Roots and Branches

A month of new beginnings

If you, like me, are a very seasonally-driven person, here’s a way to support your creative practice throughout the year: Structure your new writing habits with the seasons.

For me, that looks a couple ways:

I treat the lengthening and shortening of days the way I might treat the waxing and waning moon. As days grow longer (or the moon more illuminated) I do work to build up what I want. And as days grow shorter (or the moon less full) I do work to release what isn’t serving me.

Last week, I started using my 10 year plan journal prompts to start reflecting on what I want to build in the future. When the moon is full, as I celebrate a really packed month of good stuff, I’m going to use it to reflect on everything that’s going well. Maybe not so much releasing this time around as appreciating.

Seasonally-inspired creativity can also look like tying your practice to the themes of the season: Rest and reflection in winter, and a more energized, active pace in summer for example.

How do you tie your creative work in with the seasons?

Some personal news:

In case you missed it, I’m getting married on the 14th (that’s tomorrow, don’t worry I scheduled this newsletter weeks ago!)

This means I’ll be away from this newsletter, my email, and Mycelia for the remainder of the month as I celebrate our wedding, honeymoon, and my 41st birthday.

With the many great things happening, the second half of this month is all about prioritizing my presence in my real life, so you’ll see me online and in my inbox minimally, but I’ll be fully back in the swing of things the first week of June
(if you’re a private client, or you sign up for coaching or readings, I’m still accessible, just expect some delays!)

And some fun new directions:

When I return, I’m announcing two incredible group writing spaces taking place this summer and fall, and I hope you’ll join me:

Bloom: Using the same model and skills I developed for my 1:1 Bloom coaching, this group is for writers looking to start or finish a book, and to leave with a plan and a clear set of habits and practices to support them.
You’ll get some great goodies (like a live Q&A with an agent, maybe two!) and resources on everything from setting boundaries to rooting into the pleasure of your writing practice.

Writing Playground: My sold out writing workshop returns and is better than ever. Here we emphasize play and exploration, process over product, all while learning valuable skills to support you in the rest of your writing life.

I’ve made some really fun changes to the ways I run writing groups so they serve you even better (read: giveaways of hundreds of dollars of free resources and services, just for consistently showing up).

If you want to know more about one/both, please shoot me an email at hello@root-kitchens.com or tap the button below.
I’ll add you to our waitlist, so you’ll be the first to know when we open enrollment (and I’ll give you extra special pricing, too).

More on those new directions soon, but for now, here are a few readings from the archive I thought you might enjoy:

First, a revisit of my writing on shifting habits, where I consider the year and changing habits, and the connections between my practices.

Speaking of those connections, I spoke last month about food writing from a place of abundance, based on this newsletter issue.

And for more on the springtime, potential, and abundance themes, here’s a guide to making infused spirits from my food newsletter, for those who want some good recipes for turning your foraged treats into liquid gold.

ICYMI: Your 10 year journaling guide

I talked last week about my journaling guide, and about allowing ourselves to dream big in order to shape the world we want to shape.

But if you missed it, or if you are also trying to shape the next phase of your life (whether you’re in the midst of new beginnings, or looking ahead to create them), I hope this guide supports you in that work.

I commented recently that, much to my surprise, the 10 year plans I’d laid out for myself in 2018 have (by and large) all come to pass. Some have fallen by the wayside (opening a restaurant) others have morphed considerably, but the result was that I found myself with a very, very nice problem: What do you do next when all your dreams have come true?

I made this journaling guide to spark my own thinking about what the next ten years might hold, and how I can actively shape them around my biggest dreams.

If you’re looking for similar guidance (today, or whenever), I turned my journal prompts into My Ten Year Plan Journal:

The PDF is in this Drive folder. I’d love to hear how it works for you!

And finally, because this is a big, huge, celebration month, I want to share my gratitude with you:

Please take 50% off coaching, classes, and intuitive guidance (or anything else) with the code BIRTHDAY when you sign up by 5/31.

Thank you, as always, for your support of my work, but also for allowing me to support yours. It’s a joy to do so!