The other day I started browsing my Pinterest feed again, and I felt such a sense of calm. But swapping scrolling on socials or, god forbid, LinkedIn, for actively curating inspiration for my photography, it just made me feel like I’m getting lost in my own little world and it’s so beautiful.

Aside the ads, I do love the algorithm on there. The downside is that it’s harder to discover new, unfamiliar work (in terms of styles) because it does try and appease to what you’ve been searching for, but it’s also really nice to immerse myself in the things it does give me.

Somewhat inspired by what I was seeing, I propped up my camera on our garden table, with an empty box of our cat’s dry food box underneath it (instead of an actual tripod), and had a quick play as the laundry was drying. Must’ve been my lucky day to spot a background that I don’t even need to spend time setting up myself (I’m very much lazy in that respect).

What came out was a series of somewhat mysterious, with some almost religious or mysticism vibes, added by me wearing a shirt the other way around to hide the buttons.

And for reference, this is what it looked like IRL. Sometimes it is really that simple.

We live in a fairly average 3-bed and we don’t have spare rooms or studios for me to shoot from. Everything I do at home is done in small corners wherever I spot something—whatever you create, you don’t need tons of new supplies or fancy new equipment, or expensive locations.

Limitations actually unlock possibilities and force you to think, to adapt, and experiment.

In the context of photography, this reminds me of someone I once shot with, and he had a big bag filled with lots of different, expensive lenses. He spent ages thinking about which lens to use, instead of just picking one, sticking with it, and working with whatever is in his hand.

In a similar vein, the same goes for time—you don’t need months and months of planning, prepping, and crafting. Sure, some things will naturally lend to slower, longer process like writing or maybe painting a bigger scene.

But when it comes to the actual creative practice, you can do it even if all you have is a day for it, maybe even just a few hours between things—it doesn’t need to always be this big thing that you mentally can’t even digest because it feels so big and overwhelming.

The other day, driving back from some catsitting I did, I kept noticing some spots that I thought would be quite good to document before they disappear. After all the insane heat we had here in the UK, the scenery around us was looking bare, dusty, dry, and lifeless.

It felt important to capture it.

So I wrote down the few locations I spotted, a few others I had in mind, and we just drove around for a few hours the next day as I captured them. Then, I edited them all in one go and boom, it’s done. Not every project needs this extensive prep and work; sometimes all it needs is just a day or two.

And this is a bit of old news now, but did you watch the eclipse? The day before, I caught a few simple moments where the light just hit right—it was so soft and warm.

I’m trying to get back into the habit of reacting a little more to what’s happening around me, and there’s no excuse not to because I literally have at least a camera or two right on this windowsill below.

The way I think about it is—if not this, then what?

Meaning, if we don’t stop and pause to see the little ordinary (boring and seemingly unimportant at the first glance) moments, then are we just sat around waiting for something big to happen, and what if nothing big really happens?

On the day of eclipse, we weren’t very prepared, I think we were both quite busy but when the clock told us it’s time, I grabbed my camera and we headed out to a spot few mins down the road overlooking our local area.

And there it was.

Well, you can’t see it, my camera was not prepared for it in any shape or form, but we did watch the livestream on our phone at the same time from places that did have it at pretty much full, if not full, blackout as the Sun and the Moon aligned, while having a nosey around and seeing what everyone else is up to.

It was a nice day, and it just makes you feel like there’s something bigger out there, you know?

I like the thought of that.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

(It’s also my UK-versary today, the day I came here for the first time many, many moons ago now—celebrating it with a nice morning coffee run, some Greek food for dinner, and a cinema trip to finish the night with)

I only did a few minor work admin bits and some Slack comms, but other than that, it was very much all about being away from our screens (except for when we ate dinner and watched the Planet Earth documentary, perfect for multi-lingual households, especially with subtitles).

Living in a 2-people household it always gets me how expensive it is to travel and do fun things for a group of 4, it’s definitely not accessible to everyone and I’m glad we were able to go out, eat, have coffee, and treat my mum (and brother also got a great deal of a hand-me-down PC component that he took back home with him), so I wouldn’t take that for granted.

One thing my mum has always wanted to go to was the wildlife park we go to a few times a year. It has lovely habitats, conservation projects, and it’s always a great day out because you might see the new cheetah babies or you might not, you might spot the shy binturong (also known as a bearcat) if he decides to grace us with his presence, you might hear the rangers talk about something interesting, and it’s always nice seeing what else is new, who’s had babies, who’s just been moved in.

What I love about this wildlife park is that you can go in some of the habitats (wallabies, lemurs, and a South American-themed one with capybaras, teeny monkeys like Golden Lion Tamarin, Maras, and others just chilling peacefully as you walk around.)

Wallabies are really interesting actually—their mothers can produce two types of milk to feed the tiny newborn in their pouch and the slightly older joey that’s already left it. They can even delay the development of their embryo if the current joey hasn’t left the pouch yet to avoid a bit of a traffic jam.

If we lived close, I would 100% get the yearly membership and just come here for regular walks, not even necessarily stopping at every habitat. It’s such a relaxing place, kind of away from all the nonsense and noise (unless it’s school holidays, then expect some noise). (We also did a night 5K run that was through the park!)

They also house rescued lions—the first batch came in 2010 with 13 African lions rescued from horrific conditions in a Romanian zoo, then in 2024 with a pregnant lioness and three cubs traveling from the warzone that is Donetsk in Ukraine (the lioness gave birth to three more cubs later); and more recently in 2025 three more lions also came from other regions in Ukraine having survived months of bombing and trauma. Now, look at them!

They also have the world’s leading centre for polar bear welfare and conservation (at the moment, they’re classed as vulnerable), and have a bunch of bears spread across three or four habitats. As always, climate change is a b*tch, and affects them—they spend less time on ice, more time swimming which can be dangerous, especially for cubs, and makes it harder to hunt food (seals).

And as we’ve had a few heatwaves here in the UK, you’d naturally think—how do the bears cope?! They actually do spend time in tundra without snow, too, and as the park shows:

• Avg. temperature in July at the park — 20°C

• In Churchill, Canada — temps can reach up to 26°C

So, hopefully these heatwaves are just anomalies (wishful thinking?) so they can go back to the usual gray, rainy, cold British weather soon.

After the zoo (not the same day!), we stopped by a local art gallery too. A classic staple to visit when you want to do something for free, and grab a coffee later in the cafe.

It was actually really quiet (don’t see many kids spending their summer holiday time here), and we actually had a good fun looking at all the paintings—some so realistic it’s insane, others so abstract that the meaning goes right over our heads.

With just under an hour to kill before our train back, we got one final coffee & cake, plus people-watching on the street. Another fan favourite past time.

I was actually really tired every day, but it was a different kind of tired. We walked thousands of steps, we had to drive or catch trains here, there, and everywhere, and then we added more walks around the neighbourhood, plus some minor gardening. And by gardening I mean, my mum made me buy some flowers for our garden, and my brother (with his tall arms) helped tidy up some tree branches by cutting them down, and brushing up old leaves.

We also did some blackberry picking (here in the UK, they basically grow like weeds and take over, so aren’t hard to find), because back at home they’re very much a delicacy, and yet here we try chopping them every year because they keep encroaching on our car park space and nobody’s looking after them.

(We’re attempting some blackberry jam tonight, so let’s see how that goes)

So, it’s been very much a ‘touch grass’ kinda week, and as I’ve gone back to work, one thing I’ve been thinking about is… well, actually it’s more than one thing: re-learning critical thinking and using AI to help improve not destroy it, and finding a more purposeful way to use social media (if that’s possible), but that’s something I’ll touch on next week.

Until then, I’ll leave you with this comment I saw under one of the YouTube videos I’ve been listening to about these topics:

“The best free gift you can give yourself is a week without social media.”

See where that takes you.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

Well, it didn’t really matter, because we got there right during the heatwave so time spent wandering around was very limited because Frankfurt is just one big building maze, reflecting sun and heating up like crazy.

Although my main job for this was the content I was helping with and just general ‘I’m here, give me jobs you need help with,’ I was also covering one day of photo coverage as our main photographer had to leave early so I was ready for that. Unfortunately, he fell ill so I had to cover some more. I had a little battery mishap but thank god I had everything I needed to cover that extra time!

Then, right during all this, my other half got really sick and had to stay and recover in the flat we were staying at, except there was no aircon so not only was he kinda dead, he was even more dead because this heatwave was relentless. I had to take 3-4 showers one day just to keep myself functioning, and not even using the towel to dry off to enjoy glorious 10-15 minutes of slight coolness on my skin.

I ended up doing three mini-shoots too to shoot some portraiture of three lovely event attendees, so by the end of it all, let’s just say I had no chance to explore the city, and even if I wanted to, I’d need a portable fan with me at all times.

