Author: admin@sarahshotts.com

Wait, is this a coming out post? 🏳️‍🌈

What if we didn’t assume people were straight? 🏳️‍🌈

Imagine standing in front of your parents or peers and “coming out” as straight. You spent months collecting evidence and crafting a tightly woven narrative. Maybe you even prepare to explain what exactly straightness is.

That sounds ridiculous doesn’t it?

But we still expect queer and genderqueer people to do this.

What if we didn’t assume hetero presenting couples were straight?

What if we didn’t assume our kids were straight?

What if we didn’t assume we ourselves were straight?

What if straight and cis were not the cultural default?

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Whoooo are yooooou? 🐛🍄

Imagine space to discover for yourself who you are…

What self expression feels aligned?

Who do you feel a connection to?

What type of relationships would you like to nurture in your life?

I’m queer and genderqueer.

To be more specific: I’m ace and nonbinary.

And, you know what?

I’m not taking questions today.

I’m still reflecting on how my nonbinary identity intersects with neurodivergence and motherhood (yes, I do still identify as a mother.)

Down the road I’ll be writing more about that, but for today I am just saying…

I am.

This isn’t something new.

It is new language for an old thing.

I’ve spent a year trying to craft a narrative to hold your hand through this. I wanted to be understood. I wanted to change the hearts of anyone who felt hateful or judgmental. I wanted to say all the right things the right way in one tidy post.

But then I realized… that’s not my job.

I’m not suddenly your queer educator.

I’m new to this community. I’m still learning myself.

If you are confused or curious and want to learn more about gender I recommend this brilliant podcast with Alok Vaid-Menon. You can also follow them on Instagram.

We need visibility now more than ever.

I’m doing this for every queer and trans kid who doesn’t feel safe to do so.

I know sharing this is going to run some people off. I’ve noticed that people have a tendency to assume my values align with theirs. For what it’s worth, our family is Episcopal which is LGBTQ+ affirming. We have been for 5 years.

When I first wrote this post I had paragraphs and paragraphs dedicated to the people who would disapprove.

I deleted it all and decided to post this clip instead. 😂1

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Setting Boundaries

• I am not inviting debate, disagreement, or criticism today.

• You are free to leave without announcing yourself.

• I am not your queer educator. If you are confused please listen to the podcast episode linked above.

If you can’t say something kind don’t say anything at all.

Whatever your faith or values I hope we can agree that humans should be treated with kindness and respect.

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To say that I’m a rainbow 🌈

I’m not sure I got the tone quite right, but any other tone would be inauthentic. I’m convicted to share this, but if I’m also feeling nervous.

If you have the time I’d love for you to listen to this wistful, hopeful song by queer and genderqueer artist Dodie Clark. I find it resonates on so many levels including how I experience the world as an autistic person.

.

I was brought up in a line
But I seem to walk in circles
It’s getting hard to navigate
When every map was never made for me
And I thought it would feel good
To understand why I was different
But my title just talks over me
I never even asked to be this way

But to say that I’m a rainbow
To tell me that I’m bright
When I’m so used to feeling wrong
Well, it makes me feel alright

Rainbow by Dodie

.

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I welcome celebration and love in comments.

I’m feeling nervous so if you’re supportive please leave comment or a shower of emojis. ✨🌈💫

My pronouns are they/she.

That means you can use she/her or they/them. I really appreciate the effort to use they/them. It makes me feel seen.

It may feel awkward at first, but you probably use a singular they without even thinking about it.

Imagine you saw a car run a red light, but you didn’t know who was driving. You would say, “They just ran a red light!”

If you don’t know any other genderqueer people please practice using they/them with me.

It’s low stakes because you can’t really mess up. 😘

I would also ask that you not refer to me as woman, lady, girl, miss, or ma’am.

If you slip up the best practice is the same thing you would do if you called your child by the wrong name. Correct it and move on. You don’t have to make a big deal about it. Just restate what you meant to say and keep going. It’s really okay. Everyone mixes up language sometimes. We appreciate the effort.

