I love this ❤️❤️ I feel the same way— confused about all the things that’s brewing in my head about life in general, but also the bts of creative work. I’m also finding my way through it. So thank you for sharing this experience.
so glad this resonated with you jerine. i totally get that feeling of having so much brewing in your head and trying to figure it all out alongside the creative stuff. it helps knowing we’re not the only ones in that messy middle. thank you for reading and sharing this with me 🫶🏼 cheering you on
I’ve been curled up in bed for the last couple of days catching up on my own rest (years overdue, really) and I just have to say — your writing feels so cozy and nourishing. It really feels like I’ve been given permission to go at a defiant, snail speed pace to actually take in all the lessons I’m learning from healing and not have to package what I’m learning into a $997 digital product. 🥴
this made me smile. “snail speed pace” feels like the perfect phrase for what i’ve been craving too. i’m so glad my words could offer a little permission for that. and I hope you’re having the most restful time curled up in bed there, that sounds awfully cosy! 🥰 rooting for you
"It's a landscape of seasons and cycles, where stillness matters just as much as movement"... from personal experience, this insight completely resonates. Growth can be wondrously discovered in the pause. Life isn't linear, yet l have found there's an invisible flow underneath the surface - a universally aligned layer, waiting to be uncovered and explored.
You are so right when you say that growth does not move in straight lines upward. Since retiring all my plans have been shelved & replaced by things I didn't know existed. If I had known, I would never have thought of myself doing them. I'm beginning to realise that the Universe has a plan if we are patient enough to wait for it. Glad you found your way back
it’s amazing how life opens doors we never would have imagined for ourselves. i really like what you said about patience too. so glad to be back and thank you for reading 💛
I really love the gentle message in this newsletter 🤎 a few years ago I had a total burn out and got physically really sick as well so that I had to quit my fashion design studies. Now I'm quite happy, tutoring my wonderful students in English and working on my writing with the wish of sharing my stories with lots of other people☺️
thank you for sharing this nika, and taking the time to read too. it made me so happy to hear you’ve found your way to a life and rhythm that feels good for you after burnout. i love that you’re leaning into tutoring and writing now, that sounds like such a beautiful shift and expression of your unique self🤎
love that “a quiet detour” phrase natasha, that feels like such a gentle way to frame it. wishing you lots of peace as you move through this chapter. thank you for reading 🫶🏼
I love this piece so much. An affirmation I started using earlier this year was "my rest leads to my success" - the way in which I built my online community on Instagram, how I published my books...no longer was working for me. It led to burnout and overexhaustion and seeking external validation for my worth. This year I allowed stillness to take the lead, and my God did it change everything. I've been in a season of pause since the summer - to simmer where I've arrived, to slow down, to reflect, before I begin again. I had a massive aha this AM about my Substack and the ways in which I'm self-sabotaging out of the fear of not being seen (ironic, as my biggest fear all my life was to be seen!) - but when the download came this morning, I immediately knew that I couldn't have learned that a second sooner. the stillness helped me receive that massive download. and all these moments were just preparation for my vessel to hold what else is coming. thank you for sharing this. I felt so seen & so excited to dive into your work! xx
karin this is incredible. i absolutely LOVE your mantra ‘my rest leads to my success,’ i’m going to be saying that to myself from now on too. it’s such a shift to let stillness lead, especially when you're not used to it. i'm right there with you. i've been on the same pause since this summer and unlearning and uncovering so much with each new week.
i just jumped over to your substack and i’m so excited to read more, everything you wrote here feels so relatable and true. thank you for sharing so openly 🤎
Found you from midnight crumbs, but I cannot stress enough how much I needed this essay. I’m in this exact place, “quiet business.” Thank you for giving it a name 🤍
ahh i’m so glad this resonated alyssa. quiet business has been the only way i know how to name this next season too. feels good to know it’s not just me 🤍
Happy to have found your writing, and that you've found your way back! Similar to you, I took a long pause from publishing. During that detour, I thought I was falling behind, hindering my growth – exactly like you said. I kept telling myself that I was giving up on a future that I had held on to for so long. Thank you for sharing your detour experience! It made me feel less alone in this journey of returning to the page.
ahh, i so resonate with what you shared here miruna. it’s so easy to feel like a pause means we’ve fallen behind, when often it’s just part of the cycle of finding our way back with more clarity. i’m glad my words helped you feel less alone in that 🤎 thank you for reading.