As the designated nurse, I found a shop for some medicines to bring back to our room, and a supermarket that was right in the city centre not too far from us, and had such a nice range of fresh foods and snacks. My go-to snack to bring back was a big plastic box full of melon and watermelon, the one thing I was really craving in this weather.

During all these walks, I sometimes had my Fuji on me, which meant I could grab a shot or two. A small memory tokens from a trip we’ll look back at and laugh at how bad things felt in the moment.

It was almost comical in that we were both feeling like shit for different reasons, but very much brought together for our both struggles to function in this heat and glimpses of the World Cup that I caught at times when I came back to shower, get changed, or take a break.

Those 9-10 PM breezes felt like lifesavers, even though it was still warm. But, I’ve never had to deal with such almost suffocating feeling because the room kept all the heat in, and made it even worse than outside—and it didn’t matter what we do to try and help it.

Frankfurt is actually a really lovely city, as long as you are aware of the no-go places (or are very careful in these), because it feels so walkable. I racked up thousands of steps everyday but not once did I feel anything I need is too far away.

The old town area, the business district, nice restaurants from every cuisine imaginable, park and the rover, it’s all there, and we already said we’ll make sure to come visit it when we are both healthy, when none of us are working, and when the weather isn’t as extreme as this.

As we hit the last day, and we were helping with the tear-down (it’s not great fun doing heavy lifting and trying to squeeze things in the cars during such heat), I started feeling it—I was starting to get ill myself. As were a few others from the team.

I think my body gave me a pass for the entire week so I can make sure I do my best to survive and be on the ball throughout the week, and once it knew it’s the day after, my immune system totally let go. I ended up dealing with a huge headache at the airport (while our plane was delayed too, and this was after two hour bus ride), but on the flip side—we had the most beautiful sunset there.

We went to the Cologne airport because it had better flight times, and where our gate was, it’s essentially a gigantic glass box.

When we first arrived, it wasn’t that hot yet, and as we sat waiting for our bus to Frankfurt (which also was late), I pulled out my camera to help pass the time.

The man you see in that glass below, is exactly where I was stood on the way back waiting for our flight.

And this is the view from where that man was stood.

The passport check space was totally air-con free it seemed (giving us a scare we’ll be stuck for hours in this), but luckily the actual waiting area wasn’t too bad, even if it did look like a big glass greenhouse (although the plants were fake), with the lower ground waiting area giving a really nice cool refresh.

I had no painkillers left, and there was no pharmacy or general store that would sell any, so I moved between sitting in the chair with my head leaned back, rubbing my temples and my scalp to help relieve the pain, while listening to something I downloaded on YouTube, and getting up to wander around and capture how fast the light was changing from bright white to soft, glowing orange.

It’s not often that airports we go to are so nice and spacious to walk around. It didn’t have much there in terms of shops and food places, but it just felt so airy and open, a big contrast to most that stuff you in some tight waiting areas. I don’t go to huge airports generally, but the difference is huge compared to let’s say Manchester, which I think is fairly large.

And just before our plane boarded, this was my view.

I managed to get back in (just about) one piece, but had to take time off to recover from this nasty cold that took me out of the action for a while. And, here I am today—sharing my adventures with you as Switzerland and Colombia go to extra time, so let’s see what comes out of it! ⚽

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

But I realised the only way to break out of the hamster wheel is to actually make myself step off of it.

As it happens, it was a beautiful sunset evening, one of my cameras was just about charged, so off I went for a wander.

Imagine my walk kinda with that Olivia Dean’s vibe:

I have one route (with a few small variations) that gives me a solid one hour and more of walking, depending how fast I manage to get back (it’s uphill!) and if I take any extra detours.

This time of the year, I find nothing more romantic than that dusky light as the sun’s going down and everything colours in light oranges, pinks, and purples. The light is so soft you could touch it.

I usually put a good long-form video on to listen to, something I’ve downloaded from YouTube so I can listen to it offline. I’m kinda over podcasts at the moment, although no doubt I’ll get back into them again, but there’s something soothing and relaxing about a slight repetition of one person’s voice to help you switch off a little bit and just let your legs do the walking.

We have a big field near us for horses to graze on. Once, we went on a local walking route and Google lead to the back of it. There was no signage so we thought we’ll continue so we can get back onto the road and head home but ran into someone who worked at the horse field and told us off. Since then, I don’t even attempt that walk and just pass it on the main road.

I’ve heard a few Brits refer to horses as ‘ponies’ which I find quite endearing. It makes them all sound so small and silly, and in a way they are—they’ll get scared of their own shadow and yet they could easily trample a human without even trying.

I’ve always been big on finding small things, moments, places to appreciate, to fall in love with—wherever you live. As an immigrant in particular, I feel it can help you feel more at home, more settled, if you can find these little things that bring you peace and calm.

And I know a thing or two about places that are not aesthetic and still learning to see something beautiful in your surroundings as someone who’s lived in Soviet-style block of flats. So, just trust me.

When you’re out for a sunset walk, you know how fast the light changes. You’d be seeing the brightest warm colour just beyond the hill and you’d think it’s just a few mins walk away, but you can miss it so easily. No photo can be the same because it’s constantly moving on and the hues are shifting, but that kinda adds to the fun of chasing it.

And you can say anything you want about the decline of smaller English towns, but sunset makes even the most mundane corners look so visually pleasing. At least in my eyes it does.

But you just need to make yourself get out and about to see them. Whatever your city or town, or village, those corners do exist, but you need to go look for them.

Have you noticed anything on your latest walks? Break yourself out of the auto-pilot even if just for a moment. Our brain craves it and will thank you for it.

P.S. I’m in Germany shortly, and am hoping it gives me an even bigger ‘reset’ so I can come back to things that bring me the most joy and fulfilment, and yes, of course, one of them is photography.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

So, weirdly, I almost feel a sense of relief after sharing it all even though I haven’t really. Aren’t our brains strange like that?

There’s a few thoughts that have been resurfacing during this time I’ve been a little AWOL here.

First one’s that it really, truly helps to find your tribe(-member). I spoke to a fellow freelancer who’s been in a very similar situation and almost at the same time as me (spooky), and I’m super grateful she listened to me (probably going in circles), because it genuinely did help.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for therapy, and I wouldn’t want to pull a Carrie when she pissed off her friends by using them as a substitute for an actual pro who can help her sort out her feelings. Miranda (below) says it best.

So, I’m mindful in that I’m not taking those random Discord chats for granted. So yes, speaking to someone who just gets you, can do wonders. But you do need to recognise when it’s too much and you need to take it a step further, i.e., towards a therapist’s office.

The second thought is that it can be pretty hard when you’re thrown back into chores, looming deadlines, flashing Slack messages that need answering, and the assumption is that your grief should culminate at the funeral, and after that—you’re suddenly okay to just get on with it.

Which obviously is not true.

Instead, now you have chores, looming deadlines, and unanswered Slack messages on top of random moments of sadness and grief. Add to the mix irrational feelings of guilt (am I grieving ‘hard’ enough? How is it fair for me to enjoy something or feel good when I ‘should’ be grieving?) and just the overall ‘I’m so done, don’t test my patience.’

Unless that’s more the case of just getting older and caring way less about keeping peace and appeasing others (especially as a woman)? Could be that, who knows.

Okay, so let’s circle back to the whole ‘back to reality’ thing. Is it wild that I think I don’t have time to grieve because I can’t afford to lose sleep, I can’t afford to lose focus or everything will crumble like a house of cards—and here I refer more to the internal happenings in my brain and my ability to keep my sh*t together rather than the physical environment around me.

And when I do allow myself the time and space to think, two things keep coming up:

When someone’s been a big part of you growing up and they’re no longer here, it feels like all of that first part of your life is gone, not just gone, it’s lost. And, I know it’s not true but it feels like this big hole—like someone’s taken a chunk out of what once was.

And then on the other hand, there’s a sense of loss for what could’ve been, what could’ve been said or experienced, and now none of it will.

It feels like you’re tugged apart in two because it’s tough to look back and it’s just as tough to look ahead.

But you also don’t want this big dark cloud to completely overshadow memories that actually matter either, you know? I do find it hard because I feel it physically. It’s like this ache in the back of your throat, and my hands get all cold and clammy whenever I think about it.

One more thing, I have to bring up the immigration point—not a political one in any way. More an identity one.

I find the distance does a funny thing to you. It dulls certain senses and thoughts, but intensifies others, like guilt, regret, helplessness.

When I spoke to my freelancer friend, one thing we touched on was how intriguing and surprising it is to find that gasp your family members have actual lives of their own, outside of the family unit. They have friends, their own neighbours, acquaintances. They have their own history, dreams, thoughts, regrets, and opinions that you might never even know about.

In a way, I think that’s the thought that helps me ground myself a little because life is for living and when someone’s had a great time on this Earth, when they’ve built relationships, when they’ve loved and experienced the entire gamut of what it’s like to be a human, you know they’d hate to see you feeling like this.

