Notes on Shapeshifting

by Gabi Abrão

Abrāo’s work has been described by The Outline as “an existential funhouse of familiar thoughts” that “publicly grapples with pillars of its own existence within the influencer economy.” Alongside The Outline, her work has been featured in publications such as The Atlantic, Dazed, The Harvard Crimson, and The Face, among others. In response to Abrāo’s work, Dazed Magazine wrote, “Gabi debunks the myth that wellness is the preserve of the privileged, and in doing so hands it back to the masses,” and Notes on Shapeshifting is a reminder that we are agents of the change that we seek.

Gabi Abrāo’s Notes on Shapeshifting is an ode to existing in physical form, fully aware of the changing energy that flows through every aspect of it. As Abrāo writes, “tapping into the ether body to take a break from the demands of the earth body, / making peace with ephemerality, / lightness, / shapeshifting”. Throughout this collection, you are invited to travel through various states; pure infatuation to heartbreak, confidence to defeat, from a skepticism for living to a full-on trust in it. And Notes on Shapeshifting yearns to soothe and arouse along the way.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Self Help, Indigenous, Womens, American

80 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2022

Reviews

[lily staghorn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible , vapid , pseudo spiritual nonsense from an Instagram grifter influencer . Most of it’s probably plagiarised from other creators anyway . Should be called notes on bullshitting

[maya]

deleting my previous review in praise of this book. free palestine.

[m · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a basically a collection of Instagram posts that I would have found deep and thought provoking if I was 15.

[Quirine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - connected heavily with the last part (exercises in shapeshifting) and not so much with the rest, but those last pieces brought me exactly what I hoped it would bring me and I will reread them and cherish them often

[Erin Mackaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I follow sighswoon on ig and spark to some of her content but some of it feels a little too performative for my liking. This book is super cute-looks great on a shelf-but is kinda boring? There are NO images, and I think her content works really well paired with the visuals on her instagram. Every passage is something she's already posted, and it starts to feel disjointed. Idk, it's cute and I'm happy to have it around but maybe I just haven't drank the koolaid hard enough. Or maybe it is just too self absorbed.

[Saint Lange · Rating 1 out of 5]

Underwhelming, especially for something that Rhiannon McGavin helped work on. The sort of self-congratulatory, metaphysical LA girl poetry popularized by miss Del Rey herself. Abrão has some brief moments where her writing seems to experience a clarity of purpose that is utterly lacking in the rest of the work. I think she has potential, certainly, but this work only serves as a collection of writings that break no boundaries and stir no meaningful emotions.

[Phoebe June · Rating 1 out of 5]

so insanely mid. stop publishing influencers

[Trâm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars // I have read most of these on her Instagram already, but it does feel a bit more special to have it in physical form. I just wish there was more unique content in this book.

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It sure is words!

[Nikey · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have the need to pack this book into my bag and carry it around with me wherever i go. this changed something within me.

[nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 rounded up

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘴𝘬 𝘔𝘦 - 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘐𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘜𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘈?

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 - 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘶𝘣 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥'𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘱.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰: 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘌𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯, 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯.”

Wishy washy tenderness reminiscent of the good ol’ days of tumblr. Girlhood wrapped up in a pretty Sandy Liang bow and the scent of unwashed depop orders. Wistful poems and blog bits penciled from a stretchmarked college-rule notebook to be archival to the naturalization of woman, of fortitude. What makes all of this musical is the reaching. Reaching for sun motes and sun rays from lying in bed for too long, listening to Lana del Rey or Beach House, lazing out afternoons overthinking but letting the days run away like wild horses.

[abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the many years i have followed Gabi, her art and writing have had a profound impact on my growth and embrace of the endless cycles we live through. She speaks in the universal language of gratitude and transformation that will change the way you see your purpose in this life.

[Erick · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 stars. Not my cup of tea. Spoken word meets highly praised Tumblr 2013 era poetry. I thought we all outgrew that era.

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book feels like the author wrote it in one day. it is genuinely so disappointing to read and i cant find a single sentence i connect with. i feel a tiny bit embarrassed for telling everyone how great it was back when i first read it two years ago, and confused about how its possible that my taste has changed this drastically but i am also very happy and i hope my taste and standards improve even more

[hope · Rating 1 out of 5]

sorry to be a hater but this was so corny

[hania · Rating 1 out of 5]

if rupi kaur smoked weed and moved to LA. self-laudatory platitudes disguised as spiritual awakening with some ostentatious privilege-flaunting: diving into heartbreaks and the growing pains of your early twenties all the while staying at your rich friend's "lonely mansions" and grand chateaus, or wading under waterfalls. oh, by the way, she's from LA

actual lines from this!
"you text me a blurry photo / of a humongous dead boar in the bed of your truck"
"when people ask me - what was it like growing up in LA? (...) the ocean, the skyline, the hills, the alleyways, the bath tub of your rich friend’s Lonely mansion."
"i need to eat more beans and blueberries"
"Last year, I began a birthday ritual where I booked two nights at a hotel."
"ocean waves / right before i fall asleep"
"From the water’s perspective, I am just another rock. I noticed this today as I stood in a pool of a rushing waterfall."
"Drink an entire glass of water in one go. Pee off of a high distance."

[Alvaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

. Abrao writes about living and experience in such a subtly optimistic manner that one feels neither tricked into “finding the joys in life” nor truly convinced of anything they didn’t already know. Instead, she reminds of us of our fundamental feelings, of basic desires, and how to stay in touch with them as much as we can. Abraos trick to staying connected to these feelings? Adventure, it seems— whether personal, erotic, platonic or solitary. I literally guzzled this book down like warm summers milk and I can’t wait to read it all over again. Thank you gabi.

[Nat · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2-3 stars) I've consumed a lot of Gabi's content over the years through various online platforms and I feel that this book does not capture the quality of feelings and thoughts I've witnessed there. I've learned a lot from Gabi online but this book feels slightly surface level. I also agree with other comments saying that a lot of her magic comes paired with images and that would be beneficial in a book by her. I will continue to support her though and I'm excited for other publications in the future.

[Ana · Rating 1 out of 5]

once in a while i allow myself to read a really awful book out of sheer, cold curiosity, either because i find myself particularly nosy or because of the problematic aura of the author.

i have had my problems with gabi abrão for a few months now, starting from her political position—which is actually, no position—during the US election this spring, when she claimed neutrality and went along with her pseudo spiritual discourse on how ideological divisions and differences only create more distance between us as people; that she will not choose a side in solidarity with the apodictic, all-encompasing "spiritual unity of the people" truth. the thing that was the cherry on top for me was when she made that horrendous, "black-humor" joke on X (and reposted it on instagram) about the epstein files and how it would be so funny to turn the island and the "characters" (p*dophiles, s*xual abusers, rapists, etc etc.) into a video game anyone can play. i found that to be absolutely disgusting from someone whose whole virtual persona revolves around spirituality and accepting & healing the self.

now, onto the book itself: no need to say this as it is obvious if anyone picks up the book and reads it (though i do not recommend it if you actually enjoy literature) that the poems themselves are redundant, dull and devoid of any real substance. other than this, there is no possible way to ignore the blatant ignorance found in here: we have the poem "I am allergic to mosquitos and your house is full of them", in which she says that she moved in with her partner even though he lives in an environment to which she is allergic to. what is important here is that she lives in Hawai'i, as an LA girl born and raised (as she also calls herself). let's look at a few verses: "I moved here to write poetry and follow Twitter drama/ tan here and there/ Do everything I was doing in the city,/ with a twist" & "I came here to wear gold earrings and swimsuits". this is a perfect example of class privilege; there is plenty of information on the internet on this subject, but the environmental strain, poverty and pollution that natives are facing in Hawai'i due to overtourism is nothing new. to openly claim that you've moved there for "twitter drama" and to tan, to do everything you would've done in LA but with "a twist" (what does that even mean?) is completely nuts to me.

next we have a case of ego apologetics as a means of absolving yourself of being called out for your own ignorant claims on the internet: "It is good to think about your ego/ and all of your DNA,/ as I block someone on the internet/ who is mad at me for something/ that would require me to/ sacrifice/ a certain secrecy to defend,/ who knows nothing of it/ who kisses my surface in imagination/ but claims penetration." yes, taking accountability for your own actions would require you to sacrifice a tiny bit of your ego, who would have thought?

and lastly, the poem "Let's get to the root of it" almost, almost gets it. labor and working are a never ending struggle under capitalism, which offers us the illusion that earning a minimum to median wage will grant freedom from the shackles of the very system that created them in the first place. however, she goes on to say that there should be a con, an obstacle that should make you obtain your freedom so you could feel the desire, the feeling of wanting it and working for it. what she does is trying to invoke a certain poetics of labor as this whimsical, spiritual medium that accesses love and freedom, and not only should there be this epic, romantic journey as a metaphor for the means of production of love and freedom, she actually goes on to say that she would vote for this obstacle to stand in the way. well, in this case, what happened to this energy before trump was reelected?

