I’m focusing on my roots at the moment, finding my footing and comfort in the person that I am, in my writing, while acknowledging that I am highly sensitive and things have to be different than they were. I’m trying to nurture my stream.
Curiosity and creativity comes from nature, conversations online and offline, books and stories from my family, places I am from or have visited.
Hi, I’m Gráinne, living in the west of Ireland. I started my SubStack without any particular direction or goal but it has become a place to talk about our journey through autism after our ten year old was diagnosed earlier this year.
So lovely to find another way to connect with you. I am new to subsack and very much finding my feet. I am using my space here to try to let myself be with the words that I find swimming in my head and not get caught up how that might look in the way I do with social media. I am having a little time out at the moment as the world has caught up with me, and so I am loving finding a space that feels open and (as much as I can manage at the mo) unencumbered.
You create lovely, safe spaces and so I am very grateful to be here xx
So pleased to see you here, Clare! Still finding my way with Substack too but it feels like the antidote to the quick fire of socials. I enjoy Instagram but think I’ll soften my approach there so I can balance it with time spent here. Unencumbered is the word 💛
Ahhh such a beautiful invitation! I love that we have connected here after crossing paths in random ways over the past few years!! Feels like lifetimes ago we met on that zoom call with Hayley!
I have always found your intentional and thoughtful approach to Branding to be so inspiring. Everything really does have such meaning and that’s so beautiful to see in your work! I’m excited to be here to soak in more of your magic.
I am Lauren, a multi-passionate Mother of two daughters, Sophia is nearly 4 and Vesper is 8 months... so in terms of chapters I’m very much in the early Motherhood years of snatching pockets of time to be creative and fill up my cup, while also running a web design business, coaching, guiding others through human design and writing in my little sanctuary here about the magic, the mess and the sacredness of Motherhood.
Definitely in the ‘juggle’ phase and have to work hard at staying slow and not getting frazzled as I unravel from many years of hyper-productivity!!! But also really feel like this postpartum and this year turning 40... I am really landing into myself and finding my own unique rhythms.
So grateful for your words here in this space and all your support. Xxx
Gosh that call does seem like forever ago! I miss those kinds of opportunities for connection 🥹
I’m excited to see where the next chapter takes you. Feels as though we’re crossing paths again at similar times in our lives. And I’m interested to know more about your Human Design work so we must properly connect around that when I have more structure!
Thank you so much for your kinds words. They mean a lot, especially during this postpartum phase where I’m prone to the occasional existential crisis 🙃💛
Yes I miss them too!!! Definitely not a huge amount of space for them in this season!!
Oh the tenderness of these first few years again... alongside running a business... it’s a lot... and I feel like postpartum is like one big existential crisis!! 🤪 But I trust that on the other side is magic! Ha! I’m right there with you.
Would love to share more on Human Design when you have the space and structure there. I could talk about it for hours! Xxx
Hi, Sarah! Thanks so much for the invite to your nook. And I too am having a hard time remembering when and where I first came across your SS... it might have been a recommendation from Charlene??
In any case, I'm Maribel and I am very glad to be here. I think there are lots of sources of inspiration for me but as late, my curiosity and creativity have been heavily fueled by all the wonderful and supportive people here on SS. It's everything I wanted from social media (which just affirms my decision to delete all of my accounts elsewhere). Other sources of inspo include spirituality, the occult/esoterica, film and film studies, literature, and content creators/artists on YouTube.
I am currently on a sabbatical of sorts from full-time work. I fill my days with various projects and hobbies in addition to taking care of our home and making sure the husband is well-fed. 😁
It's so lovely to meet you and all the gentle voices in this thread! Hello, all! 😌
Lovely to meet you, Maribel, and I couldn’t agree more. This is such a supportive space. It’s really fuelled my enthusiasm over the last few weeks since I took a little pressure off myself around how I had originally planned to show up. And the variety of content is wonderful too.