I know, for a fact, none of this would make them happy, and instead they’d want to see you thrive, so I guess the best we can do is to try and do just that?

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

I suppose some of it comes down to me not actually planning anything during that time besides:

• a coffee with a friend and a good catch-up session

• a day to go find spring shoes (I didn’t; I got two bags instead and they are cute)

• haircut (luckily it’s only 15min walk away because as I was coming back from the coffee chat with a friend, I popped the tire 1min away from home and we were car-less for most of the week)

• gym (big push week) — ended up moving it to this week instead so I just went for walks and did stretches, some skip rope, and that’s about it

That’s literally it. The rest was having super slow mornings, playing games, doing some photo editing, making food.

But, even if I didn’t get anything super profound out of this brief break, I did come back with a few things:

• Hit a big squat PB on my first session back, so pretty happy about that

• Finally found a lamp for our living room and went to pick it up

• Bought a couple of bedside tables (also something I’ve been umming and arring about for ages)

• Researched a few plants (I want some for very specific locations in our house) that are pet-friendly and hopefully easy to look after. I always end up picking some out in shops only for Google Lens to tell me they’re toxic to pets, so I thought no more blind shopping, I need to have a prepared list of what to look for

And I also realised, I’ve been going down the modern mid-century style rabbithole a little. I think it was the lamp and bedside table combo that did it, and since then I’ve been trying to pinpoint what exactly attracts me to it so much, and why now.

I know us, millennials, went through a really futuristic, minimalist phase, stripping colour and anything unnecessary away—maybe dealing with the aftermath of growing up in houses that were filled to the brim with things, heck in Eastern Europe some of us even had carpets on walls, okay—ending up with blank beige walls and blank beige furniture, until eventually you feel there’s no soul in it (or colour). Maybe lucky with some pastels thrown in there somewhere.

Not quite as far as Kim K’s ghost house, though.

So it seems like transitioning to modern mid-century makes total sense.

Here’s a quick description I pulled out:

I don’t want anything that feels remotely cold and futuristic, I want warmth, textures, earthy colours. But I don’t want clutter and feeling overwhelmed either. So the bit about utility and good design make total sense for me.

Like these nice, solid containers I got for our kitchen. The glass is actually really thick, and I just love the ribbed effect and the sealed wooden top—though maybe less traditional that we keep dark chocolate in one of them (for breakfast yogurt & snack) and creatine powder with a small spoon in the other.

I was looking through my photos of the Make with Notion event in London that I took part in as an Ambassador, and I realised I’m seeing the same thing there, which is why I’m lowkey obsessed with the brand and the product, and have been for a while now.

When we had a meetup at the Notion Dublin HQ, you can see all these mid-century references there, too. I shared a few photos in this newsletter issue if you want to have a peek, so unsurprisingly that the brand carries those references into its yearly event, too.

Here’s a few things and corners I collected at the event.

I’m kinda excited for this because for me, personally, I always felt really stripped back minimalism was too cold for me, but now seeing that there is a way to bring back life and texture, and a touch of colour, AND have actual purpose and some utility (yes, even art and collectibles) for anything you add to your place, it just feels like things are making so much more sense to me.

I’d love to tackle our bedroom one day but honestly I don’t have enough energy for big projects, they really overwhelm me because I get so indecisive, but I think we’ll start with the bedside tables and go slowly from there.

The best part is, it doesn’t need to be super expensive or a huge makeover, I think that’s what really draws me to it. I can build it like a lego, piece by piece.

Kudos to you if you’re one of those talented DIY people who can just make cool things happen but I think I’ll keep watching you from the sidelines, cheering you on, while slowly, slowly adding and swapping pieces in our home.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

Carrie doesn’t know a thing about jazz and neither do I, but what I do know is it does something to my brain. It’s soft, and kinda random, but not so random and scattered it pulls you out of your thoughts.

I definitely prefer the really slow, mellow, lounge kinda jazz that you almost forget it’s there, and definitely not the energetic kind that makes you feel out of breath just listening to it. Like those you’ll find on YouTube with comments like this:

It has definitely helped me through some late hours of working, writing, and thinking, and I found myself reaching for my trusted EDM, house, and random remix playlist a lot less; instead grounding myself with slower, calmer music. What I feel in my head during that time is kinda like this soft light shining through our bedroom window.

I don’t know about you, but because of my work, I get regular daily doses of just this really erratic, sometimes antagonising, content where everyone’s trying to be faster, more productive, more automated. Everyone’s trying to build the next best AI agent to replace an entire department (a lot of times this also comes from founders who don’t even have these departments yet) or build something that does cold outreach en masse to avoid having quality conversations.

Well, I know—they’d say it’s not to avoid quality conversations, it’s just a numbers game to get to those quality conversations in the first place.

But either way, if I have to be in this world, I find myself gravitating to those that build more consciously, those who genuinely want to solve a problem or to handle something they’ve struggled with but now can outsource to an agentic workflow so they can preserve more of their energy and brain power to be their best selves in another capacity.

I kinda feel it too. Gravitating towards tangible, creative, human things, while letting the technology do the cold, mechanic things. I’ve gone back to just using a written daily journal because I always put far too much in if I use a digital tool and it stressed me out. Writing with a pen just hits different, I do believe it does something (good) to your brain, compared to just adding tons of tasks using your keyboard.

This kinda leads me to the conversation I had with Siobhan, a local designer. Well, I say local—she does, indeed, live local to me but she’s also fairly well known for her stunning maximalist style.

I was doing a random project of my own, when I came across this enormously large sofa in one of the property listings I just had to share with her.

But it wasn’t for Siobhan’s talented designer eye that I met with her. I was actually doing (yet another) personal project where I photograph (mostly) women and their cats, and I saw that she has a little floofball so I asked her if she’d be up for it.

Turns out her floof, Benji, is just the most adorable senior. He’s 17 (!). I wouldn’t say he was too impressed on the day but he did grace us with his presence in Siobhan’s dressing room, hallway, and downstairs bedroom.

You can see more of the shoot here in my photo journal.

What I enjoyed the most from our shoot (besides her stunning home that is) was having actual normal human conversations that don’t revolve around AI or anything.

We actually just talked about our businesses, the boring side of it, the fun side of it. As well as 4-day work week, the local cafe I told her she has to go for a breakfast date, how Benji almost escaped via roof terrace, about putting away Christmas decorations, and tons of random things.

I don’t know if this was Siobhan’s effect or not, but I had been inspired to get a new throw for our sofa, one that actually looks and feels nice, and is good quality. So I got this blue one from an online store based in Poland.

It took a while to arrive but it’s ssoooo nice. And warm, and cosy. The hardest part is keeping it away from our cat who likes to dig his nails in, especially if something’s a really nice fabric.

So, obviously—inevitably—I had to do something with it. Having spent far too much time recently doing work or thinking about work (and then the rest of the time feeling tired from work), I knew it’s a good push to get me shooting again.

I sometimes do this thing where I wait for the perfect feeling, the perfect day, to shoot but I realise that’s not realistic. What’s realistic is being conscious about your creative practice.

Plan it in. Stick it in your calendar or journal. You might already know what you’ll want to create or you might not, but it’s more about having that dedicated time for it. If you’re busy, you can’t leave things to chance.

We both know the chance of randomly doing something creative during a busy week is slim. So, if it has to be this way, treat it as your actual job. Set that Out of Office slot in your calendar if you’re a busy bee or just plan it around your deadlines and tasks.

By the way, if it makes you feel better, I’ve had this newsletter on my to-do list for about a week or so.

And going with the colourful theme, I did a quick one after staring at our bedroom lamp too long. I usually have it on the sunset setting where it kinda moves between yellows, oranges, and reds, but this time I set it to pure red and just tried something to see what happens.

As always, I’ll leave you with a ‘what have you been putting off recently?’

What’s something you can do today, tomorrow, or plan later in the week, something totally unrelated to your work, something that can help you switch off?

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

I just saw someone reminisce about Limewire 🍋 (it either takes you back or it wasn’t a thing in your time, whether your time was way before or after), and it reminded me of one of my downloads there — Breathe by Blu Cantrell (what a banger then and still now).

So, a few song rabbitholes later, I ended up looking for The Weeknd, and landed on this mix that’s now fuelling this brief writing session — and it might just be the vibe you need today, too.

But the real vibe is joining a local medieval fighters guild just out of curiosity and a ‘why not,’ which is exactly what Andrew Webb did. Head of Content by day, and a beginner jouster on the weekend.

As is the way, I didn’t know Andrew but his post on my LinkedIn feed caught my eye and I had to investigate.

Andrew works for a startup that focuses on improving accessibility for online shopping. “Roughly 1 in 4 people globally have a disability, and 1 in 5 are neurodivergent, and yet most online shopping experiences don’t serve these customers well,” Andrew shares.