"but that isn’t ambition. that’s fear, dressed up as strategy. it’s the myth that growth only matters if it’s visible, and only valuable if it’s constant." SO TRUE! Thank you for your wonderful wisdom. I'm currently in one of those 'detours' as well and haven't posted on here for weeks - but somehow i haven't been stressing about it, and it just feels like things are reshaping with my creative process.
i love hearing this jenny because the pause is just as much a part of the process. there’s something so freeing when we stop forcing it and just let the process reshape itself. i’m glad you’re giving yourself that space too 🤎 thank you for reading
I'm going to be pressing pause on Substack in the New Year for a while. It's time I had a break, even though I haven't been active very long. I'm just craving some time away, and the good thing about having a smaller Substack is that I'm not reliant on it as a source of income, so I don't feel the need to push myself to keep creating for the sake of it.
that sounds like such a wise move jessica. sometimes stepping back is the thing that lets our creativity breathe again. i hope your pause feels gentle and restorative for you 🫶🏼 appreciate you reading and sharing
thank you caroline, it feels so good to be back. and yesss, i’m still learning that the world doesn’t fall apart when we pause, and your words are such a sweet reminder of that too 🫶🏼
feel that so much. winter seasons can be so heavy and long. it means a lot to know these words met you right here, right now. sending you gentleness as you step unfolds wynne 🫶🏼 thanks for reading
I love this ❤️❤️ I feel the same way— confused about all the things that’s brewing in my head about life in general, but also the bts of creative work. I’m also finding my way through it. So thank you for sharing this experience.
so glad this resonated with you jerine. i totally get that feeling of having so much brewing in your head and trying to figure it all out alongside the creative stuff. it helps knowing we’re not the only ones in that messy middle. thank you for reading and sharing this with me 🫶🏼 cheering you on
I’ve been curled up in bed for the last couple of days catching up on my own rest (years overdue, really) and I just have to say — your writing feels so cozy and nourishing. It really feels like I’ve been given permission to go at a defiant, snail speed pace to actually take in all the lessons I’m learning from healing and not have to package what I’m learning into a $997 digital product. 🥴
this made me smile. “snail speed pace” feels like the perfect phrase for what i’ve been craving too. i’m so glad my words could offer a little permission for that. and I hope you’re having the most restful time curled up in bed there, that sounds awfully cosy! 🥰 rooting for you
"It's a landscape of seasons and cycles, where stillness matters just as much as movement"... from personal experience, this insight completely resonates. Growth can be wondrously discovered in the pause. Life isn't linear, yet l have found there's an invisible flow underneath the surface - a universally aligned layer, waiting to be uncovered and explored.
