FROM THE COUCH: Leah Goren

5 min read

Admin Smalls

PHOTO

APRIL 10

Amidst the frightening coronavirus pandemic—and the daunting headlines associated with it—we're trying to embrace the moments that are becoming familiar: perfecting our morning coffee, dialing into meetings (also happy hours and birthday parties), and trying to find comfort in the chaos.

As many have already pointed out, while the circumstances are inconvenient and disruptive, this might be the perfect opportunity to slow down and recalibrate from the place we know best: home.

Leah Reena Goren is an artist, and author of Catlady which features Goren's beautiful paintings and contributions from more than 25 women (including Aidy Bryant, Jen Gotch, and Emma Straub).

On top of helping us feel good, Goren's artwork does good, with half of the proceeds of her original pieces benefiting Orphan Kitten Club, a nonprofit saving lives of the tiniest, most vulnerable felines. Here's an exclusive look into the launch day of Catlady, from Goren's home in California.

7:00am

It's pub day, as they say! I usually get up early (even though I have nowhere to be).

8:00am

The first order of business is taking a photo of Catlady to post on Instagram. Adil, my boyfriend, designed the cover and laid out the interior and he shoots some of his own photos. We make coffee and bury our faces in our phones and laptops. It's about to start raining for the rest of the day and I catch a little morning sunlight before the clouds settle in.

9:30am

Okay, posted. That took way too long. This is shaping up to be a phone-heavy day. I'm usually fairly lackadaisical about Instagram but I really appreciate everyone's comments and messages and want to make sure nothing goes unanswered.

10:00am

Time to get off the Internet and do some painting. I've been painting with oil on linen I want to finish a piece I started a few days ago. Oil is pretty new to me and it's a nice change of pace from the materials I've been using for many years, gouache in a small sketchbook.

1:00 pm

We call Adil's parents to check in on them and the cats. Our cats have been living at their house, and even though they're nearby we're being extra safe and haven't seen them since quarantine. His mom sends us some cat photos: curled up asleep, waiting at the bedroom door, sitting on the couch.

2:00 pm

It's unseasonably cold and rainy, so we start a fire in the fireplace and lounge around looking through the new books that came in the mail. We just got Dimes Times: Emotional Eating and Richard Prince: Cowboy, which was also published by Catlady's publisher, Prestel.

3:00 pm

Adil throws a can of garbanzo beans in the blender and whips up some hummus, with a little inspiration from the Dimes cookbook.

4:00 pm

A lot more time is invested in looking at my phone, flipping through books, and taking a stab at multiple past days of the New York Times crossword. It's a slow day.

7:00 pm

Adil is cooking an improvised Asian noodle soup while I sit at the counter and scroll through apps on the TV, waiting patiently for Jeopardy to come on at 7:30. Jeopardy is a mandatory nightly event here that coincides with dinner. We have fun.

8:30 pm

We shuffle through the miscellaneous evening activities: clearing the counter, stacking dishes in the sink, gathering worn clothes.

10:00 pm

It's time to applying several serums and oils to my face and climb into bed. But first, a moment to step outside and look at the sky. We live in a Dark Sky Community, which means there are no stoplights or streetlights for miles, and we have clear views of the cosmos. The rain has stopped, the clouds have parted, and tonight, we read, is a "Super Pink Moon", or the biggest and brightest moon all year. We walk around in the light, following our shadows.

[#BeginTLDR#]Of course we love to go out, see the light of day, put on real pants, etc. But we can all agree that sometimes, it’s best to follow our felines’ leads and just… stay in. And now? Well, it seems we don’t really have a choice one way or the other.

To make the most of our mandated OOO, we’re kick-starting a new series of work from home diaries, logging how you and your favorite cat owners and creatives are adjusting to the demands of the day. Join us in your best sweatpants and fuzziest socks as we take a page out of our cats’ book and curl up on the great, cozy couch of life—might as well get comfy because, hey, we’re gonna be here awhile.[#EndTLDR#]

Want to share your From the Couch? Email us at community@smallsforsmalls.com

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