FULL DISCLOSURE . I take up a lot of space .
Space
Let me rewind a little . Space . There ’ s a hell of lot of it out there . It ’ s one of those things that is difficult to define , despite being foundational to our lives . It can be a luxury ( hello , Toronto housing market !) or something you need from a relationship ; it ’ s at once that limitless , galaxyfilled expanse , and so personal that it defines the very border between your body and the public sphere . Space is what we inhabit , and it exists within us as well .
Okay - enough philosophy , let ’ s bring this back down to earth . If taking up space was a skill , I would be heavily endorsed on Linkedin by every friend , roommate and partner . For me , every inch of unoccupied floor space is an opportunity to expand my closet . Shoes in the fridge ? Why the hell not . I ’ m also fully aware of my ability to take up a lot of narrative space . Nary an awkward silence goes unfilled in my presence . I ’ ve also been gifted with a voice that seems to naturally resonate in every room , no matter what the shape or size . Those I ’ ve steamrolled in conversation might politely refer to me as “ talkative ”.
This may be why it felt so easy , and so right , to expand Sylvanus Urban , beginning with this issue . We are now twice the size - double the trouble - for your reading enjoyment . But it was only when I began writing this Editor ’ s letter that I came to understand a timeless truth - that managing space is equally as important as occupying it .
I always write the Editor ’ s letter last . I see it as the neat little bow atop the present , or the signature on the corner of the oil painting . The content we were pulling together for this issue inspired me , inciting many a brainstorm and creative urge ; the anticipation of making an uncomfortable number of puns had me chomping at the bit . I was like a NASA astrophysicist , bubbling with genius , preparing to launch Sylvanus Urban to new heights .
That ’ s why , when the time came to put fingers to keyboard , I was unprepared for what happened : nothing . A whole whack-load of nothing .
The void had arrived .
The writer ’ s block is a familiar friend - or fiend - to anyone who ’ s decided to type for a living . But this one was expanding into a blockade , defining the contents of my consciousness against my will , lording over which thoughts to let through , and which simply would not pass . The blank space on my Word doc became deafening , the blinking cursor mocking me as it dared me to just try to write something - anything . So I did what any anxiety-riddled writer does : I ordered coffee . Then I switched to decaf . I trolled Amazon . I left my laptop and wandered the streets , hoping to engender the absence that is said to make the heart grow fonder . When my heart refused , I even resorted to my patent-pending thought recorder : pen and paper . Despite it all , I felt myself tipping over into the sunken place ( but maybe I ’ d catch a glimpse of Kanye - silver lining ?). I wondered if I just left the Editor ’ s letter blank , if I could pass it off as an ironic take on the issues ’ theme . I ’ m still considering that option now .
But then , I realized the answers were all hiding in plain sight : amongst the soon-to-be-printed pages of Sylvanus Urban itself . Julie Blais Comeau tells us now to ( politely ) kick unwanted guests out of your home . Felix Mooneram ’ s camera perfectly captures impossibly massive buildings in frame . And Alison Habermehl didn ’ t let the four walls of her bathroom get in the way of designing a space that appears vastly bigger than it is . These people all took control of their space - they didn ’ t let it define them . And they got their shit done .
So I gave all my thoughts and puns the space they needed to develop , put them into frame and realized that this letter would be about space after all - the mental space out of which comes the alchemy of writing . Give yourself permission to take up space .
Just don ’ t encroach on mine .
06
The Space Issue Sylvanus-Urban . com