Youβre receiving this message because youβve opted in for emails from me - Sarah Shotts. Iβm in the midst of a redesign so things may look a bit different from week to week until the dust settles.
In Ye Olde Internet speak we called thisβ¦ βunder construction.β
I wonβt bore you with the details unless you want them. But Iβve been doing a lot of reflection and testing of different internet platforms and all of that is slowly coming to a close. (If youβre curious about this part skip to this footnote.)1
![Pixelated Lemming characters from a retro computer game wearing hard hats and walking over and around text that reads, Coming soon. Pixelated Lemming characters from a retro computer game wearing hard hats and walking over and around text that reads, Coming soon.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2be3f16c-fb8a-4f0c-a932-a728f8943973_491x55.heic)
Rather than wait until Iβm βreadyβ to reintroduce the new direction / name / plan for my newsletter I decided to just jump in before I can overthink it.
Moving forward Iβm planning for things to be more scrappy and more βmessy middleβ. If and when I write long form posts I will publish them first to my blog and copy them here. Otherwise, itβs just a bit of redecorating.
I hope youβll stick around, but if you need to go thereβs no guilt.
I donβt look at unsubscribes.
Before we move into the next phase, hereβs a look back at what I was writing last summerβ¦
What if we didnβt assume people were straight?
Wait, is this a coming out post? π³οΈβπ
I had a great response to this one - except someone close to the family who reached out to my husband to see if he was βokay.β π
If youβre new around here and didnβt realizeβ¦ Iβm nonbinary. I always have been, but finding the language explains a lot and has helped me understand myself better. (Similar to identifying as autistic actually.) Iβm not taking questions about gender, but I linked a bunch of resources in the post above.
I donβt make a ton of content about being queer or nonbinary, but itβs as much a part of me as my autism and neurodivergence. I mention it from time to time to help people realize that more people are queer and gender non conforming than you may realize.
If you have a problem with this kindly see yourself out without announcing yourself. Strangers on the internet are humans and there is no excuse to be needlessly cruel to someone even if you donβt understand them.
I wrote this post last summer. It went low key viral (for me) which honestly pulled me way off track because I started thinking I βshouldβ write what people wanted and expected. Which was kind of the opposite of the point. (I know.)
I also wrote this follow up based on a comment from someone who fundamentally misunderstood my first post. I really believe strongly in the distinction between βbrandingβ and βartistic styleβ and if youβre feeling pressure to present yourself in a palatable or market-able way I hope you find this helpful.
Last one, hereβs a post that was previously locked for paying subscribers and is now free. (Did I mention Iβm in the process of removing the paywall?!?)
Creative Compost
Before you go, Iβd also like to introduce my Creative Compost Heap to those who havenβt seen it yet.
This is my take on a Digital Garden. Itβs an imperfect home for bits of research, observations, and creative inspiration. This process is integral to my Creative Ecosystem.
Youβll find notes on books Iβm reading, research on various subjects, movies I watch with my kid, and ideas I am unraveling. πΈοΈ
Everything is tossed on the heap.
There it can decompose & form new connections. πͺ±ππ
Right now Iβm actively researchingβ¦
The Internet (before it became a capitalist hellscape)
The Medium is the Message by: Marshall McLuhan
Black Mountain College (an inspiration behind
)
Speaking of Neurokind Iβve just announced a new collaborative project open to anyone who identifies as neurodivergent. All you need is yarn / fiber / or strips of recycled plastic or cloth and a paper plate (or embroidery hoop.)
I hit a couple of obstacles with Neurokind recently (for example: all the submissions for the next issue got corrupted) π« . But those are almost sorted out and youβll be hearing more from me over there soon.
Andβ¦ I revealed the cover art for my anthology project about creativity and motherhood. Over 30 mothers are involved in one capacity or another and Iβm so excited to bring this project to life. (Preorders opening this autumn.)
Also, final final call to submit a prompt for Ember the accompanying workbook / art journal for mums.
(Ignore the deadline. If you submit this week youβll squeak in under the wire.)
Ok, now Iβm all caught up so we can start fresh next week.
If you want to support me you canβ¦
Leave a comment. (Itβs free!)
Pledge on Patreon or Substack
Buy my book or gift one to a friend!
Now itβs your turn.
What have you been up to?
Are you the same person you were last year? Or this morning? π¦
Letβs discuss.
Cheers,
Long story short Iβve returned to Substack (although I no longer use the app and manage my own subscriptions via RSS.) None of the other options Iβve tried meet my needs as well - particularly when it comes to a robust comment system. Iβm working on a post about my new βtech ecosystemβ, but the short version is that Iβm writing for my own blog / website FIRST and then copy / pasting that content to Substack for future newsletters. This works surprisingly well and allows me to keep a copy of all I am writing archived on my own domain rather than living behind a silo. More changes are coming including snail mail for paying supporters twice a year. ππ
I donβt even feel like Iβm the same person I was an hour ago today!
I love reading rabbit hole here.
Between chats about new garden rooms, wrapping up early bird and supporting Dave to build an IKEA cabin bed (ok I held one piece) Iβm glad for darkness to fall tonight. β¨π¦
Of course, Alice: young meβs guidebook to life because Thoth never did give me the book of answers. I was actually looking for that exact image the other day - because it fits so many of my moments - until I got distracted (again). Never mind me, is today even the same day as it was the morning?