If you are questioning or closeted my inbox is always open. 🏳️‍🌈

I don’t have all the answers, but I’m happy to hold space and be a safe person for you now or in the future. ❤️

1

I deleted everything I wrote about growing up as an evangelical preacher’s kid and decided to post this clip instead. 😂

I archived all of my blog posts and shifted my energy to YouTube.

I don’t regret it and found this process essential to reconnecting to my creative voice. I keep my domain name and used a free version of WordPress to build this landing page. You can see I was shifting identity from “blogger” to “artist”, but I still had a long way to go.

Even though I wasn’t “blogging” anymore… I kind of was. I was just doing it on Patreon. Every month I wrote about the things that were inspiring me. I called this series Of Shoes & Ships & Sealing Wax which I still use as a section of my Down the Rabbit Hole posts.

I also made a lot of printables and YouTube videos during this time.

Kindle Curiosity (2018-2019)

I started a podcast called Kindle Curiosity in 2018. (It is archived here.) When I set up the podcast website I imported some old blog posts and found myself blogging again.

The Artist Era (2020-2022)

Between 2013-2020 almost everything I created was with the internet in mind.

After Davy was born I felt a lot of clarity in what I wanted to make. And it didn’t involve hours and hours of podcast editing.

I felt drawn to making visual art outside the lens of the internet.

What would I make if I didn’t create for the Instagram square?

This reframe changed my creative direction in a huge way.

I started a body of work called This is My Brain on Motherhood. I imagined a pop up art exhibition (something I am still working toward) and made work for that context. In the end, I found I could share that work in an Instagram square, but the thought experiment had already turned my process inside out.

In 2022 I redesigned my website bringing in a typewriter font which felt very full circle. Here I am as me. I’m making art about my lived experience.

The Substack Era (2023)

Last week I changed the “Blog” on my website to point to Substack. I do consider this my blog. Maybe it makes me an old fogey, but I get all the cozy nostalgic vibes.

What’s your blogging story?

How long have you used the internet?

Let’s chat.

P.S. This tour was made possible by The Wayback Machine via Internet Archive.

1

Before I started blogging I kept a Tumblr called Inquisitive Wanderer. It was a gateway to blogging. I don’t consider it a blog really because I didn’t write it for an audience. I wrote it for me and for my mum.

May 30, 2023

Further reflections on branding vs. artistic style.

Hello everyone!

I’ve been blown away by your response to I’m Not a Brand I’m a Human 🫀.

You’ve written so many amazing comments and emails I haven’t even managed to reply to you all yet. But I will! I see you and I’m so glad to hear from you.

My branding post seems to have really struck a nerve. So many of us are feeling the same way!

You are not alone.

If you’re new here I used to have two separate Substacks which I am integrating – one explored autism and neurodivergence and one discussed creativity. The more I wrote both of them the more I realized it’s all interconnected.

After merging Substacks I’ve had a bit of a *cough* tidy up…

I will not call it a rebrand. 😂

Last week someone responded to my post on Notes saying, “This is a really great post on branding.” I think they missed the point.

A brand is a can of soup.

An artist isn’t a brand. An artist has a style.1

For me this is a mindset shift away from branding toward developing my style. I’m taking a Masterclass in The Art of Storytelling from Neil Gaiman right now. He says,

“Style is the stuff you can’t help doing.”

He suggests the best way to develop your creative voice is to write and keep writing and keep writing.

Or make stuff and make more stuff and make more stuff.

Eventually your style will come through.

Style isn’t something you create with a mood board. It isn’t a business strategy. It is your heart and soul. You find it by doing the work and being brave enough to be honest. I see all of *waves hands* this online stuff as a creative portal. It’s all art.

Let’s stop being “brands” and be artists.

Let your work change and evolve and grow.

Be more yourself.

Not an edited version that is easily palatable.

This week I’ve been sewing my various identities back together crazy quilt style.

You may have noticed my Substack publication is now called Kindle Curiosity. Moving forward I plan to write more long form emails and they will be in this section.2

Today you’re getting Down the Rabbit Hole which is a studio update and a list of rabbit holes (links, books, etc.) for you to explore.

