Five Small Ways I’ve Been Slowing Down Lately(And why it matters.) Featuring a chat with the author of SLOWING, Rachel Schwartzmann.
This week, I was DMing with a friend in response to an Instagram Story I had shared about how, for what feels like the first time in a long while, I’m genuinely content with where I am in life. We got to chatting about how sometimes, being content in your personal life can come at the cost of professional ambition or thriving in your career. I’d say for me right now, that rings pretty true: I’ve written before about my waning ambition. Whereas I used to go after the most plum projects and work nonstop, I’ve slowed my roll a bit, especially after becoming a mom. Motherhood was a forcing function for me to take up a slower pace—one that, in hindsight, I think I desperately needed. Slowing down in this fast-paced world that asks so much of us feels like an act of innocent rebellion—something Rachel Schwartzmann beautifully explores in her new book, Slowing. Slowing down is also a constant work in progress for me, in so many areas of my life! Reading Rachel’s book was a beautiful reminder that the concept of “slow living” can show up in many different ways. It got me thinking about how I’m embracing “slow” in my life, and the personal habits and lifestyle changes that have helped me cultivate a slower, more intentional pace. In the Q&A in today’s issue, Rachel and I chat about the inspiration behind her book Slowing, how to redefine success in a creative life, navigating anxiety and friendship, and the joy of embracing slow storytelling.
🐌 Slowing down doesn’t have to be about grand gestures—it can be the little changes where we find the most meaning. What are some ways you’re slowing down this season, or how would you like to? Let’s chat about it—I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Rachel Schwartzmann is the author of Slowing and the writer/host of Slow Stories—a multimedia project that explores living, working, and creating more intentionally in our digital age. She also writes about books, creativity, design, and fashion, and her essays and interviews have appeared in BOMB Magazine, Coveteur, Literary Hub, TOAST Magazine, and elsewhere. Hi, Rachel! Your new book, Slowing, focuses on the concept of slow living. Can you share what initially inspired you to embrace this lifestyle—and write this book?I arrived at this point after an intense period of professional burnout. I was years into running a style Tumblr blog turned content business, and ultimately moving in service of a cultural narrative that glamorized work and hustle culture—and one that didn’t necessarily suit my nature or desires. I also missed what I had initially set out to pursue: writing. I think just as much as I’m interested in slow living, I’m interested in slow storytelling. Reflecting on our stories, reimagining the narratives instilled in us, and writing/discovering new ones can shift our relationship with time and pace. I decided to close that business right before the pandemic and focus on a project I had soft launched called Slow Stories—which began as a podcast and now encompasses a newsletter. It initially focused more on the slow content movement (which, similar to slow living/fashion/food, prizes quality over quantity, mindful consumption, intentional creation, and so on) and slowness in the digital age, but I realized I wanted to expand the scope. That ultimately led to more nuanced conversations about time, creativity, and pace. This was also happening in tandem with finding my footing again as a writer and reader in adulthood, so a book felt like the next natural progression! With Slowing, I wanted to go deeper into slowness and storytelling. I structured the book into three core sections: Beginning, Middle, and End—every (slow) story and life is made up of these—and wrote towards that framework as a way to unpack what those chapters look and feel like. I also interviewed my subjects about how they defined (or wanted to reimagine) these moments.
How has slow living influenced your creativity and the way you approach your work? (And maybe even how you approached writing this book?)It’s helped me to focus on how things feel rather than how they look. That, in turn, has given me more confidence to step into my identity as a writer and creative person overall. Obviously, I’m human, and I do want to make work that inspires connection and resonates with people, but it’s coming from a deeply personal place. For me, so much of slow living is synonymous with self-awareness: At this point in my life, I’m aware of who I am, how I want to grow, and what I want to do. I ask questions, but I don’t ask for permission when it comes to following my curiosities, trying things, and changing my mind—and life.