As is the way with startups, Andrew and his colleagues wear a ton of hats — speed is key.

Work aside, Andrew is also a fellow Dungeons & Dragons player, and the algorithm kept serving him ads. And love it or loathe it, but sometimes the algorithmic gods will bless you with something that’s actually relevant, useful, and lands on your feed just at the right time. For Andrew, that was medieval fighting tournaments (hmm, I might need to work on my algorithm):

“[..] There was one for ‘Bohurt’, which comes from Old French béhourd: “joust” or “tournament”. I clicked the link and there was a ‘find near you’ option, and I thought these would all be in Europe or the US, but then I was amazed to find one in Cambridge. I emailed Jack, our captain, and did a trial session, and joined the group. It’s great.”

You can check it out yourself here. Maybe it inspires you to pick up that random hobby this year? For Andrew, the appeal is in that it has nothing to do with content strategy. Well, it’s kinda problem-solving but you’re completely focused on the physical aspect while put under pressure to react in the moment.

“You’re constantly reading signals, testing assumptions, adjusting distance, choosing when to commit and when to disengage, and conserving energy. And then that plan goes out the window when your opponent counters.

If anything, it’s more like physical chess.

I have a desk job, and thankfully we live in an age where most people don’t experience physical violence, but doing this sport, and it is a sport, reminds you that desk jobs are a relatively new invention for humans. For most of history, it was very different.”

In addition to the medieval experience, Andrew also runs creative LEGO workshops to help teams work together better.

With a motto of “‘Make an afternoon of happy mistakes with me, so your MVP doesn’t suck in six months’ time,” Andrew gets companies and teams to be more creative in how they approach whatever’s blocking them:

“They’re different tools for different kinds of thinking. Duelling is physical, but unlike the gym it’s also about friendship and getting hit and being physical. LEGO, on the other hand, is more creative. There are 24 discrete skills happening in your brain when using LEGO.”

You’d think a hobby like a medieval fight club might be intimidating for the first-timers, and not quite as easy to dive into as something like doodling or candle making.

But Andrew went fully in and share’s a great piece of wisdom: you can do something new and it’s okay to be rubbish at it.

You don’t have to nail it the first time, you don’t need to prove anything. Maybe only to yourself — to overcome that fear and just do it.

“We all start out rubbish. Being bad at something reminds you how learning actually feels: confusion, frustration, tiny wins that feel enormous.

And you can take a beginner’s mindset into your professional work, and look at the world anew and really learn things. We should always be learning, even when we’re good at something.”

So, go do something that has nothing to do with your job title. I’ve seen this a lot, and I’ve done the exact same thing, but nothing changes if you don’t change anything — if you want to break that routine, you have to break it.

“Make something; do something. It could be fighting, pickleball, knitting, or fishing. Anything that isn’t a desk and a screen, and something where your LinkedIn profile is useless and your mind, body, or hands have to do the thinking.

Physical hobbies recalibrate your sense of touch and of progress and failure, there is no ‘undo'. They make you more patient, more grounded, and, I think, better at your work. We could all benefit from being makers again, even just as a hobby.”

Sooo, what are you going to make or do this week, this month, this year? You know, my DMs are always open if you want to share more about your hobbies or experiments.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

I kinda had the same about my EOY newsletter I was going to write ready to send just after the new year’s celebrations. And about 5 post ideas I had drafted in my head but the time had passed and I felt what if I missed the boat with the right timing. And also a video I was going to make about a trip and an event that never left my drafts.

And most recently, also some reflections for the start of the year only for me to realise that it’s a lil’ bit self-indulgent to think my life musings will serve anyone but me. So instead, I decided to drop all those and just get back to why I started this newsletter in the first place: to give you 5 mins of visual, mental detox and remind you:

• You’re more than your work or your latest title you’ve added in your LinkedIn bio.

• What you do outside of work hours matters: your hobbies, passions, playful experiments, they all contribute to your brain’s neuroplasticity (in other words, it helps your brain make new connections because you introduce novelty, new challenges, consistent effort learning and doing something different)

• You can be be as strategic, logical, and technical in your work as you need to be, but working on your creativity is just as important if you want to learn to see things through different POVs, to find alternative routes, to approach problems differently, to get better at brainstorming.

You don’t need tons of time, money, space, or motivation to do any of this. You don’t need to be a writer to write, you don’t need to be a photographer to shoot photos, you don’t need to be an artist to try doodling — you get the idea.

My eye also caught one post that spoke on how easy it is to get into a routine, and for time to quickly pass you by if you don’t have interruptions, like a new hobby, a simple day trip, a walk in a place somewhere new. That novelty breaks up the pattern and gets your brain to pay attention.

So, here’s a few moments from the end of my 2025 where I did some of that.

First up: candle making.

This was a gift from previous Christmas that was patiently sat waiting, but we finally did it. I think, I’d been putting it off because the box was so big, with so many different parts and items that I felt overwhelmed to even figure out how to start.

But honestly, it was pretty simple and just a few steps to follow on repeat. We added a stronger drink with a mixer, a live DJ on Twitch, and it was actually pretty fun. Less arty, more basic chemistry lesson because we didn’t need to make the candle jars, but just fill them with the right wax, colour, and scent combos.

Solo adventure

I flew back home (Riga) for a couple of weeks just before getting back for Christmas. I’d arranged to shoot a gorgeous model in the city, so I figured I should make the most of it and plan a few more things around there . Ever since leaving home, I’d been wanting to visit the Corner House, a historical building with bloody past — only a block or two away from where I used to live as a kid.

It’d reopened a few years ago to the general public, now serving as a museum for those who want to learn more about the deepest, darkest parts of our recent history and the price our people paid simply for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

They have tours everyday and there was only an English-speaking one available on the day I was there, so I signed up because it’s literally two mins walk from where I arranged to photography my model. It was as harrowing as I had expected. I told my auntie about it afterwards, but she said she wouldn’t be able to stomach it, but if you’re interested in Eastern European history, I recommend it.

It was interesting to see it through the eyes of British tourists (as well as a bunch of other Europeans, but particularly Brits because of how different the general mainland European history, esp. Eastern European, is vs Western European).

It’s a fine line balancing that dark, self deprecating humour when you’re talking about something that hits so close at home.

Going solo, I think I found myself digesting the information a bit more because I had more time to just stand and think, and observe.

You definitely don’t need to go for something so dark, but think of a solo adventure doing something you’re interested in regardless of what others want or like. What would you pick?

P.S. After all that, my model had to cancel our shoot.

5k race

Can you get any more cliché than doing a run just after New Year’s? Totally coincidental and unrelated to any new year’s resolutions, we had booked in a race from months ago only because it was an evening race through an empty wildlife park, all illuminated with lights installations. It’s our favourite wildlife park so how could we say no?

Compared to our first race earlier in 2025, training for this one was a mess. We had illnesses, injuries, other sports competitions to prep for, travel, work and family stress, you name it. A bit of a shitshow but we made it through and the best part — it was very cold BUT no rain. A win.

I still don’t love running but throwing random things in our workout routine is a good challenge.

Colouring

My Q4 obsession was definitely colouring. It’s so soothing. There’s something about conforming and colouring inside the lines, it’s just so straightforward and simple — an opposite to some of the stuff you have to deal with in your every day life.

I got a couple of pencil packs, one colouring book (from Vinted of all places), and just put some YouTube video or podcast on. I think for me it’s very much a comfort hobby, reminding me when my granddad used to teach me how to colour neatly inside the lines. So, that’s exactly what I did.

Photo moments

As a photographer, I can get caught up in trying to perfect everything (from what I use to shoot with to how I present it to what’s the purpose if this photo even), so I wanted to go back to why I started photography in the first place.

In reality, your gear doesn’t matter much, especially now when phone’s have such great cameras you can easily shoot and print your photos without even picking up a DSLR or a mirrorless. So, two things I started doing was:

• A simple monthly photo journal where I slot in a few photos each month to remind me what I did, what I saw, what I experienced. It looks like this, and took me 5 mins to put it together in Notion, but at least it makes me feel those daily phone snaps now have a more permanent place. And it’s good for learning to cull your images, too, because you probably won’t upload 100 variations of your cat from the same day (although, I totally would).

• I started taking quick selfies, less so arty self portraits, but more like little snippets of myself on days I feel good. Sort of a small ritual to pause and actually digest that yes, today I’m feeling good and I appreciate it before that feeling fleets away.

And to finish up my list, I went back to analog daily planning. I am that girl who has had 100 different planners, templates, Notion and Xtiles pages, and I realised that:

• Digital planning encourages overestimating how much I can actually get done. It’s too easy to add way more than I can actually handle, and then I feel like crap for not being as productive as I had anticipated to finish my silly, 100-item long to-do list that felt totally doable.

• I already used a paper planner last year to make myself jot down a sentence or two each day, but I felt a bit of a disconnect. The planner didn’t feel like something I want to actually have on me, and so I’d go days without writing anything.