Neurodivergent Space Time is an unmasked podcast to explore autism and other neurodivergent identities from the inside out.

The Messy Middle is behind the scenes podcast about art and life. I’m launching it for paid subscribers next month.

Cabinet of Curiosities is a place for things that don’t fit anywhere else. Making room for this kind of eclecticism is precisely what this un-branding process is all about. These posts might be one-off experiments or they may turn into projects of their own.

If you’re a long time friend you’ll notice these are all different “brand identities” I have used and dropped over the years. It has been such a healing process to gather them all up and stitch them together. We contain multitudes.

Kindle Curiosity is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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This week my creative energy has been focused right here on Substack. Aside from that I’ve been ideating and gathering supplies to create new works for This is My Brain on Motherhood. I’ll be sharing those soon.

I’ve also interviewed artist Catherine Reinhart who is crowdfunding a project called The Collective Mending Sessions. I may do more of these if you enjoy them. Let me know!

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Other bits and bobs I’d like to recommend this week.

Books

After the crowdfunding campaign I put down every book I tried to read. Finally I took myself to the bookstore and ended up buying books in the kids section. Books are ageless. Read what brings you joy. These were so cozy and lighthearted and just what I needed during cocoon week.

Substack

I already had this post scheduled, but I had to jump back in to add a link to the latest installment of by Mar Grace. I had a hard time choosing a quote, but finally went with this one,

“I am an artist, trying to string together my interests and my skills and my desires and my intuition. As soon as I start piling myself in to an online business world I get trapped into thinking I need to perfectly have a “funnel” and a “marketing plan” and to have it all figured out. It’s why our offering are shapes, malleable and shiftable.”

The whole post it worth a read:

Monday Monday

Fatigue and the digital footprint

Monday Monday is a free weekly newsletter. If you want to support this space and have access to my monthly advice column YES YES, comment on posts, and the occasional Friday Thread become a paid subscriber. You can also share excerpts of today’s Monday Monday on social media, forward it to someone who might benefit, or text it to a friend. Thank you for …

Read more

2 years ago · 27 likes · 4 comments

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I’ve noticed a lot of authors post their books at the end of their emails. I haven’t made a fancy little graphic yet, but if you enjoyed my writing on branding you might like my book Discover Your Creative Ecosystem. It’s kind of like The Artist’s Way if Julia Cameron were saying “Humans are unique. Find what works for you.”

Your whole life is an ecosystem for creativity.

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Substack has rudely told me my post is “too long for email” so I deleted what I had to say about this link. You’ll have to check it out for yourself. See you next time.

Cheers,

1

If you want to learn more about Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup Cans start here and here.

2

You’ll be subscribed to everything I post, but if you’d like to adjust your subscriptions you can do so here.

May 23, 2023

Reflections on marketing, identity, and neurodivergence.

I’m still recovering energy from the picture book launch. But I’ve written a longer piece for you today. This has been simmering for a while now.

Last year I took two big marketing classes by brilliant teachers and I’ve decided to ignore some of their biggest advice.

Entering my Human Era.

I’ve decided to stop trying to be a cohesive “brand.”

Is this a bad idea? Possibly.

Would I grow faster if I followed branding advice? Assuredly.

But it is not for me.

Over the years I have taken dozens of marketing classes for my many creative pursuits: marketing for wedding photography, marketing for bloggers, marketing for artists, marketing for – – yes, this was an actual class – – weirdos. (That one was actually pretty cool and I would honestly recommend, but I’m still ignoring one of the main lessons.)

What they all have in common is a bit of homework to describe your business in 3 words (usually in the form of a Venn diagram.)1

So I carve parts of my identity away like Cinderella’s sisters trying to fit into the the glass slipper.2

I love a bit of homework. So I go about this bit of self mutilation quite happily choosing fonts and color palettes that best fit one facet of my persona.

I think I’m a decade into online marketing classes at this point. Because I’ve been doing this for a while it has become almost second nature. I don’t even question it.

“Branding” is just how it’s done.