so beautifully put elizabeth. i love how you describe that invisible flow underneath the surface, it really resonates 🤍
Thanks Hannah, glad it resonates 🤍
You are so right when you say that growth does not move in straight lines upward. Since retiring all my plans have been shelved & replaced by things I didn't know existed. If I had known, I would never have thought of myself doing them. I'm beginning to realise that the Universe has a plan if we are patient enough to wait for it. Glad you found your way back
it’s amazing how life opens doors we never would have imagined for ourselves. i really like what you said about patience too. so glad to be back and thank you for reading 💛
I really love the gentle message in this newsletter 🤎 a few years ago I had a total burn out and got physically really sick as well so that I had to quit my fashion design studies. Now I'm quite happy, tutoring my wonderful students in English and working on my writing with the wish of sharing my stories with lots of other people☺️
thank you for sharing this nika, and taking the time to read too. it made me so happy to hear you’ve found your way to a life and rhythm that feels good for you after burnout. i love that you’re leaning into tutoring and writing now, that sounds like such a beautiful shift and expression of your unique self🤎
So well-time for me to see this post. I'm currently on a quiet detour! Thank you 🙏🏻
love that “a quiet detour” phrase natasha, that feels like such a gentle way to frame it. wishing you lots of peace as you move through this chapter. thank you for reading 🫶🏼
I love this piece so much. An affirmation I started using earlier this year was "my rest leads to my success" - the way in which I built my online community on Instagram, how I published my books...no longer was working for me. It led to burnout and overexhaustion and seeking external validation for my worth. This year I allowed stillness to take the lead, and my God did it change everything. I've been in a season of pause since the summer - to simmer where I've arrived, to slow down, to reflect, before I begin again. I had a massive aha this AM about my Substack and the ways in which I'm self-sabotaging out of the fear of not being seen (ironic, as my biggest fear all my life was to be seen!) - but when the download came this morning, I immediately knew that I couldn't have learned that a second sooner. the stillness helped me receive that massive download. and all these moments were just preparation for my vessel to hold what else is coming. thank you for sharing this. I felt so seen & so excited to dive into your work! xx
karin this is incredible. i absolutely LOVE your mantra ‘my rest leads to my success,’ i’m going to be saying that to myself from now on too. it’s such a shift to let stillness lead, especially when you're not used to it. i'm right there with you. i've been on the same pause since this summer and unlearning and uncovering so much with each new week.
i just jumped over to your substack and i’m so excited to read more, everything you wrote here feels so relatable and true. thank you for sharing so openly 🤎
Welcome back🫶🏻❤️
thank youuu 🤎
Welcome home <3
thank you lovely 🥰
Welcome back 💛💛💛
thank you Lydia 🤎
Found you from midnight crumbs, but I cannot stress enough how much I needed this essay. I’m in this exact place, “quiet business.” Thank you for giving it a name 🤍
ahh i’m so glad this resonated alyssa. quiet business has been the only way i know how to name this next season too. feels good to know it’s not just me 🤍
Happy to have found your writing, and that you've found your way back! Similar to you, I took a long pause from publishing. During that detour, I thought I was falling behind, hindering my growth – exactly like you said. I kept telling myself that I was giving up on a future that I had held on to for so long. Thank you for sharing your detour experience! It made me feel less alone in this journey of returning to the page.
ahh, i so resonate with what you shared here miruna. it’s so easy to feel like a pause means we’ve fallen behind, when often it’s just part of the cycle of finding our way back with more clarity. i’m glad my words helped you feel less alone in that 🤎 thank you for reading.
"but that isn’t ambition. that’s fear, dressed up as strategy. it’s the myth that growth only matters if it’s visible, and only valuable if it’s constant." SO TRUE! Thank you for your wonderful wisdom. I'm currently in one of those 'detours' as well and haven't posted on here for weeks - but somehow i haven't been stressing about it, and it just feels like things are reshaping with my creative process.
i love hearing this jenny because the pause is just as much a part of the process. there’s something so freeing when we stop forcing it and just let the process reshape itself. i’m glad you’re giving yourself that space too 🤎 thank you for reading
I'm going to be pressing pause on Substack in the New Year for a while. It's time I had a break, even though I haven't been active very long. I'm just craving some time away, and the good thing about having a smaller Substack is that I'm not reliant on it as a source of income, so I don't feel the need to push myself to keep creating for the sake of it.
that sounds like such a wise move jessica. sometimes stepping back is the thing that lets our creativity breathe again. i hope your pause feels gentle and restorative for you 🫶🏼 appreciate you reading and sharing
Such a great reminder that we CAN take breaks and everything will be okay! Welcome back hannah :)
thank you caroline, it feels so good to be back. and yesss, i’m still learning that the world doesn’t fall apart when we pause, and your words are such a sweet reminder of that too 🫶🏼
I needed these words. coming out of a two year "winter" season with my work & I feel this so much.
feel that so much. winter seasons can be so heavy and long. it means a lot to know these words met you right here, right now. sending you gentleness as you step unfolds wynne 🫶🏼 thanks for reading
I have been encouraged by you!!! Keep writing!