Rest is a creature of still waters
A creative response to the Bathhouse by Resident Prune: Noah daCosta
Resident Prune is an invitation to soak, soften and create: an artistic bathing residency that’s rooted in connection and expression. Over a few months of the year we invite a creative to regularly soak in the rhythm of our bathhouse – using the experience as fertile ground for discovery.
Some would call me a man of many.
Many lands, many crafts, many pursuits, many projects
and certainly, many Friends.
Of those Friends, some of the ones I hold dearest are
Hustle, Ambition, Distraction
and finally, Rest.
These Friends belong to a family of siblings
each with their own personalities and in turn,
I hold a unique relationship to each of them.
Hustle is obstinate, unyielding and hypnotically
charismatic. He is ceaseless, restless, and yet embodies
an energy and focus that consistently draws me under
his spell. I never feel like I’m enough for Hustle, yet I
answer his beck and call at almost every opportunity
and there are many. Because despite Hustle’s
egocentricity, he has a strength that I admire, a strength
coupled with an essence of humility, perhaps derived
from his unflappable and assured nature. He cares not
for the land or sea, rain or sunshine; only the endless
journey and its elusive destination.
His twin, Ambition, shares with him a close bond,
but it shies in comparison to the relationship between
Ambition and I. I like Hustle but I love Ambition. Where
Hustle’s form is strong, simple and rigid, Ambition is an
amorphous beauty. I’ve been enamoured by her beauty since
I was a child, just as my father before me. She is, perhaps,
the most eloquent Friend I know, and has always left me
spellbound in our many conversations. She’s grown alongside
me, and has changed forms several times throughout our time
together. There have been times where I’ve denied her.
Others where I’ve called her by a different name.
And yet, despite promising me no loyalty, she
has never left my side. She is an artist; constantly painting rich, vivid imagery of the places we could go together, the things we could build. What we have resembles romance. And like romance, my infatuation can lead me to Distraction, the youngest.
I share a contentious relationship with Distraction. They share some of the hypnotic beauty of their older sibling, but are far less charming in their expression. It was cute when we were young, but what was reminiscent of a puppy, now irritates me like a fly. I often lament Distraction’s seemingly constant presence, always trying to draw me away from what I’m trying to build with Hustle and Ambition. For my work, my goals and purpose, they care not. What’s more, they’re mostly unfazed by my anger towards them, and only seem to respect my space when I’m filled with stress and anxiety from an approaching deadline. Still, I willingly find myself in their company. They share their sibling’s charm and are, admittedly, quite playful. They often deliver on their promises of relief and are probably much smarter than I give them credit for. I can recount several times where they’ve been a light or comfort in times of great darkness. I think they do care for me but I just don’t always
understand why they move how they do.
This brings me to the last of these Friends, Rest.
Rest is a creature of still waters, while I find myself addicted
to running on dry land.
Where Rest resides, I seem to flee.
Rest has occasionally tried to reach me through their
sibling Distraction, but Distraction is an unreliable
messenger.
In times of overwhelm, it is Rest that I have resisted in
favour of Their other less mature siblings.
They are perhaps the kindest of this family, for Rest never
undermines Hustle, the way Hustle does Distraction.
Rest never conspires with Distraction, the way Distraction
does with Ambition.
Another thing I’ve often failed to appreciate is that Rest exists
in harmony with all of their siblings. I often overlook Rest, but
Hustle, Ambition and Distraction adore their siblings.
They hold Rest with the highest regard, because Hustle cannot
succeed without them.
Ambition finds the most space to dream alongside Rest.
Distraction yearns to be Rest, and grows more frantic
when Rest cannot be found.
But Rest is never far.
I used to think that it was Rest
who eluded me.
However these days I find that it is only
when I give myself to the water,
that Rest finally
comes to visit.
Words and imagery by Noah daCosta