After all it’s not that different than the autistic masking I’ve done all my life. Like many autistics I often find my place in social circles by adding “value.” So this concept was something I am well accustomed to. The homework assignment felt like a no brainer. Show people the stuff they want to see.

Don’t talk about Dungeons and Dragons in polite company.

I fragmented my identity into the bits that were marketable. Sometimes I might even create two completely separate “brands.” I did this for marketing reasons, but also to appear less “scattered”, “unfocused”, or “flaky”. I see now that I was trying to hide neurodivergent traits that are classically associated with ADHD.

Right after my masters degree I splintered into two people. The creative one and the geeky one.

I started a wedding photography business inspired by vintage books. Meanwhile I was making quirky YouTube videos as one half of Swot Sisters. I’ve never found a way for those parts of myself to really inhabit the same space. Even last year I started two separate Substacks.

An artsy Substack to talk about creativity. And a geeky space themed Substack to talk about neurodivergence (while weaving in lots of Star Trek and Doctor Who references.)

I finally merged them last month.

Over the years I’ve gone through a variety of rebrands. But I never found a “brand” that didn’t pinch like wearing a too small pair of shoes.

Then something extraordinary happened.

Even as I lost people who thought I was a flibbertigibbet3 I found myself surrounded by YOU. Curious, creative souls who don’t seem to mind (or actually like it?) when I color outside the lines, show the mess, or pilot the spaceship at breakneck speeds.

Buckle your seatbelt because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

I am done with chopping off pieces of myself to appear more “professional.” I’m ready to put on my Frizzle jumpsuit and get messy!

Moving forward you can expect more complexity, more mess, and more contradictory humanity here.

I’m a human who:

• makes art

• writes fiction

• self publishes books

• reads sci fi & fantasy

• teaches theatre at university

• plays video games

• home educates

• bakes sourdough bread

• tends a messy garden

Who knows what may bubble up next?

Down the Rabbit Hole is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Other bits and bobs I’d like to recommend this week.

Read

This post by was about writing, but for me encapsulates my lived (autistic) experience of social interactions.

“…what do we do with the emotions continuing to whirl around in our heads? We’re left bruised and mentally composing replies we could have said and, get this, trying to justify our work to someone who, quite frankly, will never appreciate it whatever we do.”

THE RED FERN 🌿 By Helen Redfern

The Fear of Your Writing Being Misunderstood and Attracting Negativity

This is a piece inspired by my thoughts on creative confidence and the fear of being seen by a bigger audience, that I originally posted on my blog last year. It was mentioned by Anna Schroeder on her Substack Writing Rampant a few days ago and so I thought I’d share it here…

Read more

2 years ago · 25 likes · 27 comments · Helen Redfern

Also resonating deeply with this post on navigating the challenges of being a neurodivergent author by .

The Purple Vale

I’m a terrible writer

Spring is truly showing off, and I love it. The Purple Vale is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. What I don’t love so much is feeling like a failure. I am recovering from an author event from the weekend and probably will be all week, if I’m honest. It was my second such e…

Read more

2 years ago · 11 likes · 7 comments · Stephanie Ascough

I’m sure I’ll talk about it again, but I’ve finally begun reading Tress and the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. It is THE most beautiful book I own. It feels like I’m holding a book that exists inside a Fantasy world. Like I’ve stepped into a story and pulled this off the mantle.

It’s also a lovely lighthearted read. He wrote this for his wife loosely inspired by The Princess Bride (except the Princess is the hero).

I listened while playing this pirate ship ambience and it was pretty great. 🏴‍☠️

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Down the Rabbit Hole is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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That’s all for this week. Substack kept telling me I was going too long, so I kept a few links for next week.

Fellow nerds, don’t miss the footnotes below.

I’d love to know your thoughts. Leave a comment or hit reply to send me an email.

Cheers,

1

I actually did my own twist on this Venn diagram homework with my Constellation of Purpose. I was trying to unravel the idea that I was not 3 singular things, but perhaps my multipassionate pursuits were somehow united in purpose. You can download it for free here.

2

If you are not a fairy tale nerd… this does indeed happen in the classic Grimm version of the story.

3

Love this song. (The world could use more humans like Maria.)

