Originally written November 2022
Being mostly off of social media for just under a year, I have felt enormous freedom, increased presence, and some additional isolation. At the same time, I’ve been working for myself (and sometimes *by* myself) since May 2020, and since late 2021 I’ve been living alone in a place I fully adore with my dog Tsiggie (pictured at the beginning of this email.) I love my life AND I miss the daily or weekly practice of community, I miss the sharing and conversation that comes with a team, work friends, or the easy check-ins of social media.
This time last year, I was (like many) going through divorce, and staying at various friends’ homes (thank you!) while moving out of my house and getting ready to sell it. I was and am so grateful to have support from close people in my life, and at the same time, I know I’ve also fallen out of touch with others who are important to me.
As I’ve considered how to engage and keep in touch, I realized most of my salaried jobs have required me to publish some form of a newsletter and it is a medium I’ve truly missed. It turns out I love doing a newsletter!
In truth, I’ve thought about doing this for a long time, but I always stopped myself short, thinking “how could I be so important as to warrant a newsletter?” Over the years I’ve been inspired by various types of recurring emails from Miranda July, Jonny Sun (thanks Sam!), Andrea Gibson, my beloved friend Kodey, and countless others. Even with these wonderful examples, the doubt still persisted, “who am I to take up space?” Taking up space has been my personal growth theme throughout the past few years, so I’ve resolved myself to finally try sending a semi-regular email.
In short: This monthly-or-less email is an experiment and an offering. I am grateful to you for receiving this and excited to experience how it takes shape together!