writing in favor of the imperious existence of an obstacle standing in the way to your freedom, from your lounge chair under the sun, in your swimsuit and gold earrings, reading your twitter drama is definitely the way to poetically theorize freedom.

bottom line, maybe influencers should not be published anymore

[Katharina · Rating 5 out of 5]

having talked on the phone to my self-proclaimed soulmate-turned-lifecoach 5 mins prior, this book found me at the exact right mindset/openness. he once wrote in a letter to me „the key to life: enjoy the passage of time“ which so happens to be a reoccuring theme throughout the book-it really is the best advise someone could give you. the book is rather a collection of the authors (my fav parasocial relationship at the moment-i live for sighswoons niche topic stories and posts, „the tumblr girl in me sees the tumblr girl in you“) notes, poems and short essays on everything within the physical realm and continues with random sparks of ethereal sensations. this really is about life itself and making the most of it, but not in a self-optimizing way, her way of seeing things is „i am constantly evolving, shapeshifting and adapting“, rather in a i-come-to-terms-with-everything-and-enjoy-the-view-whilst-doing-so {ENJOYING THE PASSAGE OF TIME} ~ becoming one with everything surrounding you

„Peace comes from detaching yourself from every moment that was too good to be true but no longer belongs to you. Keeping your arms open, you find that there will always be another fleeting moment yearning to fill your chest.“

„by attaching to nothing, I felt everything“

theres so many better quotes in there, but I decided to quote them in my journal lol

[Sophie Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this one after following the author on instagram for a few years, but it could’ve been a bit more fleshed out? Some segments were lovely and reminiscent of Jenny Slate’s Little Weirds- touching and personal with elements of the surreal and esoteric. But others (particularly the poetry) didn’t really do much for me at all, and felt much more Kaur-esque, under-edited instagram poetry.

I loved the last chapter (exercises in shape shifting) and the how to heal a heartbreak segment. I think these more personal and practical offerings were more successful than the broader ‘meaning of life’ texts.

Also very obsessed with the cover design.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I loved this book. I felt a deep intention behind every word. Sometimes I feel I don’t fully understand Gabi’s social media musings, but everything in this small book struck me. It could be that I’m not in the right headspace to consume these abstract ideas when I am scrolling on social media vs. reading a physical book. That’s what I’d like to think. Anyways, this book is very special, very intimate, very profound. I love Gabi’s mind, and I am grateful to have read this, especially at this moment in time.

[Caitlin Nelson]

I love Gabi’s work and will come back to this little collection again and again. I don’t even want to say more, just read it and let the depth and laughter spill over you

[Dylan Szczepanski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note to self: do not use pinterest for book recommendations

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up (because the content seemed to align with stuff I'm working on - narratology and the invisible) and cringed when I initially flipped through - your typical I-did-drugs-and-think-I-had-a-profound-thought type poetry - but I did end up enjoying bits. A bit naïve, maybe privileged, kind of vapid, pretty green, verrry LA, but sweet and honest when it counts. Some poems are just too surface-level, complete with repetitive prose (starting every sentence with "I") that goes on and on to eventually hit points that maybe someone much, much younger and more sheltered would receive and cherish. It's not existential and it's not philosophical. Maybe her sparser pieces left room for a suggestion of those, but on the whole, I wouldn't brand this book as anything such. There are points of clarity that I wish would have been expanded on (or, conversely, were not belabored with repeated questioning).
I did not know about her Instagram, which seems to be the original posting spot for these poems, and I could see these really working in that format for a earnest baby gen z crowd. The publication makes more sense knowing this - also the fact that there's no new work here. Otherwise, if I'm being honest, I was surprised that the publication was this green and lightly developed. Makes sense that there's (clearly) a built-in fanbase and no surprises. All that being said - I'll follow her future work with interest.

[Avedon Arcadio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both a stream of consciousness journal and poetry book, Abrão paints delicate and ethereal scenes regarding living, romance and a bit more. It’s not a bad mix though I wish there were less of the journal entries. It’s still an interesting look into the author’s life as well and how they relate to these topics. Which many will find relatable as well.

[tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

No.

I could write a scathing review about the state of modern “poetry,” but what’s the use? Lost me a few pages in, and I only finished it because I unfortunately paid money for it despite the fact I could have, if I wanted to (I don’t), read it for free on instagram.

“Such a landscape felt like a scam.” Indeed.

[asia · Rating 2 out of 5]

unremarkable

[nirvana :) · Rating 1 out of 5]

if someone gave rupi kaur an erewhon smoothie and palo santo, this would be the result

[nirvanajord · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book brought me to tears so many times, in the best way possible