May 16, 2023

Catherine Reinhart & the Collective Mending Sessions

Something a little different today. I’m interviewing artist Catherine Reinhart about the Collective Mending Sessions. Enjoy!

What’s your mending origin story? Did you or someone special to you sew or mend when you were little?

Actually, my mending origin story starts in 2017. My mom handed me a tattered quilt top. It was a damaged quilt that was originally mine from my teenage years. I used and abused it. The quilt was almost in ribbons. When I moved away to college, she asked if I wanted to take it. I said, “No, you can just get rid of it.”

She, being wiser than I kept it. 

Fast forward 20 years and she handed it back to me. 

I knew I needed to repair it.

I began teaching myself how to mend. While I did have years of hand skills in garment construction and hand embroidery, I had never learned to mend. I didn’t even know how to darn a sock! So I set out to teach myself through books and tutorials. Through this, the resource library for The Collective Mending Sessions was established. 

Quickly I realized that this huge (for art standards) quilt measuring 7 by 9 feet was too much for me to do by myself. It was also strangely imbued with the emotional weight of my teenage years; angst, shifting beliefs, independence, and identity conflicts. 

I could not be alone with that quilt. 

So, The Collective Mending Sessions was born. I invited friends and strangers in my community to stitch alongside one another, lending our collective stitches to these abandoned quilts and asking, “How do we MEND our communities?”

How did mending become part of your creative practice?

As always, it started with an object. A damaged quilt, which demanded to be repaired. 

Interestingly, in the rest of my studio practice, I am continually taking textiles apart not repairing them. Transforming them, indeed, into contemporary fiber artworks but always with a compulsion towards disassembly. 

However, repair is always a process of doing and undoing. A process of fighting off the inevitable decay. I find that process to be full of tenuous hope.

What are your tips for someone who wants to start mending and doesn’t know where to start?

Start with something you don’t care about. Small stakes. 

Mend with a friend who knows how to sew.

Check out the many books in my Resource Library, especially this one and this one. 

First, cultivate looking. The first step to repair is to notice the damage. Slow down. 

When you find something thinning or in need of repair, set it aside. Start a mending pile.

Next, set aside one hour per week (or month) to attend to your mending pile. 

Put it on your calendar. 

Make it a relaxing, unpressured ritual. 

It will take focus, patience, and problem-solving. Make space for those difficult things. 

Ask for help. 

Tell us about your artist residency in Ireland! What will you be making? How will you be involving the community?

I am thrilled to be chosen for a 3-month residency at Uillian: West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen, Ireland from September 20 – Dec 20, 2023. My whole family will be going. We will be staying with my sister and her family. The kids will even get to go to the Irish village school with their cousins!

During my three month residency, I will produce new works in my Topography of Dwelling series and engage the visitors to Uillinn and the community at large by hosting The Collective Mending Sessions (CMS). CMS is a series of workshops that cultivate care for cloth and community through the meditative practice of slow stitching. During these workshops, visitors are invited to repair an abandoned quilt together as Catherine teaches basic mending and facilitates discussion. These workshops will be held in October and November.

Additionally, I plan to do extensive interdisciplinary experimentation into new fiber works, sculptural works, and works on paper. Building on my current body of work, Topography of Dwelling, these works will consider themes of home, labor, and loss in juxtaposition with the architectural, the industrial, and the archaeological. I will reflect on my maternal experience, mapping, and familial relationships. My inquiry is propelled by the question: How can I, as an artist, borrow methods from anthropology to map and archive domestic spaces?

How can we help make this magic happen?!

Give a tax-deductible donation to support taking CMS to Ireland! 

While I get to enjoy a fantastic private studio and support to interact with the community, the residency does not provide a stipend or travel support. 

My goal is to raise $10,000 to support travel expenses, art materials, my artist stipend, and administrative and shipping costs related to mailing the campaign rewards.

The campaign runs May 1 – 31, 2023.

Real Talk: $10,000 is the most I have tried to raise. EVER. Frankly, it is pretty intimidating. 

