The Work: Straight Talk on Craft and Method

These days, there are a host of methods (and Methods) available for looking after our bodies. They can save our lives, mess with our minds, and sometimes a bit of both. In this series, I offer a historical perspective on today’s popular self-care and fitness methods. Sign up here.

Thanks to digitization of books, newspapers, films and other primary sources, anyone with an internet connection can do this historical research. The information that comes out may disrupt cherished stories about the past: particulary the idea that bodywork automatically brings out the essential goodness in people. Look hard enough, and you’ll find racism, sexism, eugenics, cultural appropriation and abuses of power among the many positive developments that draw us to these practices in the first place.

Is there a middle way between “cancelling” a method or practitioner, and living with a nostalgic view of the past? The object of this series is not to create easy answers, but to encounter these histories, together. The landing page of this website typifies my approach. I think a matter of picking our way carefully, finding, and re-finding balance with every step.

Who will enjoy this series? Actors, dancers, and artists of all kinds, teachers, wellness practitioners, and anyone with an interest in taking charge of their health. I believe that everyone with a regular embodied practice is a practitioner (regardless of whether they’ve taken a professional training). And everyone has the right and the ability to help that practice evolve. Grappling with history is a great place to start.

By signing up, you’ll get regular (but not too frequent) updates, and you’ll be able to access the full archive of everything that’s been published so far, along with interviews, blog posts, and other sundry treats.