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Three quick questions

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in

and September rabbit holes 🐇

A vintage engraving style illustration of a dusty green rabbit jumping over typewriter text that reads, down the rabbit hole

Hey y’all,

Davy is sick so I’m keeping things short and simple this week.

I’m also processing some changes Substack is making.

It seems like they are trying to be Twitter and I am not a happy camper about it. 😩

Could you answer some questions for me?

I’d love to hear from you before I make some decisions about my email list & membership program.

Thank you!

No pressure at all to become a paid subscriber.

I am just trying to gauge where to spend my energy and what people are interested in.

in the studio

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

Collection of items from under the couch set out in rainbow order.

Last week we turned the couch over to find something (I forget what). When I saw the range of lost items I put them in a box to clean and photograph.

Yesterday Davy helped me clean them and sort by color. I did this layout and then he did some compositions I don’t have edited yet.

This piece is called Domestic Archaeology and may be the first in a series.

Being able to do this kind of work with and around Davy is a game changer.

https://instagram.com/p/CxJFQrFRKwY/

of shoes and ships and sealing wax

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

Books

I may end up writing a whole post about this, but I finally opened Making Comics by Lynda Barry, which has been nestled in the kitchen with my cookbooks for almost a year. It is wonderful. Lynda is essentially teaching university students to draw like kids and it’s been such an inspiration to sit and draw with Davy and not worry about whether what I’m drawing is any “good.” I’m curious to see what comes of it.

Making Comics book looks like a composition notebook with hand drawn title and doodles all over. The main image is a figure holding a torch. Author is Lynda Barry.

Substack Reads

The best thing about Substack has been discovering so many new creators over the past year. Here are a few of my favorite reads from September.

The Light on the Sea
The Books I am Afraid to Write
Like a lot of recovering anxiously-perfectionist first-born millennial daughters, I am spending a lot of my late thirties reflecting on the revolutionary idea that I don’t always have to do what other people want or pressure me to do, and that ‘no’ is a complete sentence. Never mind just reflecting, I’ve been implementing it, enjoying and then swiftly a…
Read more
a year ago · 52 likes · 17 comments · Gillian Eilidh O’Mara
The Clearing by Katherine May
How to keep a writer’s notebook
Hello, Yesterday, when I sat down at my desk, I couldn’t find my notebook. The panic that brought: without it, a part of my brain was missing. It wasn’t that I wanted to find information in it – instead, I wanted to write in it. A stray piece of paper wouldn’t do. I needed, in that moment, to add to that particular collection of words, to find the relief…
Read more
a year ago · 514 likes · 35 comments · Katherine May
A Sourdough Story
Sourdough Apple Fritter Cake
Slow Baking. A way to truly slow down and use all of our senses to ground our entire being. Our minds and bodies. Could you take a couple hours to simply BE and CREATE? Could you sign off from life for a bit and use this time to focus on the now. Ask yourself, What could I gain by taking a couple restful hours half way through the week to make something beautiful and nourishing? Nourishing to your mind, body, and soul…
Read more
a year ago · 12 likes · 2 comments · Chapin

Watch

I loved this video chat with and Beth Pickens.

After watching I immediately ordered Beth’s book which has been on my TBR list for years. (I believe this was originally a paid post and has been temporarily unlocked so maybe don’t put this one off if you’re wanting to watch it.)

Austin Kleon
Art advice with Beth Pickens
Watch now (81 mins) | Hey y’all, Last week I had the pleasure to chat with art coach Beth Pickens, author of Make Your Art No Matter What and Your Art Will Save Your Life. Beth and I share many of the same core messages, but I come at making art from the inside of being a working artist and Beth comes at it from the outside of working with artists, so she picks up things tha…
Read more
a year ago · 141 likes · 49 comments · Austin Kleon
too many tabs

I am always dangerously close to the 500 tab limit on my mobile phone. Maybe this will help me remember to delete them?

How gorgeous are these Object Arrangement Prints by Lisa Congdon?

https://instagram.com/p/Cxaz3VBxQ_5/

They remind me of Philippa Stanton (@5ftinf on IG) who I interviewed on my podcast an absolute lifetime ago.

https://instagram.com/p/CoUdUvIoLL0/

Here’s the podcast episode. I’m probably cringe, but Philippa is fabulous.

