Starting this publication is one of my proudest accomplishments of 2023.
I like to be cautious about what I write, editing essays or poems for months or years before either submitting them for publication somewhere or letting them linger unread on my hard drive forever. What is Woven In has pushed me to write, edit, and share a piece of writing every week or two, and has become the center of a reinvigorated writing life.
It’s uncomfortable practice. Not every email will be as beautiful or well-written as I want it to be, though of course I strive to make them so and there are a few I am really proud of (like this and this). What is most important to me is to show up when I say I will, and the regular self-imposed (and promised to my subscribers) deadline has been crucial.
Knowing I have writing “due” every two weeks has resurfaced something in me. A familiar internal dialogue that I used to call my “essay voice” has become audible again. The essay voice filters life through a writer’s mindset. It especially likes to whisper when I’m lying awake at night, trying to fall asleep as sentences form and reform in my mind until I need to click on the light and scribble them down. It has been a while since I’ve had that inner voice shouldering its way through my busy brain to organize my thoughts and experiences and ask, how could I write about this?
I have a few ideas of what caused that voice to go silent for a few years. One is that I started tapestry weaving, which was first an obsessive hobby, then a business, and now is my livelihood. I’ve directed most of my creative energy these last five years toward weaving, which I don’t regret at all.
The other reason is that because I use social media to market my artwork, I began to go through life with an Instagram lens instead of a writing lens. I thought (and often still think) in terms of reels and posts and captions instead of longer-form essays and ideas. I say this without self-judgment or judgment on anyone else experiencing that same shift. It’s just part of being alive and online right now, and those platforms are designed to be addictive. To help make more brain space for essay voice, I deleted the Instagram app from my phone, since I won’t need it to promote any upcoming weaving things for a few months. I thought I would miss it—I don’t!
I am thankful to this newsletter and every one of my current 87 subscribers, because knowing I need to write and send an email every two weeks has shifted my brain back into essay mode.
Intentions for 2024
In 2024, I will begin to publish here weekly instead of bi-weekly. It’s an easy sentence to write but a big change to make!
One or two posts per month will be more plot-driven essays and true stories about moving to and living in the north, living with chronic illness, and making art. One of these per month (to start) will be behind a paywall as a treat for my paid subscribers and a reflection of the work that goes into the more in-depth, personal writing in those posts.
The other two posts per month will be more immediate, what-I’m-processing-now writings (like this one).
Some of the essays may be excerpted from the very early draft of a memoir that I wrote furiously last November and January. I’ve begun the editing process in the last month or so, and have pulled out some sections that might make good standalone essays that fit here at What is Woven In.
While I give myself creative freedom to write about anything and everything here, generally the essays in this newsletter will be about creative life—writing, weaving, art, creative practice—and how nature, the body, community, history, living in a remote place, and making a living are all woven in.
I hope as time goes on and I continue to write and publish here that a clearer path for this publication reveals itself. I don’t want it to feel all-over-the-place, but I also don’t want to feel caged in by strict themes or topics. I think the way forward is to write my way through it, try different things, and pay close attention to that magical place where what feels best for me and what seems to resonate most with you, my readers, intersect.
Thank you for being a reader and subscriber to What is Woven In.
I’m genuinely curious: What would you like to read about from me? What was your favorite What is Woven In post so far? And tell me, what do you hope to “weave in” to the coming year? Let me know with a reply to this email or a comment on this post.
What was Woven In to 2023:
Exciting new tapestry techniques and rug making, finishing the first draft of a memoir, deep friendships, new love, not meeting my financial goals, not meeting my reading goals (38/50 books), a fun summer, ongoing obsession with my cat, time with family at our cabin, starting and staying consistent with What is Woven In.
What I will Weave In to 2024:
Consistent writing on Substack, editing my book, more longevity-focused behaviors, more walks, lots of weaving, more teaching, more listening, a little travel, less social media, less alcohol, more paying attention, more trust.
I am so thankful for you and happy to know you and continue to follow along on this journey
I enjoyed this Emily. I'm a new reader and look forward to reading more of your beautiful essays this year.