So, now I opted for an A5 size planner that has a page for each day so I can add my must-haves I need to get done, plenty of notes sections (e.g. I noted ideas for this newsletter issue in one of the pages).

Actual client work and all other work admin stuff stays digital.

I do feel a big difference because it just fits. I know for a fact that the process of writing stuff down feels different than doing it digitally. The separation now makes way more sense in my head, when previously I tried to make things fit in way they never fit.

I can’t do elaborate worksheets or weekly, or daily planning. I can watch 20 different productivity videos and none of the methods or science-backed systems will really work for me, because my brain refused to co-operate.

I will take those extra 10-20 mins out of my day versus an arbitrary productivity gain if I were to send a quick voice note with tasks to my AI agent that then pulls it into my Notion. But the point is, you have to find what works for your brain. They’re funny that way — you can tell them one thing, but they’ll quickly make sure you know when it’s not working for you, regardless of what so-and-so says on LinkedIn about the latest daily productivity hack.

Oh, and we started a new tradition this year, inspired by a bag full of receipts I found in my mum’s house.

We’ll stick ours in a bag too, and burn them at the end of the year. Out with the old, here’s to new money coming in, new opportunities. Just make sure you do it safely.

Hope to land in your inbox more frequently this year after my brief writing hiatus. Here’s to a good 2026.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

I asked this a couple weeks ago when we went to our local tip. As waste recycle centres go, I’d say ours is actually a pretty good one.

It has so many different sections for every imaginable item that I’m usually looking pretty lost trying to figure out where I need to go whilst carrying the most random things we’re getting rid of, until one of the workers shouts something me and usually I can’t tell what they’re saying so I just nod until they start pointing me in the right direction (because I’m still looking lost).

We also have this one container where you can go in and leave items that are still good to go to a new home: maybe an old lamp or a sun lounger you no longer use, or literally anything else. Last time, we left some unopened DIY tools there.

Not really thinking much, we went to the container to leave some of our stuff but it must’ve been just the right time: it was bursting with things others had left.

First thing that caught our eye was the massive amount of cigarette cards. I had no idea it was a thing, but we found bags, boxes, and massive albums filled with them. Baseball and football players, celebrities, historical figures, animals, and all sorts. They look kinda like this:

Clearly, an avid collector had likely passed away and their family or friends didn’t know what to do with such gigantic collection and decided to leave it for someone else to figure out.

Now, if we’d had all the time in the world (and we were savvy enough), we’d definitely take them in and look through, searching for some possible gems. But alas we didn’t have the time and dedication so we decided to leave them. It’s such a shame, hopefully someone did pick it up.

Next, we spotted some 4kg and 5kg dumbbells (sold them on FB marketplace), I also picked up a couple of books, and much to my excitement—there were a few 1000-piece jigsaws that I gladly took home.

These were from Wasgij (Jigsaw) brand, which can be pretty tough to complete because the reference image is the ‘before’ and you have to figure out the ‘after’. Here’s one I did before our dumpster haul:

It’s equal amounts of fun and annoying because often times all you can do is focus on certain colours or patterns and try figure out how that bit of the puzzle comes together in the ‘after.’

Speaking of jigsaws, I actually put together a Notion page (of course I did) to keep track of the ones I do. I dug out some photos I had sent of my finished puzzles to my other half + a few I had sold on Vinted, to retroactively add them in.

I might not keep any of the jigsaws I complete (I always either pass them onto a friend or sell on Vinted—and I definitely don’t want to end up with boxes and boxes of jigsaws), but it’s nice to look back at the ones I did complete.

What am I going to do with this data? Absolutely nothing other than just look at it from time to time.

So, all in all—we had a great dumpster haul, who would’ve thought. But these past two weeks, I’ve not done much of my jigsaws. Work has taken a lot of my energy, some last-minute deadlines got me working late.

But we did have a lovely break over the weekend. A friend got us (I say ‘us’—I’m only tagging along as the plus-one) a helicopter ride which we finally managed to book in. We had it scheduled for September but they cancelled because of a storm. It all worked out for the best, because the new date we had it booked in was SO beautiful, warm, sunny, and zero-clouds-in-the-sky.

Couldn’t have asked for a better day to fly around. (the security team told us to watch our hands and not mess with the door because it can open quite easily so I was holding onto my phone for dear life because WHAT IF I accidentally open it??)

I’ve never flown in a helicopter before—only in a teeny (3-5 seater) plane, and the views are definitely more enjoyable in a helicopter because you’re a little slower, the windows are huge, and I guess you can be a little lower, too.

It’s actually really weird when you look down. Everything looks like tiny monopoly pieces; almost like none of these houses, cars, and vans are real. The perspective of things really messes with your head.

Another thing that messed with my head was this citrus fruit we found in a shop over the weekend. How is that not a teeny pumpkin??

But to finish off these past few busy weeks, I completed editing some of my self portraits I did with a blackberry bush branch. That bush is actually pretty invasive and has gigantic thorns, so each year we have to keep it in check with shears, otherwise it hangs over our car and catches your hair and clothes every time you walk past.

With my camera propped up on a pile of books, my phone in one hand (acting as a remote shutter release and focus check), and holding this sharp, thorny thing in the other hand, I tried my best to get a few shots without stabbing myself.

I’ve got a new-found love for closeups recently. Really textured, contrasting closeups. I think the more AI work I see, the more I want to go back to working with imperfections (like my front tooth with a corner missing because I fell in an empty pool when I was a kid and broke it), human pores, wrinkles, and crevices.

Someone commented under this pic on my Instagram with ‘Somewhere between Man Ray and his muse Lee Miller’,

(if you haven’t seen these photographers’ work, I highly recommend you check it out),

and if that’s the comparison I receive, I’m happy with just that one person looking at my work. Today, it’s sooo easy to just fall prey to losing yourself to the algorithm: creating and sharing things that you believe the algorithmic gods will approve of, while losing more and more of yourself in the process. Chasing likes and trends that don’t fill your soul because you realise you’re just being performative, instead of creating or sharing something that is unashamedly, unapologetically you. Whether Instagram likes it or not.

Projects like these make me fall in love with photography all over again. When I have an idea that I mull over, and actually set some time aside for it to give it a go, instead of rushing it, and I actually work through it in my head—magic happens.

Same as with every newsletter I send you, here’s my reminder to you: Don’t be stingy. Give yourself time, just 30mins will do, and forget about work. Experiment, create something, be playful—even if that goes against everything you think you are in your professional life. Trust me, even engineers and solutions architects need a creative release.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

That’s why I stopped one day mid-scroll on LinkedIn. Someone in my network had commented or reacted to one of Dustyn Dixon’s post which was very much about food.

When all you see on your feed is: AI startup has has raised millions; AI is bad and causing our brain to disintegrate; job losses; latest marketing hacks and so on, seeing a photo of a good, juicy piece of meat is bound to get you to pay attention.

(Apologies to my vegan and vegetarian readers 🙏)

Dustyn actually works in cybersecurity, handling clients, accounts, and license sales. He came from a healthcare SaaS where he saw a huge breach which showed him that “people can’t be taken care of if the systems are not protected first,” which was one of the reasons to pull him into the direction of cybersecurity. (And a good friend who already worked at the company and could show him the ropes).

But as for food, it plays a pivotal role in Dustyn’s content. You won’t see him giving a hard, boring B2B sale—instead you’re more likely to see a ‘this is how my brisket turned out today.’

Ever since he was a kid living in an apartment with his family, they had a grill at their back door: “I loved the char and taste of how fire altered meals. Smoking as an interest is more of a recent one.”

“I think 5 or 6 years ago we got a mini Traeger and tried to smoke a brisket, and it was absolute trash compared to what I make now. I did some research on what I considered better smokers and ended up with this Masterbuilt 800 because it combines the classic charcoal from the BBQ I grew up on, plus wood for the smoke flavors.”

Spending time on this helps Dustyn recharge. Sometimes it even drives conversations with clients because “people love food.” So much so, Dustyn and his boss believe it helped close his first real deal at his new job.

So, although LinkedIn used to be this really corporate, only-enter-if-you-carry-a-briefcase kind of platform, I think we’ve slowly come to the realisation that we’re more than just ‘work’ or whatever our title is at moment and time.

There’s time and place for useful, technical, or industry-specific content, but even the biggest VC founders, clients, colleagues, peers, and curious passers-by are just humans at the end of the day, and we naturally connect with other humans through these real stories:

“I noticed how terrible work content was on LinkedIn. Not judging others, but mine was so bland. It also was a terrible attempt at not selling, to sell. I started to notice people’s personal stories pop up on LinkedIn, and I saw how much LinkedIn was simply social media with better connections being made through real life stories.”