Excited to see where your sabbatical takes you. The perfect time to get curious 🤗
I’m Hannah, I’m 38 and I was a school music teacher for 16 years before I realised that it didn’t work for me and so I have recently retrained as an interior designer. I’m now teaching part-time, building my business and unleashing my creativity all over the place. I would never have considered myself a writer, but a couple of months ago I decided I was going to start a Substack and I haven’t looked back. I have a podcast in the planning stages which will feature women who have made a significant career shift a little later in life. I’d love to connect with more people on here, it’s my favourite place in the online world right now.
Hi Sarah, I love this idea of a cosy corner for connection, it really is a dream to meet like-minded people here and to feel part of a beautiful tapestry of creativity.
I’m Lyndsay and I can’t remember how I came across Brand Seasons first. Anyway, I remember your words and offering immediately landing with me as my background is in PR (for interiors/design brands) which has some crossovers with branding and I have found that living cyclically and seasonally hugely important in my life.
I left my role as the director of a small PR agency in London before having my daughter at the end of Jan 2020 and I have been navigating the wilds of motherhood with my 3.5 year old and 1.5 year old since...!
Living creatively is important to me and I feel as though I am finally beginning to find the space to reclaim this (though I tried to weave creativity into everyday life when the space wasn’t available).
Connection, collaboration, discussing ideas and drawing out stories in a meaningful way has always been at the heart of things for me and I look forward to exploring more of this on Substack.
Thanks for sharing more about your life and work. I can relate to the wilds of motherhood! And what you’ve said about Substack and connection. It really is such a beautiful space for collaboration and a huge source of inspiration.
Hi Sarah and everyone! I’ve been on Substack for about a year and was drawn to learning more about design/branding/marketing/PR to figure out if writing was something I could turn into a side hustle (or even a main hustle one day!) Currently I have a full time corporate job which doesn’t leave me with much time, energy or mental space for creativity and I am constantly flirting on the edges of burnout so I am more of an observer at the moment. I am trying to learn what I can on the side and try my hand at writing when I feel I have something to say and to build up a bit of confidence. Mostly I am looking for a community of like-minded people to find and share inspiration and connection. Thank you for creating such a lovely space. x
You’re so welcome, Victoria. Thanks for being here and for sharing your story. It’s exciting to learn more about your hopes for the future! You write so beautifully 🥰💛
A lovely intro + invite, Sarah! I’m endlessly curious about the themes of balance and practice, and currently in a season of exploring a new life in coastal Scotland after moving from California via London.
Thanks as ever for your work + inspiration, and the clarity + connection it fosters. xx
Thank you for being here, Erin! And for your kind words. Looking forward to exploring with you this summer. (You’ve reminded me that I owe you an email 💛)
I'm not sure what lead me to this post when it originated on 7 September, before I joined Substack, but I think it's a lovely invitation and have enjoyed reading the replies.
I live in Perthshire on the southern edge of the Highlands with my partner (and our beloved collie Braan until least year). Somehow I've made a living as a freelance outdoor writer and photographer for the past 25 years. In that time I've done quite a variety of writing, including copywriting for nature and tourist agencies and press releases. But the bulk of my work, especially recently, has been walks guidebooks and active travel features (latterly campervan-based).
Most of my friends are retired or heading that way, but I am reluctant to join them, although I'd love more time to join all the activities they get up to. For me, working is an excuse to do what I enjoy: walking and exploring, mainly around Scotland. I suspect I'll keep going until I drop.
I have a stalled nature memoir half written and am conscious that I always favour paying gigs over my own creativity. That is what's drawn me to Substack – the idea that I could develop my personal writing and (I hope) find a new audience for it. Maybe I'll share some of my book and find new impetus for it. At present I'm studying all the advice I can find on here before launching my own publication in 2024.
Perthshire is one of my favourite places. I used to live close to Pitlochry, only for a little while, but enough time to appreciate its beauty. Your writing career sounds incredible!
I you have an incomplete memoir and while I make a living doing creative work I really want to make more space for that project. Are you following Lindsay Johnstone of What Now? She’s doing some really interesting stuff around her memoir.
