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Well! This is overdue…
Was it resistance to creative vulnerability? Was it divine procrastination? Was it a too-full schedule—a reality at this season in my life—that collided with a tendency to spin my wheels with what is most urgent… or most shiny?
Really, I think it was because I became slightly hermetic after deciding that, yup, I’m finally ready to transition away from Instagram in a major way (gulp… more on that in this letter).
Here’s the scene in this moment:
I am sitting in a cozy chair whose hue I can only describe as grandma green. Do you… do you know what I mean? I think it’s technically forest green that has lightened over the years. And I’m here with my warm lemon tea. But! I have also had some Synsepalum dulcificum.
Sounds like a psychedelic, but it’s actually a fruit. If you haven’t tried one yet, this West African berry makes sour foods taste like sugar because of a protein called miraculin.
On the outside, you’ll find me oddly guzzling warm lemon water.
On the inside, I am reveling in warm, almost-too-sweet, carnival lemonade.
Personally I’m prone to acne and stress baking, so I’m curious how this shift might show in my complexion. Didn’t expect this letter to start with a surprise ‘resonant resource’, did you?
If you also like this berry, let me know what you have it with in a comment below!
Onto the studio notes!
My intention in this letter is to show you what is happening behind-the-scenes because…
1) There are many artists, writers, freelancers and small business owners that read these letters… and the day-to-day can feel lonely with a mountain of tasks—and solitary leaps—when you don’t see others doing the same kinds of things.
2) I’m nosy and you might be too??
3) My past self said I would. I am a firm believer that whoever you were last week, last month, last year (and on and on) has so much wisdom for the you of today. So with the studio notes, I trust the creative impulse and I value living out loud. Sharing parts of where we are at, while we’re in them middle of it, flattens learning curves and offers the humbling reminder that we are all just figuring out how to be a person.
So… let’s get into it?!!
🔸 If you’re reading this in email, click here to read it in all of its aesthetic glory and to savor the reading of it. This is a longer letter with many pictures, and it’s too big for email (meaning you’ll miss whole sections of it!) so click that link above to read the web-version of the post! 🔸
And if you want to start with the first Studio Notes, it’s this way…
I’m going to start with the pragmatics and share what is brewing in the background. In the next Studio Notes, you’ll find some gentle musings on lessons that Regarding Dew is teaching me in real-time, lessons that I (often stubbornly) learn again and again, each time with more nuance. Because these ones are much less personal (and also very overdue), I’m making these Studio Notes public. If you are not yet a paid-subscriber, I hope that you enjoy reading them and consider supporting Regarding Dew Letters. Doing so also gives you access to loads of beautiful perks, including New Moon Writing Gatherings.
If you would like to stay with the public posts only, dropping a ‘like’ at the top lets me know that you are receiving these words ❣️
What’s happening behind the scenes?
Private Client Work
I have been in training intensives, crafting onboarding processes that feel beautiful and aligned at every level (see below for a peek), studying and practicing my tush off…
I’m in the long-game with my vocation and my impact, and I’m devoted to practicing mastery without giving into the siren song of perfectionism.
Learning and growing through communities of practice, like the Community Discovery Writing Gatherings, New Moon Writing Gatherings (just a couple weeks til the next one!), and courses is a place of healing and invigoration.
And, being able to go deep with someone over three, six, nine months is world-shifting for private clients (and a cherished privilege to witness).
I’ve also been busy crafting a prettty lovely survey for feeler calls this month. This is the part of the process where we feel out where you’re at, what you desire and need in this season in your life, and if it’s a fit for us both.
If you’re interested in exploring private sessions with me, and not sure if you’re a fit, just fill out the survey below and we’ll find a time to connect!
The questions might be swimming in your mind: is Maggy a coach now?!
I’m still a creative weirdo applying these two quotes to everything I do:
From Paulo Freire…
If I am not in the world simply to adapt to it, but rather transform it, and if it is not possible to change the world without a certain dream or vision for it, I must make use of every possibility there is not only to speak about my utopia, but also to engage in practices consistent with it.
From Hermann Hesse…
My goal is this: always to put myself in the place in which I am best able to serve, wherever my gifts and qualities find the best soil to grow, the widest field of action.
Using “coaching” methods—what I think of as transformational skills—has been part of Regarding Dew since its inception because they work. But I don’t dig the label for myself, like most labels, and I’m not interested in being clumped with an industry that represents people who are devoted to their craft of co-creating transformation with their clients (and damn good at it!) and other people that… peddle beliefs that are contrary to my own.
Also, I don’t care to be in an industry or aspire to be an ‘industry disruptor’, I care about crafting a life that feels so juicy and true to me—even with all of the very real limitations—and supporting you in doing the same in your own way.