Prior to this, Dustyn tried to give sales tips because everyone else does it, and it “looked cool” but it was not resonating with him, so he figured he could share his hobbies and life because that’s what truly mattered to him.

And those stories have found their way to the right people.

So, follow Dustyn’s advice: don’t be afraid to embrace cringe and don’t be too concerned what your past co-worked or friends, or anybody else in your network, will say.

“SOMEBODY ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING TO SAY. If you want to share it (with respect to the fact that your job and family can see it), share it. Also, showing up in the comments of other posts is a great start, if you’re interested in putting yourself out there!”

So, if you want to liven up your LinkedIn feed, follow Dustyn’s foodie and family adventures.

I don’t know why but with the season change, and us getting more cosy in our offices again, instead of being out on summer adventures, I’ve been feeling it’s time to focus on community again. At the moment, I’m all about my fellow Notion Ambassadors so I figured we could do with something simple, small, and low-effort to bring us together—virtually.

And coincidentally with many already doing the Inktober challenge, I proposed a doodle-a-day throughout October, and much to my surprise, a bunch of ambassadors signed up!

(first inklings of this idea sparked already in my last issue 🌟)

So off I went to put together our Notion dashboard, making it super simple and easy to collaborate on and kicked off the month with our first daily doodle: ‘a cup of your fave drink.’

Now, I’m not a drawer or doodler. I used to draw and colour a lot when I was younger but haven’t done it for YEARS. (I also bought a colouring book and a set of pencils, but the corner shop lost my parcel so need to come back tomorrow to see if they’ve found it yet).

It’s been a while since I’ve done something creative that I know I’m pretty bad at. And to share that with others? Eek. Obviously, I have no choice as I organised the whole challenge so need to leave by an example and all that.

The first one I did was okay, but didn’t feel right, so went for a simpler one instead:

What surprised me was how everyone’s interpreting it—some using actual brush strokes, some just a pen, others digital drawing apps. One person even decided to take part not by doodling, but by creating an actual piece of music. Why are people so talented??

Maybe at the end of the month I’ll be share some of them with the authors’ permissions, but for now if you want to take 5mins out of your day this month to just doodle in your notebook, on your post-it, or anywhere you can leave a little scribble, here’s our prompts for October:

1. Cup of your fave drink

2. Something that makes you smile

3. Something on your workspace

4. Cozy sweater

5. Mushroom

6. Your fave snack

7. Lightbulb

8. Plant

9. Keyboard key

10. Bee

11. Flower

12. Cozy sock(-s)

13. Book or journal

14. Window view

15. Cloud shape

16. Cactus

17. Candle or flame

18. Leaf

19. Rainy day

20. Tree

21. House

22. Star or constellation

23. Heart

24. Cat or dog

25. Bread

26. Sun or moon

27. Mountain

28. Pencil or pen

29. Feather

30. Pumpkin

31. Your own creative choice!

In one of my client newsletters I wrote something along the lines of now’s the time to start thinking about finishing those projects you’ve put off since June—and that’s something I’m taking up myself. Well, for me it’s more of an ongoing project, so it was more about getting it moving along again.

Enter: cats, you, your home + me and my camera. I was meaning to go down a more artistic route but I realised (and a dear friend of mine reminded me of this) the value is in the story, not just standalone images. And, sometimes you’ll still end up with those one-off Pinterest-worthy images anyway.

But have you tried working with cats?

They do what they want, when they want, and where they want. I can come with treats and catnip, and we can be as subtle as possible, but they know. And they don’t like tons of attention on them for an hour or two. So you have to make do—each cat is different, too.

Some will come for cuddles and snacks. Others will have a play around and get bored, or get too tired and need a nap.

So, this time I visited Zlata in her flat with her two beautiful cats—both sisters. They did graciously bless us with their presence, but only for limited time so had to do our best.

I suppose it’s the burden of calling yourself an ‘artist’—you’re perpetually looking for that next beautiful creation, that shiny thing. And it seems whatever you create is never quite good enough.

That’s when I need to remind myself: if I genuinely put everything into it, it is good enough. It has got my vision, my emotions, my connection with whoever is in front of my camera—and maybe that’s all you need?

All this to say we can be really harsh on ourselves. At work. In art. In our relationships. Question is: would we be like this to our friends? Probably not.

So, this is my reminder to myself that I’m pretty okay when it comes to stories. Maybe I don’t need those Pinterest images. Maybe I just need to focus on what I genuinely enjoy creating and working on.

And a reminder to you too: maybe we’re just trying a lil’ bit too hard to find ways we’re not good enough, when maybe we already are way more than good enough?

P.S. I need more friends (with cats) to photograph. If you know anyone in the UK (in West Yorkshire and surrounding areas), send them my way. 🐈‍⬛ Or if you’re somewhere farther away, you know I won’t say no to a trip.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

Here are some of the things that made me smile recently (and a reminder for you to seek out these mini snippets of joy, too):

My friend recently photographed food and venue for the newly-relaunched Japanese restaurant Fuji Hiro in central Leeds. If there’s one thing we like it’s Japanese food, so we had that to look forward to. It recently underwent a change of ownership and admittedly, I hadn’t known about it before.

We got there just as it opened (yes, we were keen). While it was still quiet, it was lovely—as soon as groups of people started coming in, it was a bit of a squeeze, but the food was just perfect so I didn’t mind it that much. AND refills of green tea? My ramen was just perfect (not too salty), I burned my mouth a little with the takoyaki (octopus balls—as in, fried balls of octopus), but definitely a 5/5 overall.

And the tea was soooo good. Not too strong or bitter, just perfect.

We also had some time to kill earlier, and quickly checked if the Kitty Cafe has any tables free to book online (it did), so that was us sorted for a while.

It’s one of those places where you can hide away from the city a little, because the place feels so enclosed and removed from whatever is going on outside. It feels like a little magical cave within the city.

I think it has time limit per table but it’s still nice to sip on a nice ice coffee while watching cats run all over the place (and try to steal your food). Would I adopt any of them? Of course, I’d happily take home all of them, but for now we just enjoyed watching them.

If you think LEGO is for kids, you’re right, but aren’t we all just grown up kids? We spotted a travelling LEGO exhibition pop up in the city (I had bookmarked this to book for a birthday but my other half booked it before I managed, so I guess great minds think alike?), and we’ve had a fair share of things we’ve built (mostly with nano blocks), so thought this will be a nice day out.

Called ‘The Art of the Brick,’ the exhibit has been created by a pro LEGO artist Nathan Sawaya who has built numerous sculptures consisting of thousands of LEGO pieces. We tried finding the biggest one (and we did), but of course I’ve since forgotten how many pieces it was.

Some of the exhibits took him months to create. I can’t imagine the patience and the planning that goes into something like this?! If you’ve ever put together anything with nano blocks in particular, you know what I mean—it’s not a quick process.

Coincidentally, I recently watched a video on YouTube about how LEGO has capitalised on its adult audience (the prices of some of the sets are eye-watering) just like Disney has, but maybe it’s just another reminder that many of us want to live out our childhood dreams (or things we didn’t get to do/have as kids) now in our adult years—and companies know this. Especially, when there’s so much gloom and doom around.

I have this netted (is that even a word?) cardigan—well, cardigan is too strong of a word because it just about barely covers my shoulders and doesn’t really hold at all. So, before I gave it away, I thought I’d do a quick self-portrait session while I have it. Sometimes, you just need a teeny, tiny spark to give you inspiration.

(I had to wear it on the front and hold it tight before it falls off—it’s the least practical piece of clothing I’ve owned, but I liked the little white rectangles against skin creating a nice contrast)

This week on LinkedIn, this post by my fellow Notion Ambassador Alejandra Cienfuegos caught my eye:

I actually have one small notebook just like this, with plain paper and no lines, so might give this a go. Not giving myself permission to go out and buy a ton of pencils just yet, but will see if I can create anything with what I have on my desk.

There’s something so nostalgic about this? When I was a kid, my step-sister and I used to draw and colour all the time. We’d draw different dolls or animals, make outfits for them, and create little scenes of cities or houses.

And you should definitely check out the artist Alejandra mentions—Annelies. How cute is this??

If you’ve not done anything like this in a while (or ever), I feel like this is such a low-cost activity to try. Doodling with a black pen/pencil is soothing, but there’s something about the use of colours that make this feel so much more therapeutic.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

What stops me mid-scroll are those posts where you can feel the person radiate through the screen, because you can sense their passion and enthusiasm, and for me that person this time was Claire Millward.

Her post about her pottery adventures randomly popped up on my feed, and I hadn’t spoken to Claire before but felt I need to get in touch. I want to learn more how this experienced agency owner—serving brands in the crypto and other tech industries—also has found a creative outlet in sculpting, painting, and more.

The work Claire does requires a lot of brain power, and there’s a real need to be focused to translate complex tech ideas into easy-to-digest and -understand content. Using hands and working with clay and other materials helps pause that busy part of her world aside, focusing only on what’s in front of her.

