All of out questions

This is the last one in my inbox — from Alice s.

Nov 17, 2023

Dear Allison,
My last question was a bit complex, so this one is fairly simple.

You’re pretty much of an “open book” in many ways with your honesty and willingness to share your thoughts and opinions with others.

What is something surprising or intriguing about yourself that we may not already know?

Hope your knee is on the mend!

Best,
Alice

Dear Alice,

Thank you for another great question. You always ask good ones.

Let’s see — what might be surprising or intriguing about me that y’all don’t already know?

I’ll cover what you already do know and see what’s missing — I am an artist, a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a homemaker, a cook, a reader, a traveler, a documentarian in that I record events in one way or another all the time. You know I love animals, that I am deeply connected to spirit and the spirit world, that I’m opinionated, that I adore my son, John Henry, that I’m madly in love with my husband, Hayes, that the sweetest voice I know is that of my sister, Shelby.

You may not know that I am quite sure I wouldn’t have lived this long without the woman I met at the beginning of tenth grade, who became my first friend after my parents died and my best friend shortly after that. Her name is Ashley and I’m certain something divine arranged our meeting. You may not know that she is one of the rocks I cling to on this crazy whitewater rafting trip of life that we’re on. We are truly best friends — we share our worlds with each other, from skin care to clothes to children to marriage — I’m not sure I would’ve gotten through the young years with John Henry if not for her (she’s a great mother). So that’s something you may not know — I have a best friend that I adore. Only problem is we don’t live in the same town and haven’t since college and we don’t see each other enough.

You may not know that I get frustrated with the gemini in me (I’m on the cusp of gemini and cancer) because I think it’s responsible for my endless curiosity. I’d really like to lean in to my cancer side these days, and I am, but my impish twin is always goading me to take on another project so I can show off some more. I had to have a real talk with myself when I was getting ready to sequester myself for at least a few years to write a novel. I had to really question WHY I wanted to do that work. The answer to the question is, of course, multi-layered, but I also have to ask myself why I shouldn’t do that work. The answer to that question is, I don’t think it is a pure pursuit yet. I think I thought it was “time” to write another book (my last was released two years ago, which came out two years almost to the date after the first), but the truth is, I’d sink right back in to my workaholic ways. I know I would. And there may not be another way to write a decent book — art doesn’t negotiate. If you make it do so, it will respond exactly as you think it would. Books exist in worlds of their own, and there’s hardly anything I like better than getting lost in one of them. It’s a way of hiding, avoiding feeling, and also, almost conversely, a type of emotional OCD, because I have historically used my sharpest memories to find what felt like the feeling in my art. What I’ve figured out is, that isn’t fair to ME, Allison Moorer, who has a right to live her own life and own her creativity. I had to realize that my trauma needs to be put away, and mining it for artistic material never allowed it that chance, or me a chance to heal. Sobering. That’s why I’m painting so much. I do feel sure that there will be another book, just not right now, and not what I thought it would be.

You may not know that people using social media to blare their beliefs on the war turns my stomach. Further, people “calling out” others for not saying something about it makes me hit the mute button quicker than you can say please consider not running your mouth as you are not an expert and the only thing that would make you one is if you were there. I really don’t like social media at all and consider it a necessary evil as it’s sort of gross. The more Substack turns into social media, the less I like it, but it works, it’s really sort of miraculous, and it’s what we have so I’m staying as long as y’all do!

You may not know that the older I get, the more reverent and iconoclastic I become. That makes perfect sense to me. That might be a good thing to discuss among this group.

You may not know that I am content for the first time in my life. I’m so grateful for my blessings, my family, my friends, my life. And I’m grateful for y’all.

By the way, today is the last day for allisonmoorer.com. Since I have my Shopify store, my new musical focus is Saint Seven (we hope to have our record finished by the spring!), and I have most of my work here, there’s no need for it anymore. Those of you who have websites know how expensive it can get and it’s not really a justifiable expense anymore. Adios!

One more thing: There are new paintings in the shop. Go check them out. I’m going to be working on ornaments in the next weeks for y’all, so those will be coming soon too. These are some I made for the Buchanan Arts sale that’s tomorrow here in Nashville.