September Newsletter
NO. 26 | September 2023
Hello, and welcome to September! I’m honored you let me help you ring in each new month. My brain is both frantic and kind of turned off—nearly all of my routines are missing. So, doing this routine-y thing of writing to you is both comforting and weird.
Since today’s blog post is all about the art I made at Tofte, I figure it makes sense to also talk about that art here. You’ll learn about a novel book project in the post. I made great progress on it, but did not finish it by the time I left. So, I’m trying to finish it now. There are two chapters left—one climactic, and one for the falling action.
Since closing in on the end of the book, I have started to have lots of doubts and worries—things that are maybe best described as blocks. There have been some of those feelings through the whole process. I have found that writing something so long is hard to wrangle and keep whole in my mind. When I finish a writing session, I often feel like I’ve just poured nonsense onto the page. I have to go back and read things to assure myself that I’m still doing okay. I think those kinds of worries feel natural to the process.
But for the past 10K words or so, the blocks have been getting stronger and louder. It has started to remind me of The Artist’s Way, and the idea that there will always be a block, especially when we are moving closer to trying to achieve our creative dreams—dreams that scare us! Everything that comes after finishing writing this book is vulnerable. Right now, in the cocoon of writing, I can believe that the book is great and will certainly be picked up by an agent and then published, launching my career to new heights.
But, when I finish it, things will happen that challenge that perfect narrative. Maybe finding an agent will take a long time. Maybe I’ll find one right away, but finding a publisher will feel impossible. Maybe the deal or the circumstances or the timeline or the audience will not be what I dreamed that it would be. And in reckoning with those obstacles, I will have to confront difficult ideas about the work. And so my inner creative scaredy cat is trying to stop me. It’s trying to keep me here by scaring me—by making me believe that things aren’t going well, or pre-empting rejection with doubts that the book isn’t good enough now, or telling me that I’m just not in the mood to write.
But I’ve learned quite a lot since I started this book a year ago. I feel proud to say that I don’t need to feel right, or be in the right place, or in the right mood, or any of that stuff that I really used to need. I just need to write. Yeah, it helps to be relaxed in the Minnesota forest and popping juneberries into my mouth without a care in the world. But, without that stuff, I’m going to finish it anyway, in between work calls and frisbee pods, maybe sometimes eating potato chip dinners, and also while trying to sell my couch on Facebook.
Look: Tofte Lake Artist Residency Part 2
A recap of the art I made and projects I worked on during my residency.
I am not working in a creative sprint right now. I’m just kind of taking everything day by day. Sometimes that does include making stuff, which is nice. I finished cutting out all the block shapes for my bed quilt. It was more fun than I expected, largely due to my perfect custom cutting templates. I also finished this shirt (and another matching one) last week. Giving you a shot of it here before it even hits IG! I LOVE the fabric, and tried my hand at felt appliqué for the dandelion pocket. Overall very into it.
Sophie McPike is such a sunshine-y illustrator. She makes lots of work, and she has a really wide range, from realistic landscapes and portraits to whimsical characters and pattern based work. The images here are really just a small taste of all the stuff she makes. I usually find myself drawn to her color schemes and patterns, which she sometimes beautifully interlays with her more figurative or realistic work too. A definite joy to follow along with.
☆ Do you have a favorite creator? I’d love to vary the creator spotlights with reader submissions, if you want to share!
☆ Delightful poet, future MFA student, Ricky Novaes, just shared a list of all the poems from his poem-of-the-week newsletter.
☆ In preparing for the move, I’ve been researching all kinds of spaces and events that Emilio and I might want to check out: farmer’s markets, hikes, maker spaces and tool libraries, restaurants, etc. Do you have a favorite community space I should look for in my new home? Share with me!
☆ I keep listening to this song over and over.
☆ Both of my books, More Than Just a Game and Bonnie’s New Old Outfit, were published in past Septembers. Show them some birthday love!