“Sculpting and painting, it really helps me to get into my body and be present in the moment. I think that's the thing about it, is that it enables you to connect to the present moment,” she says.

How does one get into pottery? It’s not like picking up a pen and starting to sketch in your notebook. You need the equipment, the materials, and some sort of idea of how it all comes together.

For Claire, it was through her friend who was getting married and was making ceramic gifts for her bridal party and brought Claire along with her to the class. From then on, Claire started attending weekly pottery classes in Cape Town and next thing you know she’s got an Instagram account dedicated to her creative adventures.

Claire also enjoys painting. Although not coming from a crafty background, she does have background in the arts—”I was a ballet dancer for many years and I did dramatic theatre.”

For inspiration, she uses Pinterest and Instagram, but also “it's more the paint that gives me the inspiration and the fact that the paint is so versatile and there's so much you can do with it.”

“I'm almost inspired by the paint to paint because I'm inspired by how it interacts with the paper and how amazing it can turn out.”

With art (in different shapes and forms) an integral part of Claire’s life, I had to wonder how’s it possible to balance these two wildly different parts of her life (the creative and the business one) on a platform like LinkedIn. We all know it’s notorious for hustle bro-kinda content (“if you only work 12h a day, someone out there is hustling for 13h and overtaking you while you waste time resting”), but we’re finally seeing a shift.

People want other people—real ones, not AI-generated.

We want stories and snippets of your life we can empathise with, or learn from, or laugh about. And so it’s soo nice to see how people even in complex industries are showing this more muti-faceted side of them. They’re not just their work, they’re also gardeners, poets, mums and dads, hikers, pet lovers, in a band or run a walking group.

So for Claire sharing these different aspects comes naturally:

“I think at the end of the day, authenticity builds connection. And my goal on LinkedIn is to connect people and to essentially grow my business. And as such, I'm happy to share some of my personal stories for the sake of meeting new people and getting new opportunities.

You're a person first and a professional second. And when you show up as human, you can connect. It helps to connect on a personal level over art or ceramics or something similar, and then you know that it's a bit of a icebreaker for the professional connection.”

For others caught in the never-ending, constantly-refreshing race of to-do lists and deadlines, Claire recommends making specific time for hobbies. Be intentional about reconnecting with your body and mind.

And both me and Claire agree that business should serve us, not the other way around. If we never have time for things like this (because there’s always another thing to work on), what’s the point? You’d be better off working a more structured 9-5, knowing you’ll always have that free time waiting for you.

In fact, see the creative practice as a valuable investment in your business—”see it as a stepping stone and building block for your business, almost like a work task because your creative projects will only benefit your business.”

What’s on your creative agenda this week? I’d love to hear! 🙋‍♀️

(And if you’re ever struggling to figure out how to find your next creative experiment, let’s chat!)

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

I don’t know how it feels to be stuck in a 9-5, because I’m stuck in a 9-5 + 5-9. I know being a freelance business owner fits my way of life, but I also know it can feel like a constant chase of invoices, that next project, a testimonial, a cold DM, as well as a bunch of overdue invoices, late night emails, rushed deadlines, and back to invoices and that next project. And if you’re not careful, it takes a toll on your creativity.

So, when I recognise that it’s starting to creep up on me, there’s two choices:

• You go with the flow and abandon your creative practice (whatever it might be) in favour of more work (there’s always more work)

• You make a choice to be really, truly intentional and add creative practice to your days in small, simple ways.

I went with the second.

How does that look like?

We went to a local pet charity event to top up our oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine with all of the cute dogs around. And to support our friend’s new rescue, Scooby, who’s actually a bit of a senior but still acts like not a single day over 2.

And I took my camera with me—no real intention to capture anything specific, but at least photograph the day a little, and Scooby, as he entered two shows (for ‘Golden Oldie’ and ‘Best Rescue’).

By the way, he came third on ‘Best Rescue’, but we all know he’s the real winner of both.

Our friend even said one of the photos I took of him and Scooby is one of the few photos he likes of himself. Moments like these always remind me—your creativity is never in vain. Even all those sketches or drafts or creations that don’t get to see the light of the day.

Another way I told myself I’ll consciously pause and do something with my camera was to capture some of those summer evening moments after work. Small snippets of beautiful light, some colour, endless sky.

Just taking my camera on our usual walk around the block as we decompress after work and stretch our legs.

I am very much a summer’s person but I think it’s also a bittersweet season for me.

I’m constantly reminded of those late summer walks by lakes, the sea, in meadows, even in forests that I used to take with friends back at home. Talking about nothing in particular. Sometimes riding around on a bike. Just that summer air, crickets, a fuck ton of mosquitos usually, too, but it didn’t even matter.

(I definitely don’t miss mosquitos)

And I think I kind of miss it. Everyone’s grown up now, with kids of their own, and I know it’s me living in the past a little, but as an immigrant who left home at the age of 19, I know for a fact I gained way more than what those summer nights would’ve given me.

But sometimes you still feel a little mellow and all those black-on-white facts fly straight out of the window.

And, speaking of windows, this was my view one night when I was working in our small office and walking on our walk pad.

The reality is, I need to make my own summer night romance now—and sometimes, on ordinary days, it looks like a pink moon, peeking over neighbour’s roof, while I work on my client’s blog post about converting web apps to native mobile ones.

Just ask yourself: How can I add small moments of creativity when life feels like an endless race?

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

This year I’ve had a few of those.

The first bigger one was when I didn’t have the weights I needed for an exercise so I improvised with a bar instead of dumbbells and accidentally went too far backwards and almost, kind of popped my shoulder/arm (it popped right back in).

Coincidentally, I was already going to an osteopath for something else entirely and she checked me out (nothing major, just needed time to heal and annoyingly reduced some of my ability to move my arm behind my back). But pretty much okay now.

Then, in Italy the other week I was so excited to find a great shaded seating spot for us (before our gelato melts in the 30-degree heat) that I didn’t see one of the benches right in front of me and bashed my right shin against it, resulting in a big, achy red bump that turned into a dark bruise across my leg. Ouch.

(I also managed to be the only person to fall getting out of a kayak on a quite steep, rocky beach but we don’t talk about that)

And then earlier this week, I managed to hit my ribs and the tissue around them so hard in the gym that I ended up with some internal bruising (I think?). It’s hurting quite a bit so am taking it easy. But as we already know, you can’t take me anywhere—I’ll find a way to hurt myself one way or another.

So given I’m home now for a while, I wanted to finish up my photographs from our trip to Cyprus. It was an incredibly fast, rushed trip. We only had one mission: attend our friend’s wedding, so not a proper holiday.

Our itinerary was as follows:

• 25th April — 7am flight, land at 2pm local time 😴

• 26th April — wedding all day, getting picked up around 12pm and celebrating until midnight 💃

• 27th April — 6am flight 😴

The flight was over 4 hours (I was getting so restless!), and the whole trip was like you blink and you’re back.

But it was the first time I have ever been this far, which was exciting, but of course I would’ve loved to spend an actual full day of exploring at the very least!

Unfortunately, the only time I had for wandering around Paphos—a coastal city on the very west corner of this Mediterranean island—was on the day we arrived (when my other half went for a well-deserved nap after not sleeping all night) and a couple hours before we got picked up by the wedding bus the next day.

So, what can you do with just a handful of hours?

We were lucky our hotel was just a short walk away from Archaeological Site of the Tombs of the Kings and it was open early in the morning, so that was our one cultural activities picked. ✅

We also made sure to have at least one local meal out—a nice meze of course, literally on the side of a road with a bunch of cats waiting for you to drop some leftovers on the floor. (there were LOTS of cats!)

Looking at these photos again, I’m really regretting not having more time in Cyprus. Maybe another time as an actual holiday trip.

I’m always quite fascinated with that part of the world, and Cyprus has lots of historical and cultural intersections that I’d love to learn more about (and see in person).

After we checked in, I had just enough energy left to go for a wander down to the beach and get some fresher sea air. As I was taking some photos, a local man approached me (a friendly one!) and we got chatting about Cyprus, its people and tourists.

Cyprus has a pretty strong divide between the Greek part (where I was) and the Turkish part (more in the north). His mum is Greek and dad—Turkish.

He told me how Russian tourists used to represent the majority of travellers who arrived here (or at least in the nearby hotel that he was talking about), but since Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, Cyprus had since banned commercial flights from Russia heavily impacting the numbers.

Interestingly, according to my new Cypriot friend, Israel tourists have since replaced all those empty hotel rooms previously booked by Russian visitors.

I don’t know if Cyprus would fit my idea of a perfect holiday destination, but what appealed to me was the barren-ness of it. The empty, quiet roads, old cars, fields of seemingly never-ending dry grass. Snippets of different cultures, even remnants of the British rule. Everything felt quite rough around the edges, but also so enticing to explore.