Not following Lindsay yet, but will head that way now. Yes, Perthshire is a beautiful part of the world, but so are the Scottish Borders. I spent a few weeks down there researching a new Pathfinder walks guide that’s just been published and was amazed by the choice of walks. I had a long list of about 200!
It's called Scottish Borders and is part of the Ordnance Survey Pathfinder series: https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/scottish-borders-pathfinder-guidebook-88/?sku=9780319092583 They recently introduced a series called Short Walks Made Easy (1 to 5 miles in length and ideal for little ones) and I'm currently working on two new ones. Some of the Pathfinder walks are probably too long for wee legs, but they do include quite a few short walks.
So lovely to hear more of who you are and how much we overlap. I feel like a similar curiosity seeker, though in Somerset, and I think I'm happiest too when holding my favorite ceramic mug in one hand and a pen in the other. I'm finding that creativity is so crucial to have I feel in my world, and I've loved making space for it over on Substack. Looking forward to joining a session in the future and following more of what you're doing. xc
Yes, I’m enjoying it here too, especially the opportunity to write long-form content without wondering if people will read it.
I’ve been meaning to get in touch actually and ask if I might repurpose the piece I wrote for If Lost Start Here, and direct people back there and to you, of course. I think it would resonate with folk and I’d love to reshare it 🥰
Love this little intro corner you created 🥰 the task of describing who I am in a few sentences always fills me with a bit of anxiety. Putting labels to what is evolving and changing, who I am has shifted so much over the years. 😅
But I guess in a short-ish: I’m Carmen based in Germany, I lived in the Uk for over 5 years (Australia, Israel, Greece for short stints) and found my way back home to the Bavarian Alps very unintentionally but in the search for more calm, quiet and a slower life.
I’ve been writing ever since I could hold a pencil, and published well-being content for other organisations and ran large online events on female leadership and the future of work during the pandemic. Was involved in academic research, global peace projects in the non-profit space in the past.
I’m a women’s specialised yoga teacher who doesn’t teach atm, sound therapists, cyclical business informed mentor to startups in the education, culture and well-being space.
I work for a Silicon Valley tech company in the work management space, empowering teams to transform the way the collaborate and set up their workflows to reach their goals. I love all things future of work, getting things done, having less noise and being able to focus on what matters most to us in our day to day. Absolutely love working with some cool brands in EMEA and seeing the impact on thousands of people.
My current focus is on bringing all this to Substack again more. I’m overflowing with creative ideas and offering drafts in my head ✨
Wow! What a varied background! And so well travelled too. It sounds like you’re in a really good place for building on all that experience with renewed creativity. Excited to see what you bring to Substack 😀
Such a lovely invite! I think I stumbled across your Substack through being in a similar realm – and just fell in love with your vibe! I help modern mystics to embody and express their otherness through their lives, businesses and brands, so their mission can become not only the centrepiece of their own lives, but a beautiful, life-serving puzzle piece of the future of our planet. My background lies in brand design, transformational coaching and energy work, and I am a passionate writer. I have been self-employed for 6 years now, and I love it!
I live at the edge of the Black Forest in southern Germany, although am writing this from the shores of lake Mälaren in Sigtuna, near Stockholm – I'll be off into the woods of Dalarna this weekend for a retreat. Scandi-lover at heart! 🇸🇪 That's also what sparks my creativity – being out in nature, be it here by the lake, or at home in the rose garden.
My current chapter...I have just moved house again and looking forward to settling into the new space, after months of renovating now turning my attention towards my business and writing. 💗
Thank you for the introduction and the welcome! I'm pretty new to Substack, having been drawn here by a combination of falling out of love with other online communities, and wanting to find a space where I can stretch out and be my most intentional, authentic self. I can only do that by being inspired and delighted by finding little corners of the Substack world such as yours, so huge thanks are coming your way!
I live in the South of France, having fled here in front of Brexit's onward march, back in 2020. Two Golden Retrievers, one son, one husband, one old property, plenty of DIY incidents. But, there are giant skies, momentous sunrises, sweet air, a softer pace, all of are working to fill a gap somewhere inside me.