That is why I need your help to make this magic happen! A friend of mine commented recently on how hard it is for artist mothers to make things happen to accept an award. How we MOVE MOUNTAINS to make our art exist!

 Really, we always have help. Moving mountains takes villages full of other movers and inch by inch we accomplish the insurmountable. 

Where can we follow you online?

Please consider joining me on my adventures.

Links | The Collective Mending Sessions

www.collectivemendingsessions.com

IG: @collectivemendingsessions

FB: https://www.facebook.com/collectivemendingsessions

Links | Studio Practice

www.catherinereinhart.com

IG: @catherine_reinhart_studio

FB:https://www.facebook.com/c.r.studioCatherineReinhart

BIO

Catherine Reinhart is an interdisciplinary artist based in Iowa. Reinhart creates fiber work and conducts social practice with abandoned textiles around themes of domestic labor, connection, and care. She received her BFA in Integrated Studio Arts in 2008 from Iowa State University. In 2012, she completed her MFA in Textiles from the University of Kansas. Her works have been exhibited locally, regionally, and nationally. She is the recipient of numerous local, state, and national grants. Reinhart was honored as a 2020 Iowa Artist Fellow, an Artist-in-Residence at Terrain Residency (2021), a recipient of the Alex Brown Foundation’s Residency (2022), and an Artist-in-Residence at the West Cork Arts Center in Ireland (2023).

We’re doing it for them. ↓

We’re doing it for them. ↓

There is ONE DAY left to bring our picture book to life.

If you missed last week’s announcement I’m co-creating a picture book about neurodiversity and sensory processing with . This has been a whirlwind eight day campaign. We’re sitting at 70% funded with just one day to go. (The campaign closes Tuesday at midnight.)

Preorder or donate a copy here.

We will be connecting donations to school, libraries, and neurodivergent families. If you would like to choose the location you book is donated you absolutely can!

We’re writing the book we wish we had growing up.

Here’s a piece that Gracie wrote for Instagram about the why behind this book.

They didn’t know it then–that it wasn’t their fault. That they weren’t just weird. Too loud. Too shy. Too wiggly. Strange. Loners.

That others didn’t feel things the way they did.
That lacey socks didn’t make everyone’s skin crawl.
That other people didn’t find showers torturous.

They didn’t know that there were others like them,
who also collect keys (we both do),
And struggle with change,
And feel the creeping fear of being caught, in every second of every social interaction, if they don’t appear “normal” enough.

That their “flaws” weren’t really flaws–just differences.

That there were words to describe the way they experience the world.

We both grew up undiagnosed autistic (among other things–we’re both multiply neurodivergent), and it’s hard not to feel… a bit haunted by that. To look back at our past selves and wonder if they would have felt less ashamed, discouraged, lonely, if they’d known. But we know, too, that being diagnosed at an early age doesn’t make life easy, or magically mean everyone understands you. As much as we didn’t understand ourselves, neurotypical people didn’t understand us, either. Even if we’d known we were different, we didn’t have any of the words to try to explain how. What it feels like. Why it matters.

That’s why we’re creating our picture book, How it Feels To Me.

It’s for neurotypical people, to understand more of how brains work in general, and why some of us might seem different.

It’s for neurodivergent people, to learn about themselves, & put some of how it feels into words, & find ways to express that to people who wouldn’t understand otherwise.

This book is focused on sensory processing, & the science of how brains work, but if you follow the threads deeper, it’s about a lot more than that.

In a lot of ways, we’re making it for our younger selves.

To reach back through time, & yes, give them facts and words and tools to care for themselves–but even more so, to give them a hug if they want it, and a gentle whisper:

It’s okay, darling. You’re not alone.

We are 70% funded, & there’s ONE day left!

If you’d like to help make this book happen, now is the time!

Click here to preorder or to donate a book to a library, school, or neurodivergent family.

An explanation of overstimulation from an autistic artist

Episode 0002

Today I’m so excited to announce that I am co-creating a picture book with friend and illustrator Gracie Klumpp. 🥳

This is the second episode of Neurodivergent Space Time. This is a little experiment in unmasked podcasting I started last month. If you missed the first episode you can listen here.

