Issue #36: When creative time is the best part of your week (but you have to prioritize it)
This week, do something that reminds you what it feels like to be fully yourself.
This past week reminded me how much better I feel when I actually make time for the things I enjoy. I came into the new year thinking I’d feel refreshed and ready, but honestly? I didn’t. What did help was carving out time for my creative hobbies, even when it felt indulgent or like there were a dozen other things I should be doing instead.
I’m a hobby hopper (sourdough one week, watercolor the next, journaling scattered in between, and some weeks its a little of everything), but this newsletter has been the most consistent I’ve been with any creative project, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week.
What I’m realizing is that when we spend so much of our time consumed by work, endless media, and responsibilities, the things that make us feel like ourselves start to slip away. And when that happens, we start to feel a little off without quite knowing why.
So one of the things I learned this week is that I need to prioritize nurturing the creative parts of myself that don’t produce anything except the feeling of being present and engaged. Not everything needs a purpose beyond making you feel more like you. I’m not saying to stop creating with intention—I spent part of my weekend practicing watercolor balloons for my best friend’s daughter’s birthday and that brought me so much joy—but sometimes we just need to create for the sake of creating.
If you can, take some time this week to do something that fills your creative cup, even if it’s just 15 minutes. Schedule it if you need to. Wake up a little earlier. Protect it like you would any other commitment. Because showing up for yourself isn’t selfish. It actually helps you show up better everywhere else.
Speaking of sourdough endeavors. These two loaves are from a few weeks back, and they were some of the best I’ve made so far. I’m not really fond of sweet loaves, but I love trying out new flavor combinations.
TO TRY: If you see something that reminds you of a friend or loved one, surprise them. It doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate. I wanted to do more of this in 2026, along with sending personal cards and handwritten notes, because who doesn’t love receiving something unexpected in the mail? It’s brought me so much joy this month, and it’s such a simple way to let people know you’re thinking of them.
TO WATCH: I read His & Hers by Alice Feeney last year, so I was genuinely surprised when the show premiered on Netflix. The adaptation makes some changes but stays fairly close to the original, right down to that twisted, skeptical ending. If you’re in the mood for a thriller, this one follows two estranged spouses (one a detective, the other a news reporter) who both become convinced the other is a prime suspect in a local murder.
TO LISTEN: If you need a reminder to just create and not hold yourself back, but embrace your ideas, I highly recommend this week’s Wild Geese podcast. I know I shared it last week, but I felt so seen with this week’s topic on creative impulsivity and not keeping our ideas to ourselves.
TO EAT: I will never miss an opportunity to roast garlic and throw it into dinner, so this roasted garlic and white bean lasagna soup is exactly my kind of meal. It’s perfect for cold weather and even better as leftovers the next day.
Tory Henwood Hoen’s Before I Forget follows 26-year-old Cricket, who feels stuck and disconnected at her wellness job. When her dad is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she goes against her sister’s plan to move him into a care home and instead returns to her childhood house to become his caretaker, hoping the time together might repair their strained relationship. As her dad begins to forget the past, he gains the ability to predict the future.
This book is profound and funny with witty humor, but so heartfelt. It reads like a coming-of-age story even though Cricket is in her twenties, which makes it more relatable. It doesn’t shy away from the reality that family is complicated and so is loving them. Hoen handles Alzheimer’s with such gentleness and honesty, and along the way Cricket realizes everything she missed by not knowing her dad this way sooner.
What I loved most is that despite the heavy subject matter, the story makes room for joy and connection, not just loss and grief. It’s about what it means to truly show up for the people we love, even when it’s hard and even when we don’t have all the answers.
The sourdough looks so good! I also need to try the roasted garlic white bean soup! 🍲