The day job is public relations, and separately, I'm working on building a deeper knowledge of my own self and my connectedness to the world (seen and unseen) around me. I meditate, I read, I delve into more metaphysical practices, and I am working on building a writing practice, really just for me, to uncover that creativity which has been pressed underfoot for so long that I am almost afraid that I will never find it again.
I am loving the people I'm already finding here on Substack. It feels like a world kept safe from the madness of social media (and as the day job involves working with influencers, I have a pit-of-the-stomach horror of the shallowness it breeds and feeds). This feels.... nourishing.
Oh I can relate to that sense of wanting to find a space where you can stretch out. Beautifully put, Belinda.
My mum recently sold her French renovation project. I miss it. We spent a whole summer there a few years ago and it was magic. Although the DIY seemed never ending!
Substack really is a nourishing space. I think you might like the words of Lyndsay Kaldor of Story & Thread. She also has a background in PR and featured in my post today ☺️
Thank you for the recommendation, I will take a look at Lyndsay's space right now ☺️
Ah yes, renovation is a way of life that you have to accept has no end point! I'm so glad you have wonderful memories of French life. It feels, to me, so much more in tune to the best parts of humanity.
What a hyggelig welcome, dear Sarah ☕️🕯️
I’m focusing on my roots at the moment, finding my footing and comfort in the person that I am, in my writing, while acknowledging that I am highly sensitive and things have to be different than they were. I’m trying to nurture my stream.
Curiosity and creativity comes from nature, conversations online and offline, books and stories from my family, places I am from or have visited.
I’m so enjoying your space here. ✨
Another cute word, Nadja! This sounds like a beautifully immersive time for you. Keep being kind to yourself 😚
Hi, I’m Gráinne, living in the west of Ireland. I started my SubStack without any particular direction or goal but it has become a place to talk about our journey through autism after our ten year old was diagnosed earlier this year.
I like to get started and see where something takes me. I’m glad this has evolved into an outlet where you can journal and explore 💛
Ah we also have an autistic son although undiagnosed just now... 👋
It’s a journey for sure 💜
The pandemic really helped with ours. Slowed everything down so we could see more clearly! ✨🙏
HI love
So lovely to find another way to connect with you. I am new to subsack and very much finding my feet. I am using my space here to try to let myself be with the words that I find swimming in my head and not get caught up how that might look in the way I do with social media. I am having a little time out at the moment as the world has caught up with me, and so I am loving finding a space that feels open and (as much as I can manage at the mo) unencumbered.
You create lovely, safe spaces and so I am very grateful to be here xx
So pleased to see you here, Clare! Still finding my way with Substack too but it feels like the antidote to the quick fire of socials. I enjoy Instagram but think I’ll soften my approach there so I can balance it with time spent here. Unencumbered is the word 💛
Ahhh such a beautiful invitation! I love that we have connected here after crossing paths in random ways over the past few years!! Feels like lifetimes ago we met on that zoom call with Hayley!
I have always found your intentional and thoughtful approach to Branding to be so inspiring. Everything really does have such meaning and that’s so beautiful to see in your work! I’m excited to be here to soak in more of your magic.
I am Lauren, a multi-passionate Mother of two daughters, Sophia is nearly 4 and Vesper is 8 months... so in terms of chapters I’m very much in the early Motherhood years of snatching pockets of time to be creative and fill up my cup, while also running a web design business, coaching, guiding others through human design and writing in my little sanctuary here about the magic, the mess and the sacredness of Motherhood.
Definitely in the ‘juggle’ phase and have to work hard at staying slow and not getting frazzled as I unravel from many years of hyper-productivity!!! But also really feel like this postpartum and this year turning 40... I am really landing into myself and finding my own unique rhythms.
So grateful for your words here in this space and all your support. Xxx
Gosh that call does seem like forever ago! I miss those kinds of opportunities for connection 🥹
I’m excited to see where the next chapter takes you. Feels as though we’re crossing paths again at similar times in our lives. And I’m interested to know more about your Human Design work so we must properly connect around that when I have more structure!