Show Notes

Find the transcript here.

Support our picture book How it Feels to Me by pledging or preordering on Indiegogo.

Subscribe to Gracie’s new Substack Leave the Fingerprints and follow her Instagram.

A peek at some of the concept art…

A picture book about neurodiversity and sensory processing.

Surprise! 🥳

I am soooooooooo excited I am to be launching preorders for How it Feels to Me: a picture book about neurodiversity and sensory processing.

I’ve teamed up with Gracie Klumpp, an autistic artist, who is one of my favorite illustrators of ALL TIME!

Here is a peek at some of the concept art:

This is just the beginning so if you want to help the project come to life hop over to Indiegogo to pledge or preorder.

If you do plan to pledge please do so early. The first 24 hours are the most critical for crowdfunding campaigns and help us reach outside our personal networks.

We are also recruiting a hype team to help us spread the word. The best way to make an impact is to tell one friend who you think would love this book.

If you want to help us out click here for blurbs and images you are free to share. 💫

To protect our energy levels we are running this campaign for one week. My launch last year was two weeks and keeping that launch energy for 14 days was too much for me. (Most of you pledged the first or last day anyway so I figure what’s the point?!) 😂

That means you’re going to hear from me 2-3 time this week. It’s a book launch thing and I promise I won’t make a habit of it.

Down the Rabbit Hole is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Other bits and bobs I’d like to recommend this week.

Read

Relating deeply to ‘s archetype of the “good student” in this piece.

Katherine May’s Stray Attention

For your stay attention this weekend…

Briefly: May and June day retreats in Kent, UK | Emma Gannon on How We Live Now | My live appearances | Catch my interviews on Moms Don’t Have Time To Read and How To Be Human Hello, Clearly work is on my mind this week – after writing about working on holiday in my newsletter…

Read more

2 years ago · 94 likes · 32 comments · Katherine May

Watch

to catch a poem by is magic. 💫

Check out these free art education videos from . This program is focused on social emotional learning through art is are open to schools and home educators!

And lastly…

I’m not sure a trailer had ever made me tear up before. This film is loosely based on Steven Spielberg’s life and I seem to be relating pretty deeply to his mama.

Listen

I’ve learned this week that you can purchase the soundtrack for Cozy Grove (the game I mentioned earlier this month). 🎧🥰

This music + my noise cancelling headphones = just what I needed during launch week.

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This section is ann inspiration to browse and close the tabs I keep open on Safari. I am always dangerously close to the 500 tab limit. Hopefully these creative breadcrumbs offer some inspiration.

The Superb Fairy Wren is definitely magic. I discovered this bird through a sweet little video on Instagram by someone I’ve forgotten. (Do pipe up in comments if it was you!) Photo via Flickr

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That’s it for now.

Thanks for all your support, always. 🥰

Down the Rabbit Hole is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

April 25, 2023

This Substack is regenerating into a podcast!

I’ve had an epiphany about how I want to show up here inspired by my friend Gracie Klumpp. We’ve been exchanging voice notes about autism and neurodivergence and she suggested they would be a great podcast.

This episode is a bit of an introduction, but I hope to show up here with the same types of conversations I have with my neurodivergent friends.

I want to embrace questions and have nuanced conversations. Neurodivergence is different for everyone so perfect answers don’t really exist.

Let’s explore neurodivergent space time together.

Neurodivergent Space Time is a listener-supported podcast. To support transcription services and join the community consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Show Notes

Find the transcript here.

Gracie and I are co-creating a picture book! It’s all about neurodiversity and sensory processing. You’ll hear more soon.

Hit reply if you’d like to join the Hype Team and help us spread the word! 🥳

Follow us on IG @sarahdshotts & @gracieklumpp.

Join the Conversation

I’d love to know what resonates and hear a bit of your origin story if you’re comfortable sharing!

Neuro kindreds aren’t as scarce in this world as I used to think. Somehow we end up in each other’s orbits. 💫

I’m so glad you made it here to Neurodivergent Space Time. If you want to keep in touch be sure to subscribe! 🥰

Making art from old clothes and textiles.

