creative rambles and pauses for thought

my first proper newsletter!

Hello fine people!

When I set up Substack, the intention was to send a regular newsletter for free, to all subscribers, but I’ve been so busy, I’ve only managed my regular paid content. For a while now, I have wanted to post free content as well, but life keeps getting in the way. But I have reached a now or never point, if I don’t start doing it now, it will never happen. So this is your first free newsletter. It’s a little bit meta, reflecting on reflecting , on this newsletter and on creative outlets. I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please do tell a friend and give it a “like”, I think it helps the algorithm!

I have been making videos for nearly two years through Patreon, and now I have introduced Substack to the mix. I really like Substack, but I’m not brave enough to make the full switch, as I have a number of Patreon subscribers who, if I’m honest, I’m afraid won’t want to switch over fully to Substack. So, for the time being, I post my ‘Patreon’ content both here and on Patreon. We’ll see what happens. If things begin to grow enough here, maybe I will be brave enough to make the switch.

You can subscribe below if you want access to my paid content too.

My little side hustle here on Substack and Patreon is so important to me. Firstly, of course, it is a little boost to my income, which, although modest, is really helpful whilst I am at this early stage in my life transition from children’s book designer to children’s book illustrator. 

Secondly, I find it is a really helpful way to reflect on what I am doing and where I am in my life. I don’t know about you, but I can be prone to rush my way through life, always bustling to the next thing, no time to stop, keep moving at all costs! And making my content for Patreon & Substack gives me a prompt to stop, slow down, contemplate, take a moment to look at what I have been making, how I am spending my days, what I am thinking right at that moment. One of my big breakthroughs on the MA was slowly realising how important it is to pause and reflect. I remember tutors saying to me (more than once) that I needed to learn to focus, and at first, I didn’t really understand what they meant. I slowly began to understand they meant I needed to work with more intention, and to do that, I needed to learn to stop and reflect. I tend to be a do-er, and I have always had a belief that I think by doing. I find it easier to figure out a visual problem by working it out on the page. I see it as working in tiny increments. Sometimes it seems like I am just repeating the same thing over and over, but during that time, I am trying to work something out. Usually the final breakthrough will be when I stop and give myself a window of time to pause and let all that work percolate. That realisation is where the “filter” from the title of this Substack comes from. I will write another post about my “Gather, Filter, Make” process, but what I am saying, after that rather long sidebar (something I am also prone to!) is that making posts and videos for Substack and Patreon provides me with crucial space to reflect. 

Finally, I see it as a brilliant procrastination! I accept that, much as I would like to be an illustration machine (hmmm.. maybe not!) I know in reality, I am going to get sidetracked. In the past few years, since graduating, and perhaps this is another post too, I have found myself launching into little side projects, with enthusiasm and excitement each time. I’ve done workshops, courses, run a membership, mentoring. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve been really fun, but now that I am in the process of working on two illustrated books at the same time, I have to be sure not to let those distractions take hold too much! And Patreon & Substack is the perfect outlet for that creative energy. It’s a chance for me to do something that feels exciting and creative, and is an outlet for my extra energy, but isn’t too big or distracting! 

To bring it back to this newsletter, as I said at the beginning, I have been really enjoying Substack, I now like to read a few newsletters while I have my morning coffee instead of scrolling Instagram, which feels a lot more mentally healthy. And I think I would like to add one more creative outlet to my life - writing! If you had asked me a few years ago about writing, I would have said I can’t do it, I would have been too afraid of getting it wrong to write an actual newsletter. But these days, I think, fuck it! I don’t want to let those limiting thoughts hold me back any more. I like writing (and I love reading too!) I find it a really helpful creative outlet. Another way for me to pause, reflect, filter, which I now think is a really important part of being an artist. I also really love reading other people’s reflections, so why not see if I can have a go? 

So, from now on, I will post regular newsletters here, as well as my paid content. You can expect rambles along these lines, as well as studio news, life reflections and anything that is holding my interest at that time. In my Patreon for a while, I used to make videos I called “ creative rambles” which are basically stream-of-consciousness creative thoughts (a little bit like this has become!). I really like the process of a creative ramble, it can be very cathartic, so I guess this will be a place for me to do a written version of them.

So, goodbye for now, and I’ll see you for another creative ramble soon!

Ella xx