Hello Friends!

I have a confession to make. I’ve been avoiding sending newsletters now for years. If you’re on my mailing list, you’ll have noticed this!

After dozens of these failed attempts to “figure it out”, I can now officially say it’s been YEARS since I’ve sent out a newsletter. I’m not proud of this. Short of scheduling my way-overdue dental cleaning, this is the longest running point of procrastination in my life! What I’ve realized though, is that all this procrastinating was really just fear and uncertainty. A fear of my words not being “enough”. A fear that I will look foolish. Feeling uncertain of what I wanted to say. A fear that I’ll share and no one will care. Aren’t these always the big fears we face when we want to put ourselves out there in a new way?

Well, I am happy to report that this week, I finally DID IT. I finally sent something to people’s inboxes! *gasp!* Some people didn’t care. Some probably never opened it at all. But some did, and a few kind souls even sent some lovely, supportive replies back (thank you!)

My plan for this newsletter was simple: stop planning! Instead of trying to figure out what to say, I just sat down and started writing whatever came. Anytime I can let the words just flow out is usually when the stuff that needs to be said, gets said. I should know this by now, having been writing my whole life, but sometimes it’s easier said than done.

So what happened as I let those words flow out? Well, something came out all on it’s own: what I really want to share in my newsletters is my passion for exploring creative wellness. This is actually a huge part of my day to day life. Creativity keeps me ticking. It has saved me and healed me time and time again, but it’s actually something I am pretty quiet about. When I let the words flow out though, and then stepped back to look over the entire letter, I felt like I’d finally gotten out of my own way long enough to let something meaningful happen. That is always a magic moment. 

I guess this is all to say that, I really really care about creativity and how it can make us happier, healthier people. I’ve spent the majority of my life using creativity in all kinds of ways to do this for myself and sometimes for others… and I want to write about that more.

For anyone who has enjoyed my words here, you can join me via these Letters from the Studio, too! I may sometimes share news, art techniques and new work there... but mostly, these will be very personal letters about living a creatively-centered life. My goal is to give a little creative fuel and connection to others who might need it. Sometimes I will share actionable prompts or projects, other times, it will simply be reflections on my own journey - what’s hard, what’s beautiful, what’s working and what’s not. Whether you feel like you are creative or not, I want be that little reminder in your inbox that creativity can be more than just making beautiful things. It is a tool and a mindset that can add depth, meaning and a sense of connection to our lives in endless ways.  

I’m feeling so fired up to start this! I’ll be sharing a new letter from the studio at the beginning of each month, starting in December! If you’re interested, you can sign up to receive letters here!

I hope you are well, and I’ll be seeing you here on the blog, or in your inbox, soon!

- With Love -
Sarah