Long art and short reels… also, honeycomb.

Long art and short reels, also.. honeycomb!

But first, let’s have a cuppa. Matcha for me (standard for mid-morning).

I went to a tennis lesson this morning. Just me. 

I can’t tell you how weird it felt packing a water bottle just for myself, not for my kids. 

I got my tennis skirt out from when I was playing with a friend in Italy— a nice gold (or mustard?) one that fit nicely, but a bit snug on my freshly postpartum body. 

Note to self: I get to buy vintage tennis outfits for more than just the aesthetic now. My Pinterest boards will rejoice! So will the blue vintage sports bag I bought in Milan, *especially* for the day I entered my tennis era. I don’t have it in this house, but I will take a piccie when I next have it in my hands. 

Gosh, I sound like such a yuppy country club lady, don’t I? I’m not. 

Anyway, I absolutely loved my lesson. I’m very self-effacing when I humbly want to get better at a sport. I’ve played so many sports in my life that I’m naturally athletic, but this isn’t soccer and so, I know my place. 

We had to study the biomechanics of tennis when I was at uni back in the day but aside from that, I’ve been a very casual tennis player. My last proper lesson was in Italy where my coach spoke only Italian and had to both encourage AND teach me with very expressive hand gestures. My Italian is good conversationally, it has to be to have a home where we do (wine country, not touristy at all), however understanding technical tennis terms in Italian was beyond me. I remember that he was semi-impressed with my serve (that ‘hip hip hooray!’ action from uni stuck in my head!), but my backhand, not so much. Imagine a young Italian man with all of his passionate expression correcting my lack lustre backhand, ‘Su e sopra la palla!’!! and then ‘ahh perfetta’ when I made sense of his instruction and implemented it. 

My coach today commented on my athleticism which gave me a real boost, as I fiddled around with my breast pads which were starting to soak and congratulated myself for not weeing myself. Gosh, I love sport and fitness— always have, always will. It feels good to go beyond my home workouts and get REALLY moving after my third bub.

I felt so good doing something today just for the fun of it— you know, like a hobby. I haven’t had one of those for myself in a while, aside from my aerobics pilates workouts at home, reading, cooking, travelling. I want to play socials now but when I say socials I mean SOCIALS. I’m definitely not getting ahead of myself, at least not yet (*googles how to be better than Sabalenka*). My kids play tennis and Sol is really into it, so it’s exciting thinking about playing with her. I’ll have to reel in my competitiveness though. Hey, there were four of us kids growing up and we were all super athletic. I can’t help it! 

Anywho. 

I’ve been venturing back onto the crazy Instagram lately. After such a long break from it, initially coming back on is a bit of a thrill. There are so many genuinely helpful tips, hilarious videos and beautiful words. Gosh, people are sooo clever and funny, aren’t they? 

But soon after, I find myself clicking ‘shop now’ on things I never knew I needed (I don’t)…

‘download now’ on AI apps helping me make better reels (do I even want to?)…

and starting to think I need to be filming everything in my life for B roll for said reels that I don’t even want to make. 

I get caught up. 

It’s designed that way. 

Yes, it’s on me to exercise discipline and discernment, and I do that in my own way— deleting Instagram for months at a time! 

Hey, maybe I’m just not strong willed enough when tempted with this OOOH and that OOOH THAT’S A GOOD IDEA I CAN DO THAT!  

I notice that it’s not just my screen time that goes up, but my peace that goes down. Something I’ve witness in others (and myself in seasons unfortunately), is that sometimes we temporarily get so sucked in that we let our ‘image’ and our ‘content’ become the main thing, and without even realising it, we become less patient with those around us as if our real life is something merely interfering with our online one. Do you know what I mean? 

We just can’t have this as mothers. We just cannot. 

Either we get a REAL grip on it and have the most solid boundaries imaginable, or we need to bin it. 

We just cannot give our moments, and therefore our days, and therefore our lives over to this machine. 

It’s not worth it, not ever. 

This is why I take such long, consistent breaks from social media. I’m such an excitable person that I know my limits with it. 

I want to be fully expressed and in service and sharing my God-given gifts and all of that, yes. But there is a way to do it where we are centred. Most importantly, there’s a way to do it so that it’s life giving. 

I always think of it like a freeway, like—  God just give me the freeway to share what I want to share without distraction. Let it be simple, pure, fun, helpful and life giving. 

Turns out, we just have to decide what that is. That’s on us, and we don’t need it to be micromanaged by God.

Are 5 second reels and constant short form content the right way to go for every kind of artist? 

When constantly viewing 5 second reels, do we start seeing the world through 5 second reels? Viewing our own art through 5 second reels? 

Instagram doesn’t just become a ‘thing we post on’ but it can become a ‘way in which we think’. 

We think in captions.

We view moments as posting opportunities.

We view nice looking mugs as superb insta story backgrounds.

Does this dumb us down as long form artists? 

Sure, there is an art to making very quick, funny videos, etc. 

But it’s just not for all of us. We have to know ourselves and our art so intimately that we don’t get caught up. 

I wrote this two years ago. 

