It’s a master class in taking care of yourself, at your own pace.
– KEYS SOULCARE
The definition of soulcare is as vast as we are — varying across our stages of life, day-to-day schedules, and visions of how we’d like to show up in the world. But, as Alicia’s recent chat with Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow on The Goop Podcast illustrates, the tools for self-care and soulcare can be much simpler — and universal — than we may realize.
Here are Alicia’s five life-inspired revelations that really stuck with us.
She rejects perfection.
“I really love flaws; I really love mistakes,” she told Paltrow, sharing that energy and intention power her connection to audiences and fans as much as technical skill or talent. “That’s something I’ve learned a lot about [and] fought to keep at the forefront of not only my art, but as a woman… In such a digital world where things can be actually corrected, and fixed, and changed, you kind of forget. You’re like, Wait, am I supposed to be perfect? Because everything looks damn perfect everywhere I look. You have to remind yourself [that] there’s something really cool about the imperfection.”
Her musical gifts don’t always come easily.
“When I’m writing music, is something coming through me? Yes,” she shares. “Sometimes, it is so magical that I literally know for a fact that it’s otherworldly and it’s a gift. And, it’s completely coming out of thin air and it’s magical alchemy, and I feel so bowed down to this moment I’m witnessing. And then sometimes, it’s literally like I’m banging my head against my desk. And I’m like, Why don’t I know how to do this? So it’s just truly both ways.”
She schedules time for greatness — and for doing nothing.
“I find that a schedule helps me to at least try to accomplish as much as I possibly can,” she shared with regards to balancing motherhood, creative expression, and personal identity. “Creating space to dream and creating space to create is important! Sometimes we’re taught to feel guilty about choosing ourselves, which I’m personally really working hard to break. There’s a balance, of course — if you only choose yourself, then of course something’s off-balance. But, putting it into the mix is important.”
Slowing down is one of her superpowers.
“So much can be done without running at the speed of light,” she shared, when reflecting on how the pandemic imposed new constraints on our society’s hustle-driven culture. “I definitely know that I was getting into a habit of moving and running just because I was used to moving and running. The stillness [was] a chance to show me that there’s still movement in stillness. And, in fact, I think I’ve gotten more efficient and better at it. Because I’m also allowed [to carve] out that time and that space for whatever it is — for silence, for meditation, for playing piano, for creating, for dreaming, or just for sleeping.”
What lessons resonated and what are you taking with you? Share in the comments!
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