25 Comments

Love this post! In January this year I decided my Dyes Happy design businesses new home was Substack thanks to my wine business already being here. I am closing my website down in March, which is nuts to me, and bringing things slowly over here as not to overwhelm. I love that I can dive deep into my fabric, wallpaper and quilt designs whereas on websites it is more a portfolio with no explanations. I also love being a guest on podcasts- but the idea of one more thing on my already scheduled life seems daunting but I love that you did it!

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Kate this sounds fantastic! I love the sound of a Substack dedicated to fabrics and wallpaper design, the creative and fun directions you could take that in are boundless! I'm imagining a substack that's like coming into a beautifully-designed, welcoming room when we can delight in imagining what our homes could look like... Keep it up and keep in touch!

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Thank you, Tamzin! I will!

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Aw wow Kate - this is testament to how easy the platform is to showcase and mixed media too! Can’t wait to see/ hear more! ✨

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Thanks, Claire!

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This conversation between Claire and Tamzin was so helpful for me (thank you both).

Inching me closer to the essential intention that "all of me" is meant to be expressing and showing up here, rather than 1 or 2 dimensions of me only.

It's confusing to be multi-talented ; )

Confusion like:

- Which lane should I pick to feel best? to make money? to ....?

And this:

- If I share that I am able to do too many things, will people assume I couldn't possibly be talented at more than one or two things?

Here's a list of my core talents that are mind/heart-based:

- Writing

- Illustration

- Coaching (for clarity)

- Interviewing

- Designing/Facilitating Group Experiences

- Organizing information / Pattern Recognition

- Process Development

- Brand Strategy / Messaging

- Creative / Design Thinking

Unless I am my own boss, it is highly unlikely that I would get to use those talents in a way that works for me as an employee. So appreciate this place for creative experimentation.

Onwards into this Substack journey. May we all find more and more how to bring our full selves here 🙏

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Thanks so much Matthew, I'm sorry I only seem to have noticed your comment now. Wishing you good luck with your Substack journey and do pop back to let us know how it's going, bringing all of those facets together. I love the sound of it all!

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Thank you 🙏

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Thank you for sharing this! I started a podcast in 2022 and I’m bringing it over to Substack. I have so much content but I have a notion to do a Substack hosted podcast, too. It’s fun to see you’ve done that. Thank you for the inspiration!

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You’re super welcome!

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This episode was wonderful! It connected on so many levels - the struggle of knowing how and where to put out our work and attempt monetizing; keep it first about creativity and flow (the toughest when running a business); how Substack is a playground for creatives and feels like coming home. The best take away is that nothing in the creative process is wasted time. It’s all leading somewhere we’re meant to go. Brava!

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Absolutely -- it all pays off in the end and the thread that ties all of our work together becomes clear, though sometimes not in the moment. Well done on the podcast, I love listening to podcasts and being a guest, but I have yet to do one myself. Maybe one day?! Thanks so much for your lovely comment, lovely to meet you here!

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Process is such a treat hey? Thanks for being here Leanne! ✨

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I so enjoyed this podcast!! I have been slowly developing my substack and listening today you’ve inspired me even more to take the leap!! Truly, I have pondered the value of “mail list for newsletter” and your example was what I needed to hear.

Thank you both for this great conversation!!

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Karen it's so lovely to hear from you, I was just thinking of you last week and wondering how you were doing! I look forward to seeing what magical things you might create in this space after taking the leap ✨

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Aw Karen, you are so super welcome!

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Claire and Tamzin I just re-listened to this today after your workshop this morning Claire. You both have really helped me envision how to approach bringing my art, writing and music to this space. So now I’m up for the 30 day challenge!!https://open.substack.com/pub/sparkleon/p/set-up-your-substack-homepage?r=jcv4s&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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Claire and Tamzin . This conversation is so timely for me.

For years I have been questioning why I have been creating art (photography and writing for me) which ultimately is mostly sitting in folders on my hard drive or notebooks in my home. Facebook/Instagram/twitter never ever sat well and I lost interest very quickly despite trying.

In finding substack I feel like finally have a home for all my creative outputs, even if I haven't quiet figured out where it will all lead.

Thanks so much for your publicising your conversation and nice to know I am on a path well trodden by others such as yourself.

Tamzin - I really enjoyed looking through your work, have you tried male soul portraits? Suffering and struggles are not gender exclusive and I imagine the potential contrast could be very interesting. Keep up the good work.

Daniel - Limerick 🍀

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What a glorious feeling thanks for being here and I know how much Tamzin will appreciate reading your words too!

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Hi Daniel, lovely to hear from someone from home! Did you guess my Cork accent?

Thank you so much for this lovely comment, and I so relate and remember feeling the same way about my work and where/how it would land. That journey never ends.

And yes, I have absolutely always been open to working with men for soul portraits too, it just so happens that since I launched them last year, I've mostly worked with women, but that's actually changing soon!

It's so interesting what you say about questioning 'why' you create art, I think we all wonder this from time to time. I always come back to this: simply living is a creative act, making things makes living more bearable, more joyful, etc. I wish you luck with Substack becoming the home for your creative output, open those folders and notebooks and let them breathe!

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I must admit I wasn't expecting the Irish accent, but I didnt narrow it down to Cork! Your doing well to tame that one 😁

"simply living is a creative act, making things makes living more bearable, more joyful"

I couldn't agree more, although sometimes it can take some time to come to that realisation.

Thanks again to both Claire and yourself for providing the necessary inspiration.

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You're welcome 😊 Please do keep in touch and let us know how you're getting on!

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This conversation has sparked a few creative ideas for me. Thanks very much.

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That's wonderful to hear, Yasmin! Do come back and tell us more about those idea when the time is right...

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You’re so welcome. ✨💖

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