Thank you so much for your kinds words. They mean a lot, especially during this postpartum phase where I’m prone to the occasional existential crisis 🙃💛
Yes I miss them too!!! Definitely not a huge amount of space for them in this season!!
Oh the tenderness of these first few years again... alongside running a business... it’s a lot... and I feel like postpartum is like one big existential crisis!! 🤪 But I trust that on the other side is magic! Ha! I’m right there with you.
Would love to share more on Human Design when you have the space and structure there. I could talk about it for hours! Xxx
Hi, Sarah! Thanks so much for the invite to your nook. And I too am having a hard time remembering when and where I first came across your SS... it might have been a recommendation from Charlene??
In any case, I'm Maribel and I am very glad to be here. I think there are lots of sources of inspiration for me but as late, my curiosity and creativity have been heavily fueled by all the wonderful and supportive people here on SS. It's everything I wanted from social media (which just affirms my decision to delete all of my accounts elsewhere). Other sources of inspo include spirituality, the occult/esoterica, film and film studies, literature, and content creators/artists on YouTube.
I am currently on a sabbatical of sorts from full-time work. I fill my days with various projects and hobbies in addition to taking care of our home and making sure the husband is well-fed. 😁
It's so lovely to meet you and all the gentle voices in this thread! Hello, all! 😌
Nook! Perfect 🥰
Lovely to meet you, Maribel, and I couldn’t agree more. This is such a supportive space. It’s really fuelled my enthusiasm over the last few weeks since I took a little pressure off myself around how I had originally planned to show up. And the variety of content is wonderful too.
Excited to see where your sabbatical takes you. The perfect time to get curious 🤗
Hi Sarah and Everyone here!
I’m Hannah, I’m 38 and I was a school music teacher for 16 years before I realised that it didn’t work for me and so I have recently retrained as an interior designer. I’m now teaching part-time, building my business and unleashing my creativity all over the place. I would never have considered myself a writer, but a couple of months ago I decided I was going to start a Substack and I haven’t looked back. I have a podcast in the planning stages which will feature women who have made a significant career shift a little later in life. I’d love to connect with more people on here, it’s my favourite place in the online world right now.
Happy Friday everyone!
Hannah x
Sharing in your enthusiasm for this online space! It’s still fresh and new to me too but somehow feels very familiar. Excited for all you’re doing 🤗
Hi Sarah, I love this idea of a cosy corner for connection, it really is a dream to meet like-minded people here and to feel part of a beautiful tapestry of creativity.
I’m Lyndsay and I can’t remember how I came across Brand Seasons first. Anyway, I remember your words and offering immediately landing with me as my background is in PR (for interiors/design brands) which has some crossovers with branding and I have found that living cyclically and seasonally hugely important in my life.
I left my role as the director of a small PR agency in London before having my daughter at the end of Jan 2020 and I have been navigating the wilds of motherhood with my 3.5 year old and 1.5 year old since...!
Living creatively is important to me and I feel as though I am finally beginning to find the space to reclaim this (though I tried to weave creativity into everyday life when the space wasn’t available).
Connection, collaboration, discussing ideas and drawing out stories in a meaningful way has always been at the heart of things for me and I look forward to exploring more of this on Substack.
Lx
Thanks for sharing more about your life and work. I can relate to the wilds of motherhood! And what you’ve said about Substack and connection. It really is such a beautiful space for collaboration and a huge source of inspiration.
Pleased we crossed paths. So much synergy 🤩
Hi Sarah and everyone! I’ve been on Substack for about a year and was drawn to learning more about design/branding/marketing/PR to figure out if writing was something I could turn into a side hustle (or even a main hustle one day!) Currently I have a full time corporate job which doesn’t leave me with much time, energy or mental space for creativity and I am constantly flirting on the edges of burnout so I am more of an observer at the moment. I am trying to learn what I can on the side and try my hand at writing when I feel I have something to say and to build up a bit of confidence. Mostly I am looking for a community of like-minded people to find and share inspiration and connection. Thank you for creating such a lovely space. x
You’re so welcome, Victoria. Thanks for being here and for sharing your story. It’s exciting to learn more about your hopes for the future! You write so beautifully 🥰💛
A lovely intro + invite, Sarah! I’m endlessly curious about the themes of balance and practice, and currently in a season of exploring a new life in coastal Scotland after moving from California via London.
