Good morning, folks!

Today Ive decided to enjoy some beautiful autumn weather and write to you from my patio, so this might be a more-words-less-photos kind of letter.

Up until just a couple weeks ago, it was still regularly in the 90s here, so highs in the 60s and 70s are very welcome!

On Wednesday I took some time to refill the bird feeders I've left languishing for a couple months (sorry birbs), and now there are sparrows every time I look outside. My resident Anna's Hummingbird is also back, singing and/or screaming as per protocol. And a gaggle of simpleton pigeons, of course, eating all the seed that's been dropped on the ground because they're too heavy for the feeder.

In recent weeks I've been dreaming again about the trajectory of my life, my career, and my artistic goals. A couple weeks back, I came across a post a couple weeks back from a former full-time artist who decided to take a full-time office job and do her art on the side. We see a lot of the latter on social media, folks grinding through their day job, wishing they could make their art full-time, and it's not the only way to do things.

It's not even the only way to be successful. You have to decide what you want for yourself, what success looks like to you, and even that might change over time.

I don't know everything, far from it, but what I know right now is:

• I'm an editor, and I enjoy the work I do for a salary.
• I aspire to do similar work for a publishing house.
• I am free to create the art I want to create.
• I am beholden to no one.

Those last two are pretty big thoughts, but they're very eye-opening. Even though I'm planning a soft shop launch in January, I don't feel cornered into making hundreds, or even tens, of the same item. For small items, that's going to happen naturally, but for larger items, I'll be just as happy to list a one-off in the shop. It can take as long as it would like to sell because I'm not counting on the income to make ends meet.

I'll be adding a gallery to my website with past works, showcasing repeatable as well as one-of-a-kind makes. Working with handspun yarn, I end up with lots of pieces that are simply not repeatable, and I think there's something beautiful about that, just like there's something beautiful and practical about a stack of nearly-identical items.

In the past, I've sometimes felt guilty about not making enough pieces, or prioritizing learning and exploration over Getting Shit Done but, come January, whether I list five or fifty pieces, they will be exactly what I want them to be, and there won't be any stress woven into them.

Likewise, I'm coming back to knitting in my spare time, and I'm no longer afraid of listing knitted pieces for sale. They take a long time, and they'll be priced how they need to be priced, but I'm not focused on knitting twenty Pogona shawls. I made one, and I have plans to make another because it works so well with a handspun gradient. If I finish the second and want to make a third, then I will. If I don't, then I won't.

My Archange sweater has been brought out of hibernation due to the falling temperatures, and now it only needs a sleeve cuff and a second sleeve. Worsted weight sweaters are magical for making progress. Of course, I have another sweater lined up after that, as well as a pair of socks. I've been away from sock knitting for some time, and it feels good to come home.

That's really all I have for this week, but I'd like to encourage you all to think about where you are in terms of the things you do for love and money. Are you satisfied? Are you reaching because you want something more, or because you feel like that's what you're supposed to do? If you retired tomorrow, could you occupy yourself for the rest of your years?

Hit reply, let me know what's on your mind.

I'll leave you with a glamor shot of my Bliss wheel after receiving the rest of its 3D printed bobbins. It's a beauty for sure!

With that, I wish you all a wonderful weekend, and I hope you have some quality time with yourself, your hobbies, and the folks you love. Maybe do a little birdwatching for me, okay?

Take care,

🌞 Liz