Hi friends,
Did you like the clickbait title of this post? I work in marketing, can you tell?
Is September a scam? It tells you in your blood that it’s autumn and yet it shoves such metrological lies in your face that you start doubting your own shadow.
Seriously though, leave a comment if every year you think September is having a joke at your expense. I can’t be alone on this island of FRAUD.
So yeah. Happy September! From Geel where it was 35 degrees in the sun yesterday!
Every year I think about how true the saying ‘bloody typical the kids are back to school and out comes the sunshine splitting the rocks’, really is. Thankfully, I’m writing this from inside, far away from sunlight, my mortal enemy. It takes many hours in the Sims 4 to cultivate this dungeon tan, let me tell you. My pastiness is no accident.
Anyway.
Regardless of the weather, once September 1st rolls around, my brain flips into ‘back to school’ mode, even though what that actually means for someone who’s 38 is …vague at best.
It’s a time for buying new stationery, starting new classes, putting your best foot forward, all that kind of jazz.
I love this feeling. I love autumn in general, by the way.
It’s my favourite month. But I love this feeling of a clean slate.
I usually squander it by not taking stock of where this year has taken me since January, but TODAY, my friends, today is different, because the Getting Things Done Workbook has arrived in the post.
It’s OK that I continually get sucked into Productivityland and get burned out by it and then recede. The tide and the moon have their own rhythms, so why can’t we, right? Plus, the invigorating appeal of that enthused feeling of Yeah! New stuff! New energy! New start! cannot be understated.
Although…when I look back ever, all I see is the same thing I’ve always seen. The psychogeography of the hanged man. The cocoon. The ever-becoming. The belly of the whale. The light of the mind is blue. Etc etc.
Dear writers: it’s normal to be constantly on the edge of desperation about not writing and wanting to write and not being able to start, right?
Someone needs to take control of this situation.
By someone I mean anyone but me. So to that end, here are some things that are HELPING THIS DIRE SITUATION:
Jami, from Craft Talk, writes about looking back and making it count:
Vanessa from Weeds, Wolves & Wild Women writes about reconnecting with your senses and your wild self:
Nancy, over at Write More, Be Less Careful, shares an approach to planning that fits in here too:
News! Reminder! 👀👀👀
If anyone happens to be around Antwerp on Friday night or Saturday during the day, I have a table at an event in de Singel & will be selling zines and linocut block prints. See the full details here (in Dutch only). I’ll email more about this tomorrow.
Classes I’m currently taking 🦉
Here are two classes I’m currently doing, so you can see where my head is at right now, creativity-wise. These aren’t affiliate links or anything, I’m just sharing them because I like them.
Dear reader, for the love of Jesus, ignore what I wrote above about not being able to write. Don’t take these classes from me! I know I should be writing!
From Block to Print: A Printmaking Daily Challenge, taught by Katharine Watson on Creativebug.
Imagined Landscapes, taught by Alyssa over at Get Messy.
Okay. We’re at the end, congratulations, we all actually made it out alive, no matter what Jim Morrison says in Five To One.
Shop zines & weavings. Share this newsletter far and wide. Leave comments. Email me if you want! And until next time (uhhhh tomorrow, actually), I bid you adieu.
On Friday I’ll be sending out the very first ‘rewilding’ newsletter that I talked about back in this post.
Much love & all blessings, even to September who may or may not be a scam,
Jessica