Out of the Blue

You know that awkward digital kerfuffle that happens when you wait too long to text someone back, so then you keep not texting them to avoid the “Sorry for the delay” rigamarole, and then it just keeps getting more delayed and more awkward? That’s a bit how I feel approaching this newsletter right now.

I have so many drafts and ideas I want to share with you beautiful people, but alas I’ve been otherwise occupied with saying “That’s not for babies!” 500 times a day to a person who could not care less about their fragility of life. What are you up to?? Since summer is not one of my top 3 seasons, I’m approaching it more creatively this year. Before I get to my Summer Strategy, here’s my philosophy behind it… So I’ve been wanting to get a tattoo of the Southern Cross (Crux) constellation for years.

You already have more material than you think. This workshop is about learning how to recognize the patterns, themes, and questions that keep returning in your creative life. Through guided prompts and reflection, we’ll uncover what is already alive in you and asking for attention, then begin growing it into possible directions for future work.

Creativity thrives in the way you notice, gather, and respond to your days. This workshop explores how to bring a creative sensibility into everyday life by paying attention to what moves you, following your curiosities, and treating ordinary moments as magic. Through a series of thoughtful exercises and conversation, we will explore how creativity is already present in your life and how to shape it into a practice that feels natural, sustaining, and your own.

Since lifting the paywall, I’m revisiting a few favorite paid posts. Here’s a mashup of my thoughts on making friends as an adult! But first, an announcement: They’re each two hours on a weekday evening (easy peasy!) in the East Village, which will be blooming and bustling on a spring twilight. I want you to be there! Here’s what they’re all about: Creativity thrives in the way you notice, gather, and respond to your days.

Hi Blueberries! I have two in-person evening workshops coming up in NYC. They’re each two hours on a weekday evening (easy peasy!) in the East Village, which will be blooming and bustling on a spring twilight. I want you to be there! Here’s what they’re all about: Creativity thrives in the way you notice, gather, and respond to your days.

I’ve read that phrase a million times, and I’ve said it close to that number. And, I agree! …I think? Though what exactly I’m agreeing to has changed dramatically over the years. Everyone deserves to be paid for their work. I cannot answer that for you, nor do I care to litigate the finer points of the digitally-mediated direct-to-consumer micro-subscription content ecosystem we have somehow all agreed to participate in.

Last month, I visited a college friend. In our early 20s, he was curious and silly, mischievous and magnetic. In our late 30s, he is all of those things, and ALSO a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church! (Imagine the outfits!!) As wise, gentle, and insightful as he is, it’s startling to see your ol’ buddy from freshman year—the proto-hipster, prankster, and heartthrob—now as a priest.

Once upon a time, I had a CrossFit phase. Mind you, I never actually attended a CrossFit class. (Are they called classes??) I just got really into the idea of it.

At the moment, I have seven newsletter drafts in storage, to which I add a word or phrase here and there every few days, but my thoughts don’t grow healthy enough to provide nourishment for a post. I’m feeding my writing with scraps and weeds—not nearly enough vitamins for sustenance. I’m in a liminal space—a season I’ve written about and romanticized and mythologized on and on.