"My tree was planted in a metal bucket." - Ken Woodward
"My tree was planted in a metal bucket." - Ken Woodward
Some mornings, the ordinary holds the weight of everything. A walk to the garage. An attempt to correct a gait. A drift back to comfort. Ken opens this solo episode with that image and asks why returning to comfort is the default setting of an adult life.
Drawing on the work of Nigerian-born British photographer and activist Misan Harriman, Ken investigates the mourning that accompanies genuine personal growth. The mourning for the world you thought you believed in. The mourning for the person you were sure was good enough.
Ken traces his own reckoning through the identities that once added up to a clean equation. Each one a nutrient in the soil he was given. Each one another layer of metal on the bucket his tree was planted in. Growing. Just with no room to expand.
This episode is about noticing the bucket. Cracking it open. And dragging your roots toward soil that can actually hold them.
This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com.
Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions)
Keep questioning!
Episode Notes
00:00 Welcome to Curated Questions
00:06 Metal Bucket of Identity
02:18 Gait and Daily Drift
03:17 Harriman on Mourning Change
04:51 Stable Life Before Questions
05:59 Metal Bucket of Identity
07:14 Privilege Layers Exposed
09:35 Cracks Through Relationships
11:02 Questions That Make Room
11:47 Unlearning Without Shame
13:43 For Those Who Choose Courage
15:54 Growth One Step at Time
Resources Mentioned