Thanks as ever for your work + inspiration, and the clarity + connection it fosters. xx
Thank you for being here, Erin! And for your kind words. Looking forward to exploring with you this summer. (You’ve reminded me that I owe you an email 💛)
I'm not sure what lead me to this post when it originated on 7 September, before I joined Substack, but I think it's a lovely invitation and have enjoyed reading the replies.
I live in Perthshire on the southern edge of the Highlands with my partner (and our beloved collie Braan until least year). Somehow I've made a living as a freelance outdoor writer and photographer for the past 25 years. In that time I've done quite a variety of writing, including copywriting for nature and tourist agencies and press releases. But the bulk of my work, especially recently, has been walks guidebooks and active travel features (latterly campervan-based).
Most of my friends are retired or heading that way, but I am reluctant to join them, although I'd love more time to join all the activities they get up to. For me, working is an excuse to do what I enjoy: walking and exploring, mainly around Scotland. I suspect I'll keep going until I drop.
I have a stalled nature memoir half written and am conscious that I always favour paying gigs over my own creativity. That is what's drawn me to Substack – the idea that I could develop my personal writing and (I hope) find a new audience for it. Maybe I'll share some of my book and find new impetus for it. At present I'm studying all the advice I can find on here before launching my own publication in 2024.
Thank you so much for commenting ☺️
Perthshire is one of my favourite places. I used to live close to Pitlochry, only for a little while, but enough time to appreciate its beauty. Your writing career sounds incredible!
I you have an incomplete memoir and while I make a living doing creative work I really want to make more space for that project. Are you following Lindsay Johnstone of What Now? She’s doing some really interesting stuff around her memoir.
Excited to see your publication launch 💛
Not following Lindsay yet, but will head that way now. Yes, Perthshire is a beautiful part of the world, but so are the Scottish Borders. I spent a few weeks down there researching a new Pathfinder walks guide that’s just been published and was amazed by the choice of walks. I had a long list of about 200!
Oh wow, that's incredible! So it's called Pathfinder? We're looking for routes to explore with the little ones!
It's called Scottish Borders and is part of the Ordnance Survey Pathfinder series: https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/scottish-borders-pathfinder-guidebook-88/?sku=9780319092583 They recently introduced a series called Short Walks Made Easy (1 to 5 miles in length and ideal for little ones) and I'm currently working on two new ones. Some of the Pathfinder walks are probably too long for wee legs, but they do include quite a few short walks.
Just bought it, thank you!
So lovely to hear more of who you are and how much we overlap. I feel like a similar curiosity seeker, though in Somerset, and I think I'm happiest too when holding my favorite ceramic mug in one hand and a pen in the other. I'm finding that creativity is so crucial to have I feel in my world, and I've loved making space for it over on Substack. Looking forward to joining a session in the future and following more of what you're doing. xc
Yes, I’m enjoying it here too, especially the opportunity to write long-form content without wondering if people will read it.
I’ve been meaning to get in touch actually and ask if I might repurpose the piece I wrote for If Lost Start Here, and direct people back there and to you, of course. I think it would resonate with folk and I’d love to reshare it 🥰
Of course. That's such a great idea. Love that piece.
Love this little intro corner you created 🥰 the task of describing who I am in a few sentences always fills me with a bit of anxiety. Putting labels to what is evolving and changing, who I am has shifted so much over the years. 😅
But I guess in a short-ish: I’m Carmen based in Germany, I lived in the Uk for over 5 years (Australia, Israel, Greece for short stints) and found my way back home to the Bavarian Alps very unintentionally but in the search for more calm, quiet and a slower life.
