What’s up, swimmers?! I am flying solo today. Feels good to be back in your inbox in this way!
First things first, thank you to every single one of the wise and gorgeous guests that have graced SITS with their time and energy in the last six months. Thank you Hanna Williams, Maria Minnis, Meg Jones Wall, Sam Valentine, Care, Christine, Missing Witches, John A. Rice, Shahir Suprasensory, and Kir Beaux! Every single conversation was expansive and nourishing, and I hope that you were able to snag some takeaways too.
If you missed any, please please please go through the archives and listen!
Next, I have some really fucking exciting announcements, which also prove to be lovely segues to the meat and potatoes of today: Starting and Sticking With Creative Projects.
I have had the immense honor and pleasure of being asked to contribute an essay to Cassandra Snow’s TAROT: IN OTHER WORDS, and anthology of essential writing by leading queer tarot writers and community leaders about their tarot practice and its relevance to LGBTQ+ issues, with contributions from Charlie Claire Burgess, Meg Jones Wall, Siri Vincent Plouff, Asalie Earthwork, Maria Minnis, Nick Kepley, and other truly magical individuals.
Here’s the official Deal Report that ran in Publisher’s Marketplace — my first!
Now, if that weren’t exciting enough, I have also had the better-than-good fortune of signing with Kelly Van Sant at kt literary for literary representation!
It’s a dream come true, a long-time goal achieved, and much, much more. I really cannot wait to a) keep writing, and b) see what we can do together! Thank you Kelly for getting in the ring with me, thank you Cassandra for the trust and for making this all happen in more ways than one, and thank you to every pivot along the path that has led me here.
I’ve been pinching myself daily.
I’ve also been low-key freaking out about the fact that I’m back at the beginning of new creative work.
The beginning phases of things can be so tender, so nerve-wracking, and sometimes so fragile that we bend and break altogether, shelving our greatness before it even gets a chance to spread its wings.
So what can we do to help ourselves start and stick with new creative projects and practices?
In today’s episode, I share my personal tips and tricks like:
Making Creative Work Witchy through Candle Magic - Why it’s my favorite long-lasting spell for writing projects, what kind and color of candles to use, how to dress them with symbols like numbers, runes, or homemade sigils, etc.
The Serenity of Scheduling - On putting time to work on the dreaded calendar, creating space to commune with the muse, and the schedules of prolific creators, including the one that I’m currently playing with, Ursula K. LeGuin’s schedule:
Better Prep Work Through Brain Science - Using Lisa Cron’s Story Genius to help deepen your world-building work, and create a story worth telling!
Then, I answer some questions from fellow swimmers about creating boundaries around creative work (especially from the point of view of Manifestors in Human Design), and how to work with the Summer Solstice — coming up on June 21st! — to kick-off kick-ass summer projects!
Finally, in case you don’t want to take my word for it, I share some book recs that have greatly supported me and my work over the years, which you can find on my Bookshop.org Shop!
My shop currently has three lists:
Pride Picks - Books by and about queer folks that are perfect for a summer read!
On Witchcraft - Books on magic, spell crafting, tarot, numerology, and more!
On Writing - Books on creativity and the craft (including the ones mentioned in today’s episode)
PS. Anything purchased through my shop gives me a little pocket change too, so thanks in advance for purchasing books in an independent and mutually beneficial way!
On Starting & Sticking With Creative Projects