What a time to be alive
March 2023 has been a wild month, y'all.
I don’t know about you, but this month has been a lot. In my mind March is just getting started, which makes it really hard to accept the fact it’s actually almost April.
The day I made my previous post I wound up coming down with a really nasty cold that knocked me out for an entire week. Between the exhaustion and the brain fog, I quickly fell behind on my word count for Starborn Legacy and I’ve spent the rest of the month scrambling to get back on schedule. Add a huge project at work and pre-jury selection anxiety to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for distraction.
While I was sick, the only thing I had the attention span for was Tiktok. After a week of consuming virtually nothing else, I finally caved and decided to give the app a try (while I still can at least!)
Video content isn’t exactly something I plan to spend a lot of energy on, but I’ll admit that I’ve had a lot of fun messing around with the medium 😁
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But I’m not (just) telling you all this to get views on my silly little videos: I was reminded of something during this creative detour that I thought you might appreciate.
You see, after two weeks of doing very little creative work, I found myself really struggling to get back into the swing of things. To my surprise, spending a bit of time making videos for fun and trying something new turned out to be exactly what I needed to get my creative juices flowing again.
There’s a lot to be said for the importance of play, especially when you’re a creative person. Often we get so caught up in doing the “work” that we forget to make time for trying new things just for the hell of it. But having fun and trying something different are actually great ways to exercise your creative muscles. And, if we’re going to follow this metaphor through to the end, the stronger your muscles are, the more you’re able to do.
So, the next time you’re feeling stuck, try something new and see what happens!
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Anyway, I wasn’t expecting to spend so much of this post getting philosophical about the virtues of making Tiktok videos, so let me wrap this up with a few final updates:
My YA manuscript, The Many Ghosts of Magni Lamont, received a revise and resubmit request from a publisher! Having a book out on submission is hard, so I’m really excited about this opportunity and I can’t wait to dive in! (Question for you, dear reader: should I share more about my experiences with traditional publishing so far? Let me know in the comments!)
I attended my first Open Studios as a resident at The Beaumont on March 25th! Open Studios events give the public a chance to come inside and see what we’re up to here at Vancouver’s favourite artists’ collective. It was SO FUN to meet all of the curious visitors who popped by my studio to chat about writing and art. (Did you come to Open Studios? Drop a comment and let me know!)
Speaking of The Beaumont, we’re running a really important fundraising campaign right now, and it would mean the world to me if you could check it out! If you’re able to donate, THANK YOU! If not, I’d really appreciate it if you could share the campaign. Every little bit helps support the future of Vancouver’s arts scene!
Regarding sharing your journey: as much or as little as you want to!! There's a voyeurism in the publishing journey but don't feel like you have to share for sharing's sake