I’ve been writing ever since I could hold a pencil, and published well-being content for other organisations and ran large online events on female leadership and the future of work during the pandemic. Was involved in academic research, global peace projects in the non-profit space in the past.
I’m a women’s specialised yoga teacher who doesn’t teach atm, sound therapists, cyclical business informed mentor to startups in the education, culture and well-being space.
I work for a Silicon Valley tech company in the work management space, empowering teams to transform the way the collaborate and set up their workflows to reach their goals. I love all things future of work, getting things done, having less noise and being able to focus on what matters most to us in our day to day. Absolutely love working with some cool brands in EMEA and seeing the impact on thousands of people.
My current focus is on bringing all this to Substack again more. I’m overflowing with creative ideas and offering drafts in my head ✨
Wow! What a varied background! And so well travelled too. It sounds like you’re in a really good place for building on all that experience with renewed creativity. Excited to see what you bring to Substack 😀
Such a lovely invite! I think I stumbled across your Substack through being in a similar realm – and just fell in love with your vibe! I help modern mystics to embody and express their otherness through their lives, businesses and brands, so their mission can become not only the centrepiece of their own lives, but a beautiful, life-serving puzzle piece of the future of our planet. My background lies in brand design, transformational coaching and energy work, and I am a passionate writer. I have been self-employed for 6 years now, and I love it!
I live at the edge of the Black Forest in southern Germany, although am writing this from the shores of lake Mälaren in Sigtuna, near Stockholm – I'll be off into the woods of Dalarna this weekend for a retreat. Scandi-lover at heart! 🇸🇪 That's also what sparks my creativity – being out in nature, be it here by the lake, or at home in the rose garden.
My current chapter...I have just moved house again and looking forward to settling into the new space, after months of renovating now turning my attention towards my business and writing. 💗
So lovely to connect, Klara, and on Instagram too! Are you in touch with @themotherwell? You have similar interests ✨
We drove by the Black Forest on our travels a few years ago. Such a magnetic part of the world. Happy settling and writing 💫
I have just looked her up and followed her, thank you for the recommendation!
And it's so nice to know you have been going past this area! 🤍 I am just about to fly home now, to continue the settling and the writing. ✨
Thank you for the introduction and the welcome! I'm pretty new to Substack, having been drawn here by a combination of falling out of love with other online communities, and wanting to find a space where I can stretch out and be my most intentional, authentic self. I can only do that by being inspired and delighted by finding little corners of the Substack world such as yours, so huge thanks are coming your way!
I live in the South of France, having fled here in front of Brexit's onward march, back in 2020. Two Golden Retrievers, one son, one husband, one old property, plenty of DIY incidents. But, there are giant skies, momentous sunrises, sweet air, a softer pace, all of are working to fill a gap somewhere inside me.
The day job is public relations, and separately, I'm working on building a deeper knowledge of my own self and my connectedness to the world (seen and unseen) around me. I meditate, I read, I delve into more metaphysical practices, and I am working on building a writing practice, really just for me, to uncover that creativity which has been pressed underfoot for so long that I am almost afraid that I will never find it again.
I am loving the people I'm already finding here on Substack. It feels like a world kept safe from the madness of social media (and as the day job involves working with influencers, I have a pit-of-the-stomach horror of the shallowness it breeds and feeds). This feels.... nourishing.
Oh I can relate to that sense of wanting to find a space where you can stretch out. Beautifully put, Belinda.
My mum recently sold her French renovation project. I miss it. We spent a whole summer there a few years ago and it was magic. Although the DIY seemed never ending!
Substack really is a nourishing space. I think you might like the words of Lyndsay Kaldor of Story & Thread. She also has a background in PR and featured in my post today ☺️
Thank you for the recommendation, I will take a look at Lyndsay's space right now ☺️
Ah yes, renovation is a way of life that you have to accept has no end point! I'm so glad you have wonderful memories of French life. It feels, to me, so much more in tune to the best parts of humanity.