14 Comments
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William's avatar

We stay optimistic!

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Julie Hester's avatar

Yes!

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Jen Zug's avatar

I love that you’re stopping, not quitting. I think too often we stick with something because we committed to it and we fear being flaky. Or maybe we’re stubborn. In the start-up world (and i’m sure in other places, too) founders talk about things like pivoting and failing fast. The willingness to stop when it’s not working anymore is the only way we can be brave enough to try new things.

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Julie Hester's avatar

Ah thanks, Jen. That’s reassuring. Love the fail fast remainder.

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Julie Hester's avatar

*reminder

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Kay Harper Windsor's avatar

I loved all you wrote for this morning's prompt: the loosening of the thematic search for happiness, Want by Carrie Newcomer, the conversation piece with Mary Oliver and Maria Shriver, the Denise Levertov poem. . .all of it (and I don't think I've ever be on brand either).

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Julie Hester's avatar

Kay, if you were a brand, your logo could be a ginkgo leaf. I’d be happy to procrastinate and make you one—just say the word. 💕

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Julie Hester's avatar

Also Want is by Carrie Fountain. I know you value correct citations! 😘

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Kay Harper Windsor's avatar

Thank you. And I'll appreciate your corrections any time. Autocorrect changed Ada Limon to Ada Simon and Writing Our Lives to Wiring Our Lives (maybe that too. . .) yesterday. Newcomer was MY mistake. (And I do remember writing to Carrie Fountain's "Want " with our Farther Along group--and somewhere have a photo of wasps trying to find warmth on an unseasonable November day.)

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Kay Harper Windsor's avatar

I'd love that!!! Or just a ginkgo emoji: why isn't there one??

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

Good morning. I was thinking about audience yesterday too and how some creatives say not to think about audience, to just create for ourselves, so maybe you are on the right track. I usually find myself thinking of audience. I’m not sure if you caught my post on Sunday, but it was all about releasing the pressure valve of summer, so I cheer you on. https://pocketfulofprose.substack.com/p/the-endless-possibilities-of-summer

I did read in Big Magic, that feeling frustrated with our projects is part of the creative process we have to work through. I’ve been experiencing this with my memoir. Sometimes, I just feel over it. I had a similar idea to write along a theme for Substack for a month, but then that felt too boxed in. Always, the yin and yang.

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Julie Hester's avatar

Just read it—brilliant. I remember that feeling so well when my kids were young. Even as an empty-nester, I feel the pressure for myself and my spouse. Thanks for the connection with writing.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

A brilliant post - thank you, Julie! 😊

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Julie Hester's avatar

Thanks for reading, Rebecca!

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