You often showcase your beautiful space and personal style on social media. Who or what are your biggest influences as far as design and style go?I happen to know and interact with a lot of inherently creative and stylish people, and their authenticity is always so inspiring. Though my professional world doesn’t center around fashion anymore, I still love to discover—and champion—thoughtful designers/makers (like babaà for apparel and Virginia Sin—who is featured in Slowing! — for interiors). Then, of course, living in New York, there is no shortage of tangible inspiration in style, the arts, architecture, food… the list goes on.  babaa | virginia sin I resonated so much with your experience of being a shy person who is easily overwhelmed. In the book, you talk about how that has impacted your sense of community and friendships. I related to your experience of having friends over and panicking a little at first! What has helped you push through in these moments? I've recently tried to say "yes" to most hang-out requests, though it's a little outside of my comfort zone (my comfort zone is my home, lol). I've found that although I feel so much anxiety prior to a gathering with one or more friends, I most often feel better after the fact.It’s something I’ve really had to accept within myself first, particularly the anxiety piece. The story you referenced was written at an especially volatile time in terms of my mental health and relationship with anxiety. I feel fortunate to be in a much better place these days when it comes to those things—and “pushing through” and saying yes. The biggest thing that’s helped me is to simply own the fact that I am quiet and I do have anxiety. Unlearning the stigma attached to these qualities has been a slow but necessary process, and the more I verbalize it, the more it nourishes my friendships. That’s not to say I share every detail or cross a personal boundary, but so often, people are going through or have endured similar experiences, and I try to treat these things as a point of connection rather than retreating into them and away from others. (To your point, home is definitely my comfort zone, too, but I completely agree that I feel better once I’m able to cross the threshold!)
In the book you write that "I now know that it's enough to slow down and even settle down, but I shouldn't settle for less: experience, discovery, truth." I resonated so much with this essay as I've struggled with equating my current chapter of slowing down — especially career-wise — with "settling down." How do you combat the feeling of settling down?I’m so glad it spoke to you. It’s interesting to revisit these stories again with some distance. I think a phrase like “settle down” is often seen as a cause for concern—that we’re giving some essential part of ourselves up. With experience, I’ve learned not to feel burdened by the idea that I may want (or need) to settle into a comfortable routine for a while—and I’m a creature of habit, so certain routines mean a lot to me!—because I can always change my mind. It’s just a matter of remembering that reemerging again may take time, and the path out might not look like what we originally hoped for or imagined. That’s what keeps it interesting (to me, anyway). 🙂 Practically speaking, how do you make space in your life for creativity? This is something I am struggling with and trying to untangle... What does it mean for me to feel creatively fulfilled, and how do I make space for it, either daily or weekly?I’m fortunate to have cultivated a creative life since childhood. I was always encouraged to pursue my interests (both personally and professionally), and that’s given me the confidence to prioritize creativity at every stage—a privilege I don’t take for granted. But I think I would have embraced it regardless. It’s just been so inherent to me, especially as a quiet person, to express myself through creative means. Most notably, I’ve given up the notion of what “success” is supposed to look like in a creative context in order to let myself truly play and take risks. And when you said fulfilled, I remembered something the artist Allison Strickland (who I interviewed for Slowing) mentioned in the book: “You cannot only inhale; you have to exhale, too. There are times when you have to research and do absolutely nothing. We’re not meant to create constantly. … What does the process of success feel like? Success is not necessarily a crescendo—it’s a practice.” I think that’s so true. Thinking about creative success or fulfillment as something to work with, not just toward, can be challenging to wrap your head around, but it’s worth it.
🔗 You can follow Rachel on Instagram at @rachelschwartzmann and you can purchase your copy of SLOWING at any of the links here. Rachel is also speaking at P&T Knitwear in New York on 10/21! 👋 Thanks for reading today’s interview with Rachel! See you on Friday for the weekly recs roundup. x Alisha You're currently a free subscriber to Downtime. If you’re enjoying it, could you consider upgrading your subscription? For $5/month, you’ll gain access to more recommendations, exclusive content, our subscriber chat, the full archives, and more. You’ll also support *all* the work that goes into producing this newsletter each week — the writing, editing, interviewing, graphic design, and so on. Either way, thanks for reading! This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click something and buy it, I may earn a small cut of the purchase at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work; I only recommend things I truly love and/or have vetted. If you enjoyed this post, please click the like ❤️ button at the bottom. It helps others discover my content and is a *free* way to show your appreciation. You could also forward it to a friend you think might enjoy it. You can also screenshot a favorite part and share it on Instagram. Be sure to tag me, @alisharamos so I can repost it. Follow me on Instagram and look through ShopMy for my latest finds.
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Five Small Ways I’ve Been Slowing Down Lately
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