My next creative project is inspired by vintage “crazy quilts.” If you’re a fabric or clothing hoarder I need your help!

I am looking for fabrics that are:

• Textured (velvet, brocade, satin, jacquard, upholstery fabric, corduroy, etc.)

• Has a story to tell (would love old clothes, ties, tablecloths, pillow covers, furnishings, etc.) but living in your stash as a beloved fabric waiting to be used is also a story.

• Preference to jewel tones, but may use other colors if the textures are amazing

• Bonus points for vintage, but I’m also interested in raiding your sewing stash if you have something that fits!

I’m open to trading something from my hoard or I can reimburse you for shipping costs!

Image Credit: Folk Art Museum

Down the Rabbit Hole is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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A peek into my creative process and an update on my collection, “This is my Brain on Motherhood.”

I’m still recovering from my first book festival so I haven’t been making art in the studio this week. Unless you count the fun Davy and I had with these new thrifted pop beads.

https://instagram.com/p/Cq8pxy1JIw4/

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Other bits and bobs I’d like to recommend this week.

Read

I almost could have written this myself . In fact we had a pajama day today.

Becoming an author

Let’s stay in our pyjamas

“Pyjama day?” “Pyjama day!” My kids never say ‘no’ to a pyjama day. It’s the school holidays here (again 🙃) and we’re all still in our nightwear as lunchtime approaches. That’s partly down to the fact that our youngest is ill and the adults of the household barely slept last night. But, even if we had, we’re in…

Read more

2 years ago · 6 likes · 2 comments · Hayley J Dunlop

Loved this reflection on choice, chance, and DADA from .

“When we set up constraints and let go of infinite decision-making, we start to collaborate with the universe.”

DrawTogether with WendyMac

Drawing Medicine for Decision Fatigue

DT and Grown-Ups Table friends! Hi, it’s Wendy. Happy you’re here. A little overview for the newly joined: Looking for DrawTogether videos and podcasts? Find them here. DrawTogether Classrooms for educators is here. What’s this newsletter? Every Sunday I sent out a drawing/life-related dispatch called the…

Read more

2 years ago · 71 likes · 23 comments · Wendy MacNaughton

Listen

Levar Burton speaking about his love for speculative fiction and Star Trek on Don’t Ask Tig,

“I believe that the storytelling that we do… is very probably the most powerful tool ever invented in the history of civilization for creating change on a societal level.”

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Hopefully these creative breadcrumbs offer some inspiration.

For Readers

Built in bookshelves have been a bit of a theme for me this week.

First I learned from that Harrison Ford build Joan Didion’s bookcases. Then I saw these bookshelves on Instagram.

https://instagram.com/p/CqyEE8TgeuG/

The takeaway? I need to learn how to build my own bookshelves. Maybe carpentry will be my big project in 2024.

For Parents

“Flamingos – both male and female – can lose their pink pigments outside of breeding season. That’s because the breeding is so intensive and so much of their food is used for their chicks. During this time their white colour basically means ‘Please leave me alone. I’m a little bit exhausted from breeding – I’ll join in the dancing later.’”

BBC Science Focus Magazine

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I love supporting Renaissance Souls and neurodivergent folks who are discovering their own unique ways of working. Here are all the ways you can work with me.

• Join the Creative Ecosystem Companionship for $35 a month.

• Buy my book Discover Your Creative Ecosystem (available as ebook, audiobook, hardcover, and illustrated journal.)

• Subscribe to Neurodivergent Spacetime my Substack podcast about working with your neurotype and not fighting against it.

• Follow me on Instagram.

• Here on Substack! I love connecting in comments. Or become a paying subscriber and unlock bonus content including quarterly Q&A’s.

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Last week I rebranded my podcast as Neurodivergent Spacetime. I know it seems like I’m doing a lot sometimes, but this is just the way my brain works. I’ve finally realized I have to channel this energy into something or it will spin off into anxious loops.

If your natural speed is different than mine please don’t think it’s “wrong.” We all have to work in the ways that are best for us. 🥰

Cheers,

Down the Rabbit Hole is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

April 13, 2023