I wonder how many artists are not making films, writing books, or learning that new skill because they’re trying to keep up with the machine of ‘fast and now and more’ content creation. 

I wonder how many artists are confusing themselves with influencers or content creators. This is so big. REALLY BIG! 

Are you really a content creator or influencer? 

Or are you an artist who really needs more space between creations? 

To make bigger things over time, instead of small bitey things right now? 

Think of your favourite artists. Those who write the books, record the music, make the sculptures. Could they do that if they were trying to make little, perhaps even meaningless things at speed and volume? 

There may be a difference between your craft and the craft of ‘influencing’ and ‘content creating’. They’re not all just one thing. 

What is your true work? 

What is it that you’d do in your real life if Instagram didn’t exist? 

What would you make? 

Sometimes we think that Instagram is the main thing, and then we fit our work in with it. 

Let your work be the main thing again. 

Let your life be the main thing again. 

I just want you to know that you’re not falling behind, just because you may not be participating in a ‘way’ that isn’t right for your craft. I want you to feel the freedom in not needing to keep up relevance. Your success isn’t there. Your peace isn’t there. 

I was feeling a little frazzled the other day. My creativity and the sheer volume of things I get excited by overwhelms me sometimes. I have three kids at home which is a very full life on its own (and I love it). Because my home is my absolute priority, I don’t have the capacity for being THAT overexcitable. I work on it with the help of the Holy Spirit and through God’s straightening word— particularly through the Proverbs. 

Over the last few years God has worked on my heart so that I find the most satisfaction and joy in folding the laundry, cooking the dinner, sweeping the floors… I really mean that. Five years ago, I couldn’t have said that. 

So on this day the other day I was frazzled. I prayed a prayer that’s pretty consistent for me— God, help me turn from distraction and use my time, energy, gifts and resources all in the right way. Help me stay on the straight and narrow and not waste the time, energy, gifts and resources you’ve blessed me with (it’s more colourful pleading when I do it in person). 

Soon after that prayer, I felt my eyes turn to a book beside my bed— it’s a C.S.Lewis one (of course, although I always have a stack of about 8 next to my bed because I’m overambitious if nothing else. As soon as I picked up the C.S.Lewis book, I felt a big exhale. 

Words.

Long words. 

Art.

Long art. 

A book that took time to write, so long ago, now in my hands. 

That. 

The peace that washed over me was indescribable. 

Not only could I feel God, as is a promise through the works of C.S.Lewis. 

But I felt long art.

Oh, I forgot. I forgot how much long art means to me.

5 second reels ad nauseam will do that to ya. 

Right after that, the title of a book I want to write dropped into my head. As did the entire structure. 

The relief I felt from remembering that I can do my art like that— long, slow, and not to be confused with content creation or influencing. Thank you, God.

I felt everything restructure itself inside my own head into something simple and sweet. 

Home.

Writing.

Audio sometimes too.

Simple. 

Speaking of simple. 

As you know, I added a little Pod offering to my Substack recently. 

When I was creating it, I had both the name Body Luxury (which is a brand I created years ago after I taught a course on it) and the other was… honeycomb. 

I sent both to friends, ran them past my husband. Most people told me they think I should use ‘Body Luxury’ just because the strength of the brand and the fact I’d spent a fortune on its branding etc. 

I knew in my gut I wanted it to be honeycomb. 

Firstly, it’s my favourite flavour cake, chocolate, everything. 

Secondly, I felt God plop it into my mind, because He knows that the freedom, levity and sweetness that word symbolizes for me is exactly where I need to be when speaking and writing. 

Still, in my typical delayed obedience, I called it Body Luxury (which is frankly, a whole other venture). 

I felt a little bit of a kinked hose inside and couldn’t get out of my head. 

I just want the right framework to be able to do my work— and the ‘name’ matters for that. 

So, yesterday at church while everyone was dancing in song and praise, I prayed a little hilarious prayer— “God I can’t get it out of my head. Is it honeycomb? Also why am I like this? Thanks. “ 

Next, a guest preacher got up (ex-drug addict with an epic story)… and for the first five minutes all he spoke about was… wait for it… honey. 

The milk and honey of God. 

He must’ve said the word ‘honey’ about 30 times (no exaggeration, also no complaints). 

Lately, God has spoken mostly to me through lols (He’s really quite funny once you get to know Him). 

I felt convicted in what I knew all along: Body Luxury is a whole other thing, which is to come later.

But an open channel to speak of the sweetness of God in the every day life, home, work and body of a woman? 

That is honeycomb. 

Proverbs 16-24. 24 

Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

So, today I am not only changing the name of the podcast to ‘honeycomb’, but I’m changing the name of this publication. 

That way, whether it’s long form writing or an audio piece, it’s all here in this one publication: honeycomb, by Peta Kelly. 

This week I feel re-connected to my art, to my craft, and to the spaciousness it deserves. 

Remember, you don’t need to go fast, produce now, and churn it out like popcorn at the movies.

You get to make long art, again. 

Something people will hold in their hand many years into the future.

Something your kid and grandkids will get to keep. 

If you want, of course. 

Love, PK. XX