I believe in rituals and the power of celebrations. This September 7th is Love&Fear’s anniversary and to set the mood I gather with collaborators and talents who have been working in this project along the way. I wanted to let them know how much it means to me to have them by my side. During an online meeting I shared a letter with them, Now let me share it with you.
2 years of multiple collaboration.
I’ve been reflecting lately on what makes our work together not just productive, but meaningful. In a world that often reduces us to metrics and deliverables, I want to take a moment to honor something deeper, the profound humanity we bring to everything we create.
Hannah Arendt once wrote about the miracle of human action, how each person carries within them the capacity to begin something entirely new. When I look around our team, I see this miracle manifested daily. In the way you approach problems with fresh eyes, challenge assumptions, and bring your unique perspective to our shared challenges. Each of you represents what Arendt called “plurality”, the beautiful fact that no two people see the world in exactly the same way, and that this difference is not a bug in the human system, but its greatest feature.
Elizabeth Gilbert reminds us that creativity is not the exclusive domain of artists, but a fundamental force that flows through all human endeavors. “The universe bends toward creativity,” she writes, and I see this bending in our brainstorming sessions, in the elegant solutions you devise, in the care with which you approach your craft. Your work is an act of creative courage, whether you’re writing code, crafting strategy, solving problems, or building connections. You are all artists of your respective domains.
Julia Cameron speaks of creativity as a spiritual practice, something that connects us to our most authentic selves and to each other. She advocates for what she calls “creative recovery”, the recognition that we are all creative beings who have often been taught to doubt our own creative capacity. I invite you to see our workplace not just as a site of production, but as a space for creative recovery, where we help each other remember and reclaim our innate creativity.
What strikes me most about love in the context of our work is how it manifests not in grand gestures, but in the small acts of attention we offer each other. Love is present when you take the time to truly listen to a colleague’s idea, when you share knowledge generously, when you create space for someone else’s contribution to shine. It’s in the patience we show when someone is learning, the celebration we offer when someone succeeds, and the support we provide when challenges arise.
Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Each of you has stories, of insight, of innovation, of human connection—that only you can tell through your work. Our collective story emerges from the weaving together of all these individual narratives, creating something richer and more complex than any of us could create alone.
Adrienne Rich wrote about the “geography of the imagination”—the landscape of possibility that opens when we honor both our individual creativity and our connections to others. Our team exists in this geography, where your personal creativity intersects with our shared mission, where individual excellence serves collective purpose.
I’m reminded of Rumi’s words: “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” I believe each of you is here because you’re drawn to something meaningful in this work—whether it’s the joy of solving complex problems, the satisfaction of building something valuable, or the fulfillment that comes from contributing to something larger than yourself.
The writer Anne Lamott speaks of “radical self-care” not as indulgence, but as a prerequisite for authentic creativity and service to others. I encourage you to bring this spirit to our work together. Take care of your creative self, honor your need for rest and reflection, and remember that your wellbeing is not separate from our collective success, it’s fundamental to it.
As we move forward, I invite you to carry with you this awareness: that our work is an expression of our humanity, our creativity is a gift we offer the world, and our care for each other is what transforms a group of individuals into something approaching magic.
Virginia Woolf wrote, “Yet it is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes swims to the surface.” Make space for idleness and dreams in your work. Trust the process of creation, which rarely follows straight lines. Honor the mysterious alchemy that happens when talented, caring people come together with shared purpose.
Thank you for bringing your whole selves to this work. Thank you for your creativity, your dedication, and your humanity. Thank you for making our shared story one worth telling.
With deep appreciation and excitement for what we’ll create together.
With Love,
Tamara.