At this point, I’m considering adding ‘mentorship’ to clarify what these private sessions are (also to distinguish that I’m not a consultant). I’ve had three people refer to this private client offering as mentorship, and it sounded right hearing it mirrored back.
This label is often utilized in corporate settings, when I think of it as a firmly non-corporate concept. Hmm… curious to hear your thoughts below: what do the words mentor and mentorship stir up for you?
When I read what Hiro Boga writes about mentorship, I feel it in my heart. I hope that whatever power-dynamic that exists in that label is shaken and redefined through heart-centered mentors that hold space for YOUR wisdom to blossom and guide you. Anyway, this is an ongoing contemplation.
If you want to be in the deep exploration with me and receive private support in crafting a self-referenced, creative, connected life: click that button below…
In-person Community Discovery Writing Gatherings
Local. In-person. With flowers and candles and coffee…. Breathe. Breathe, I’m telling myself. The first one is in a couple weeks! I’ll let you know how it goes if you’re interested.
Going out on a limb here: If you are based in North America and would be interested in having an in-person Community Discovery Writing Gathering in your area, please send me an email at maggy@regardingdew.com and we’ll chat! Especially with spring almost here, it wouldn’t be too shabby to take this thing on tour :)
The online writing gatherings will still continue!
If you’ve made it this far, thank you. Please give this letter a like (at the top) and/or drop a comment. 💫
I would love to hear what projects you are starting, in the middle of, or wrapping up!
Recording Gentle Musings episodes?!
I’m nervous to share this with you.
Recording episodes is a FEAT. I get nervous, things get circuitous, and then I get nervous again about how squiggly it becomes. This is a constant dance of preparing enough (structure, honey!) and not getting too rigid, which just spikes the nerves more.
Potentially there is an opportunity to re-frame non-linear thinking: not only is it how I think, but when I listen to people who ‘follow the thread’ of what they are exploring, while still upholding a main intention, those are the conversations/podcasts/interviews that land most deeply in my memory. Those are the exact dialogues that start to pull at something foundational in how I approach myself, others, and this world.
Plus, they’re called Gentle Musings for a reason!
All this to say that planning, recording, and editing in the wobbly beginner stage takes swaths of time. But it’s on its way! I’m over here trying to trust the timing… If you’d like to listen to the first couple episodes (before I went and put the whole thing on pause with news of an international move) you can listen here, and maybe leave a five-star review while you’re there <3
Crowns and jewelry
These have fallen to the wayside because of the first area that I mentioned, but I have new beads and have been sorting through old beads and can’t wait to make more crowns that make people’s days. Much more to say on this but I’d rather show you soon…
Weaning off Instagram
Whew. That ‘place’, that hole, that vortex, that luscious swarm of inspiration that makes my nervous system feel like static. I’ve tried re-orienting my relationship to the app so many times (having set times to check, set days to check, unfollowing, muting, etc.) and… my mind is drawn to it constantly, even when I don’t open it. I have SO many thoughts on this, especially parasocial relationships and its consequences on living out loud, as well as why now is the time to step away from it (at least 90%—I will post this letter there so that it reaches people), and I’ve actually recorded an episode about this very thing. Yes, it’s circuitous and I hope that you enjoy it. Part of moving away from IG is filming videos for youtube! Excited for what is developing here…
Organizing notes upon notes upon notes
I’m an explosive note-taker.
They are everywhere. Stack of notebooks, legal pads, post-its, stickies on my desktop, Google sheets, Notion pages galore, random emails sent to myself (I’ve cut down on this habit 98%), binders of notes, boxes of notes, notes stuffed into books and scribbled on pages…
One of the great things about stepping away from social media is that I have less information to hoard and tell myself that I’ll ‘read later’ 🙃
If you also need to write in order to think, I have one word for you:
Obsidian.
Obsidian is a “knowledge base and note-taking software application”—think Google Drive + Notion in the best possible way. It is OFFLINE, folks.
I can’t recommend Obsidian enough. Plus, if you are a visual and non-linear thinker, you can ‘link’ all of your notes and create a web of knowledge.
This image above represents my (digitized) notes for Regarding Dew. I don’t think it’s clear in the image, but the pink is glowy on my screen. You can also set all of the colors (including the background) in a way that best suits your aesthetic. HIGHLY recommend. If you use Obsidian or if you’re going to check it out, let me know! I’m planning to keep you updated as that graphic develops.
I hope that you enjoyed reading these Studio Notes. Keep an eye out for the upcoming ones that dive into the emotional and spiritual side of growing a business, making art, and crafting a life that is a creative practice in itself.
If you would like to join the next New Moon Writing Gathering, I’ll share the exact date and time soon. This is available only to paid-supporters of the letters. If you are not yet a paid-supporter and would like to support this work, please click that button below. I am deeply grateful for your attention and support.
XO
Maggy