Hop in my time machine and visit this post from this time last year. Apparently September is for sitting at the kitchen table and drawing.

That’s all for this week. Thanks for being here.

I appreciate you.

Sarah's signature with a big swoopy S

Comments

  1. Amber Horrox Avatar
    Amber Horrox

    I need to do this with my community in regards to additional service interest. Currently I pay for 2-3 different spaces I get a lot from and I’m starting to feel more confident in offering them myself (though in a very different way) xx

    Reply
    1. Sarah Shotts Avatar
      Sarah Shotts

      It’s been illuminating, but also confusing. Frequency is pretty much hovering around 50 / 50 which is no help at all. 😂

      Reply
      1. Amber Horrox Avatar
        Amber Horrox

        Go with what will energise you. What feels the most joyful. And give space in between so that you Can keep it that way. Give without over giving. Give, with space in between to receive.
        (I sure am feeling wisdom my this morning 😆 I’ll have to embody this advice myself!)

        Reply
        1. Sarah Shotts Avatar
          Sarah Shotts

          I’ve posted weekly for so long because I “should” this is the first time I’m questioning it. Wondering if I turned that energy in another direction what would grow. 🌱

          Reply
          1. Amber Horrox Avatar
            Amber Horrox

            Oooh now I’m looking forward to seeing how that newfound curiosity pans out for you 🧐☺️

  2. Claire Venus ✨ Avatar
    Claire Venus ✨

    Oh so so gorgeous!! I will listen to your episode with Phillipa! She inspired my photo of the toy horse and the pennies I want to revisit this weekend!! I will follow you whether you go and pay to see anything you want to share on process how ever often. Workshops and talks would be great but I feel like in this season and with time zones – I’d catch up on those. ✨🍫👩🏽‍💻

    Reply
    1. Sarah Shotts Avatar
      Sarah Shotts

      I’m hearing the Gilmore Girls theme song now “Where you lead I will follow…” 🎶 Oh, I love Philippa! We podcasted before I was a mum. I asked her about being an artist & parent and it really stuck with me. 🥰

      Reply
      1. Claire Venus ✨ Avatar
        Claire Venus ✨

        Ahhh love those guys!! ✨✨✨💕✨✨✨

        Reply
  3. Jocelyn Mathewes Avatar
    Jocelyn Mathewes

    IMO Sarah, do whatever you feel works best for you! I’m happy to be here and support your work however I can. I enjoy your content and don’t need a workshop or anything from you other than just hearing how you think.

    Reply
    1. Sarah Shotts Avatar
      Sarah Shotts

      Thank you Jocelyn! I’ve been posting weekly for so long I’m starting to feel curious about how it would feel to apply that energy elsewhere. 💫

      Reply
  4. Katie Gresham Avatar
    Katie Gresham

    I just read Lynda Barry’s books too. I’m curious about adding comics into my art practice.

    Reply
    1. Sarah Shotts Avatar
      Sarah Shotts

      She is so brilliant! If you do I’d love to see. ✏️

      Reply
  5. Jeffrey Streeter Avatar
    Jeffrey Streeter

    I love the look and feel of this newsletter – one of the most engaging designs on Substack (and I’ve seen a lot). The list of recommended reads is also helpful and the way they are embedded (if that is the term) seems better than a simple link.

    Reply
    1. Sarah Shotts Avatar
      Sarah Shotts

      Thank you Jeffrey! The embed actually happens automatically when you paste a link to a Substack article, YouTube, or Instagram. I like it too.

      Reply
  6. Tamzin Avatar
    Tamzin

    Oh I’m so excited to listen to the episode with Phillipa 😊

    Reply
    1. Sarah Shotts Avatar
      Sarah Shotts

      I just adore her! Definitely a creative muse. 🌈

      Reply
  7. Stephanie Ascough Avatar
    Stephanie Ascough

    I’m not a fan of these changes either! I always appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

    Reply
    1. Sarah Shotts Avatar
      Sarah Shotts

      Thank you Stephanie. I was so excited to have a slow paced long form platform that the changes have given me whiplash.

      Reply

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