More ideas than time

on getting back to writing and what to expect from this space

Hello,

I started this Substack at the beginning of 2023 on a bit on a whim, as a space to write more freely about ALL the things that I find interesting, to let my mind wander and wonder. And those things are many - and they range from childhood education to creativity to pretty pictures of clouds to feminism and intergenerational trauma and back to photography again.

But more than that, I wanted a place to get me back into the practice of writing - and I didn’t feel like I could do it over on my photography blog anymore - hence there hasn’t been a new post there since 2021.

I love writing. Always have, since I was a child - even though as a teenager I tore up the first few chapters of a time-travelling historical romance novel I was writing, embarrassed by my own audacity to write such a thing (a decision I regret deeply). I started a photography blog back in 2008 when it was a relatively new thing, and I wrote often as I explored my new hobby which swiftly turned into a calling - a blog that allowed me to gain clients from across the globe and build a business. And before then, I had a private Russian-language blog where I recorded my adventures of moving to the UK from Russia, and finding love and home in London.

So yes, I love writing.

But I abandoned writing for a long while, as demands of early years parenthood, running a business, impostor syndrome and self-doubt, a burnout and an exhausting autoimmune condition, topped by a decade-long toxic relationship drained everything I had out of me.

As I approach my mid-forties, and with a much clearer idea on who I am and what I want, I’m intent on getting back to writing again.

But I know there are certain things I need to do to trick my ADHD brain into actually doing the thing I want it to do, and that thing is accountability. Hence this Substack and a one-per-week post I’m committing to, publishing more frequently if I feel like writing more. Once-per-week feels like a manageable enough commitment that I would actually do it, so here’s hoping.

The conventional wisdom goes that you should focus on one subject matter and write about that, establish yourself as an expert in a field. And I’ve played that game for a while and yes it does work wonderfully.

But a flip side of that is - for me at least - that it kept hidden the wonderful rainbow of the randomness my brain finds fascinating at any point it time, as I was holding myself back from sharing my thoughts on matters not strictly related to family photography.

Over the past few years I started dipping my toes more and more into other subject matters, first writing pieces for other blogs, and gradually introducing more writing into my own creative practice, incorporating text into my long-term projects.

And the next stage is this. Following my curiosity and intuition (which has worked out well for me for far, I just need to remind myself of that sometimes) and seeing what happens.

I have added a paid subscription to this newsletter, and if you feel like subscribing, I’d be grateful. Think of it as buying me a coffee once a month - mine’s decaf soya latte (no sugar unless the coffee is bad) if you must know - but I mostly drink strong and very sweet black tea.

However as of now, there’s no actual subscriber-only-behind-the-paywall content that you’d benefit from, apart from good karma and my gratitude. There will likely be something in the future once I figure this out, and I’ll make sure to let you know when there is.

In the meantime, feel free to subscribe for free, comment, share and recommend this newsletter to your friends. The more the merrier!

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