#31: Experimental Lemonade
Giving ourselves permission to pivot, admit defeat, and learn from feedback
Hey friends,
Here I am spinning into your inbox on a Wednesday! I have a couple of things to talk about - and take action on (ugh) - so it made sense to move everything forward a couple of days.
Okay… Where to begin.
These last few months I've been thinking a lot about my future on this platform and Making Lemonade. I even went so far as to create a second Substack, Creating Lemonade, but a week and two posts in, I've already realised that probably wasn't the right move for me. Cool.
So instead, I’ve decided to move it all here, but I wanted to do right by you, my subscribers, and not bombard you with undesired emails and have split the two parts into separate sections (as you can see at the top of the home page).
One, Making Lemonade will be your usual weekly posts from me. The other, Creating Lemonade, will be weekly emails dedicated to all the ways we can use creativity as a tool to help us create a better life for ourselves.
The emails will still be delivered in the same way, but you can opt out if you don't want to receive the Creating Lemonade emails - just go to “manage subscription”.
Easy peezy, lemon squeezy (sorry, not sorry!)
Note: check out my original Creating Lemonade intention post here.
Today though, I wanted to write about the benefits of experimentation, giving ourselves permission to try, and the value of feedback - even if, like me, the feedback is internal.
I've thought for months about how to do this. I've told myself that it would be better starting again, other times said I'd be better staying here.
I've flip-flopped. Knocked the whole fence down, researched other options. And then I finally committed, because sometimes we need to take action to know how to move forward.
Yesterday, I posted my first official post, Beginner’s Mindset, (which I’ll send out here on Friday), and started crossposting to promote it and just felt this feeling of dread inside. The ugh, “Oh no, what have I done?!” feeling that I'm sure you know, too.
I hate that feeling. But I'm learning to see it for what it is: feedback. A learning opportunity. Room for growth. An opportunity to pivot. A way to use the “mistakes” as a compass to help me figure out what I actually want and how I actually want to show up.
And trying to show up for and market and promote two newsletters is not what I want. There are benefits, sure, but honestly, I don't even know if it is benefitting you, the reader, which was my whole thought process to begin with.
Having been on this journey of Making Lemonade with me for these last seven months (or however long since you joined us, hi, I'm so glad you're here!), you've learned a bit about my story and my experiences, and the vision I have for Creating Lemonade isn't to separate from them, but instead to turn them into more practical posts.
It actually feels like it complements this place I've built here quite nicely. But. I had to take action and be willing to be wrong in order to see that this was the right way for me.
Y’know, that fun old saying about seeing wood through trees.
A year ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to make this decision and admit failure. I'd probably have instead dug my own grave and burned out hard and felt resentful towards myself.
Like I'd made my own bed and had to lie in it.
Now, I'm like, oh cool, I can write about this and make it a “teachable” moment! I can share it, pivot, message my few new subscribers and see if they're happy to be moved over, and then build this space into the space I dream of it being.
And that, my friends, is growth.
For what is probably the first time in my life, instead of feeling shame that I tried something new and it didn't work out, I feel proud. Inspired. Motivated.
I feel like I've learned a huge lesson (and honestly run a bit of an emotional marathon), but like I'm finally in a far better place to be a business owner than I ever have been in my life.
I'm in a place of compassionate proactivity instead of emotional reactivity (and defaulting to that self-shaming and deep internalising that I've carried with me since childhood).
I'm making decisions based on logic and intuition. Giving myself freedom to try new things, no matter what, and play and experiment and see what works. And permission to pivot if and when they don't.
And my gosh, it feels like such a relief.
So anyway, welcome to this new chapter of Making Lemonade. It's funny how right this feels - and how wrong it felt the other way.
For now, though, all I can really say is that I'm glad you're here, grateful to be on the journey with you, and hope that you can experience the same growth I've had these last few years. Because, hot damn, it feels good.
Questions:
Is there anywhere in your life that you feel isn't working for you right now and have been looking for permission to change? This is your permission slip.
Is there anything that you've been procrastinating on taking action on because you're worried it won't work or you don't have all the information? I promise nothing will get you there faster or teach you more than taking action, even - no, especially - if you don't feel 100% ready.
Alright, that's it for this week. Watch this space for exciting things to come and remember, if you don't want to receive Creating Lemonade posts, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of the emails but remain on the Making Lemonade journey with me.
As always, thank you.
All my love,
Cx
PS: want to know how all the secrets of I learned how to act from a place of compassionate proactivity instead of emotional reactivity? Sign up for a free creative mentoring discovery call and I'll share all I can in 15 minutes.
Plus, all my Substack subscribers (yup, even the free ones!) Get 25% off my one-off kick-start your art creative block-busting calls. Message me or check out my website to find out more :)
PPS: I've also just started writing a blog on my website (glutton for punishment, I know!) about creative mentoring and my services. If you have buzzing questions, check out my published posts, or send me a message letting me know any topics you think I should cover!
PPPS: I’ve also turned on paid subscribers. Gosh. This was more of a secret tactic as I started it with the new Substack, but then I decided fuck it, I’ll just go all in. I have big dreams of building a community and using my mentorship skills here so why not start now!?
As a special offer, I’m running a HALF-PRICE discount for paid subscribers up until the end of the month. Click here to sign up!
If upgrading is a little out of your price range, but you want to support me anyway, you can also buy me a coffee as a token of your appreciation. I haven’t been able to take on as much paying work as usual this last year while I’ve been navigating some big changes, so your support all means the absolute world to me.