingston
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but it’s not for lack of trying. There’s been so many thoughts that I’ve wanted to put down. Things to say. Opinions, hot takes, and life updates. But, because of the state of our society, the state of my life, I’ve felt, oftentimes, paralyzed by too many thoughts and too little time.
Maybe you feel like this? Like there’s so much to pay attention to and engage with that you’re only able to engage with it at the very surface level before something else gobbles up your attention.
We’ve been talking a lot about attention in our house. What it means to have attention. What causes us to lose our attention. And then how to win it back.
Attention has been doing crossword puzzles together. Reading books. Making art. Eating meals together. Real simple, basic stuff. Spending quality time and supporting each other. Laughing. Letting each other into our weird little worlds.
Cultivating attention is something that takes practice, takes time. Incremental progress. People tell me they don’t have the attention span to read books, that they’re not interested in reading for pleasure. This is because scrolling is easier. But scrolling is only surface level. There’s no depth there. It’s just loud headlines.
The hard things in life are the ones worth doing. Attention to me is no different than patience. A deep breath. A smile. It’s better together, easier together. It can take a community approach to win back your attention. We talk a lot amongst friends about how to be the best versions of ourselves and how to support each other through that. It means really opening space for each other and giving one another our full…attention.
Back in September I started taking courses at Vassar College to earn a teaching certification. It’s an incredible opportunity afforded to me by Lauren’s position at the school. Teaching is something I’ve thought about doing for a while now. And, well, I’m doing it.
Teaching for me is an opportunity to help. To do more with my skills and background, to achieve my full potential as a person. It means radical empathy. Leaving the ego at the door and meeting people where they are. But it also means challenging them to be their best selves. I want to help high school, college, and even adult students become better versions of themselves, more engaged citizens, more thoughtful and respectful—to themselves and each other. I hope to do this through reading and writing. Even though we are living in a post-literate society. But as George Saunders says in that linked post, this is an exciting time to recenter reading and plain-old-being-an-empathetic-person in our society.
Kingston Neighbor Artist Collective
Lauren, Emily, Johnny, and I decided that since we all make art, spend a lot of time with each other, and share the same landlord, that it was time to formally organize. Last night we tabled a little pop up at our neighborhood nature shop, Chicory Naturalist. Back in October we put some tables out in front of our building and sold art with no permits!
We will be selling art/holiday goods on Small Business Saturday (11/29/25) in Kingston at 4w Union…by the wine shop. Hope to see you!
This is wonderful. I love your collective, your teaching goals, and your book reviews. Blood Meridian was tough, but our culture is rooted in violence and Cormac McCarthy didn't look away. Have you read The Buffalo Hunter Hunter? Agree with all you said about Moby Dick, and I still keep discovering more about it after a long time. I wrote a little essay about it on my Substack, in case you're interested. Great post, Kevin.