But as you walk into the more residential areas, everything feels more homely, cosy, warm, with neat front gardens, plant pots, and cats sunbathing everywhere.

Even if some of the buildings are hardly keeping it together and on the brink of collapse, there’s still something so curious about them. It’s probably just grass being greener on the other side, but I don’t feel the same type of curiosity about dilapidated buildings here in the UK.

I think the weather and the ambiance plays a big role.

I can confidently say we didn’t have time to visit any popular tourist hotspots, we didn’t have time to hire a car and drive around to see those beautiful turquoise water-filled views you see on Google, but at least we saw a small piece of history in the short time we had.

The Tombs of the Kings site was actually quite fun to explore, we had an audio guide (I think they had an app?), so it was almost like a gamified experience trying to find the correct spot next (the signage wasn’t all that good).

I suppose cats are somewhat part of Cypriot culture? Someone even wrote this blog article, titled “How Cyprus became the island of cats.” So here’s a small dose of cats we found in Paphos:

… and that’s my cat spam over. I think so far—out of the places we’ve been—Romania comes close with how many cats you can find. 🐈

Have you been to Cyprus? Would love to hear your experiences given all I had was pretty much a 24-hour speed run through such a small part of it.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

It wasn't fine by a long shot. I was a pain in the ass to travel with. Though my other half kept telling me we can go back at any point of our journey (at this stage, we had 2 trains to catch to London airport), but I wasn't going to be the reason we cancel our trip.

It was absolutely dreadful. The plane was late, so I was slumping over on the floor because it was too hard to stand still. It was hot, my stomach hurt, and I couldn't eat a thing. That was basically the rest of our workation—I spent most of it in our air conditioned hotel room, gently laying on the side without putting too much pressure on my stomach, and going to the bathroom every five mins.

Luckily, I managed to get out for a little bit (I even shot a bunch of photos, you'd never tell I was dying inside) and the highlight of my trip was sitting on the beach for a couple of hours watching local swimmers and sunbathers. Truly, it was the first day I felt I'm back to being alive.

This time round things are a little different. First of all, I'm not ill, woo! That was the biggest hurdle we wanted to overcome, everything else is already a bonus.

I'm kinda between projects right now. Most have finished, others are in that initial planning stage where I only need to dip in for a few hours to do some thinking and a meeting or two, so very much a laid back workation.

I don't want to go back, but today is my final lunch out. Tomorrow, at this time we'll be back in Pisa already, killing time before we leave for the airport. But today I can still enjoy the leisurely walks, soak up the sun (under my SPF50), and ponder about grass being greener here (or at least warmer).

My partner's local Italian colleague says this is a town for the wealthy, and I can see that. It's so well kept, pedestrian friendly, fancy stores, stunning architecture, and of course that fresh sea air because water is just a stone's throw away from the town centre. But what you don't see is an obvious display of luxury. It's way more understated, quiet, almost unnoticed, and I think that's why I feel so comfortable here.

You know how they say Italians are so laid back? They really are—it's like the perfect place if you're working remotely. You don't really see that obvious morning or evening rush. But they're not lazy by any means. My partner says his Italian colleagues will go all out on getting those targets met. A new release coming up and the team is behind? They'll do overtime, they'll push hard to try and reach those goals.

They might curse on the road, but when it comes to customer service, it's all smiles. An Italian nonna with her Apple Watch running the show in a busy pizza place, or the sweetest hotel front desk staff. You feel so welcome; something you might sometimes miss in places like Paris in France. Though, I can't vouch for Rome, but Milan and Pisa were wonderful. Having been burned in Paris, we're always a little cautious on how locals treat tourists. (No offence to Parisians!)

But whilst being here, I've felt totally okay to slow the eff down for once. This is exactly how I envisioned workations to be and for the first time I got it. The only problem is now I want more of it.

It's a little bit of a blissful ignorance for a week, and maybe it's needed from time to time to reset, recharge, clear mind, break bad habit patterns, and come back feeling energised and ready to get back to the good patterns: regular workouts, good food, seeking out more reasons to live fuller besides work.

So in the meantime, I can't yet add any photos I've taken until I get home and edit them (not too many this time!), but I'll enjoy the laid back Italian vibes, have a few cappuccinos, not stress about my two overdue invoices until I'm back home, and just be in peace (with loud bikes whizzing past every 5 mins).

If you're planning a little workation like this, here's my two cents:

• Don't go meeting heavy. My other half got to use his work's local HQ which has air conditioned, fully equipped offices and good WiFI, but if you don't have that, you're at the mercy of slightly spotty hotel WiFi, hotspotting, or booking out local hot desks somewhere. I had a call today and we all had to turn off video because my connection couldn't handle it.

• If you can, plan it with some buffer day(s) on either side of your trip. Say, you arrive Monday, take Tues off and work on Wed, so you have time to settle in, see what the WiFi situation is, book a desk or find some good co-working spaces/cafes without rushing + recover from travels.

• Plan a little less work than your usual capacity. Simply because you'll want some gaps to enjoy being away: going for walks, trying activities (we did kayaking), longer lunches or maybe late dinners.

• If you got quite a bit of work, develop a routine but leave room for improvisation. Get your deep work done during certain time blocks, and then use the rest of the time to explore and enjoy the area.

• Be kind to yourself: it's not easy working on major projects or handling lots of information if all you have is one small laptop. Things might take a little longer if you're used to your home desktop setup.

• Take headphones! Our balcony is lovely to sit and work on but the traffic noise is just too much. The same goes for some outdoor spaces. Headphones are a must if you find yourself distracted by lots of noises or want to take calls. Though, the good thing about being abroad is voices turn into a non-descript background noise so you're not honing in on conversations (unless you're lucky enough to understand the local language!)

• A nice to have: a cute totebag to carry your work stuff around instead of your travel backpack. Usually I have one with me, it's super handy for any impromptu shopping, too. And a notebook for any offline notes and musings. I like this for random coffee outings where I might want to ideate something but don’t want to bring my laptop or use my phone for my notes.

I’m actually finishing writing this while in a well air-conditioned cafe just a short walk from Pisa airport. It’s been 29-30 degrees, but feels like 32+ so anything other than shade outside is lava. I love heat, but this is HEAT.

Italian Meteorological Service has released a ‘moderate high temperature warning’ but luckily this cafe feels like a small oasis in the desert and I dread leaving it.

But what I dread more is not being at the airport on time so it’s best we get moving!

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

Well, we still didn’t have one of those when we were in Italy last week—I was there for a work-related conference (which was pretty ace, by the way), so my schedule was a bit tight.

But we made sure to speed through Milan on one of the days before flying back + got a few mini adventures finding cute little bars or food spots after my workshops, talks, and bits of networking.

Let me take you on a brief photo story recap of a handful of things you can enjoy in Milan when you’re short for time.

We stayed in Navigli area, right by a canal and next to a tram stop and a kebab shop (both super handy). Local metro was only 12min walk away, too. Our flat was inside a nice, secure courtyard building with a decent view of the neighbourhood.

There’s even a Lidl and an Aldi nearby so you can save a little if you want to eat in for some of your meals. Or if you fancy a random snack for the evening—I got myself a large box full of fresh strawberries for just €1.99.

The only downside was one of the residents had a small dog that made up for its size by barking loudly (which echoed all the way up), getting amped whenever they were about to get in the car.

When we got on the tram for our big adventure day, we realised there’s some roadworks so our tram is going a different route—not a problem, still going in the general direction.

A bit of a problem, though, was a big argument kicking off between a younger Italian man and an older lady, her husband (who seemed to have rung police), and a couple of other passengers joining in to shun the aggressive man until he got off, angrily walking away. Phew, I wouldn’t want to get in the crosshairs of an angry Italian nonna, either.

(I wish I had turned on Google Translate to figure out what the whole carriage is arguing about)

We started off with Arco della Pace—a large triumphal arch, kind of north west of city centre and right next to a large park (Parco Sempione), leading right to Castello Sforzesco, a large medieval fortress with museums within it. Unlike the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, this arch felt more approachable, in a more natural setting, and you could get as close to it without a single car in sight. Still just as beautiful.

You can explore the Castello Sforzesco courtyards for free, with cheap €5 tickets for all museums and exhibitions (or even free on certain days of the month).

We briefly wandered into Pinacoteca di Brera and its adjacent Brera Botanical Garden that led us in a loop; we couldn’t find an exit without doing a circle or two, until we cut our losses and just went all the way back to where we came in from.

On one hand I regret we didn’t book a tour for Pinacoteca di Brera, a palazzo full of medieval and Renaissance art, and we also somehow missed the Braidense National Library which looks stunning, but at this point I think we were a little desperate to have a good sit-down break.

Whenever we go abroad, we usually have a rule: no chain restaurants, cafes or coffee shops. Let’s try local stuff. But this time we actually wanted to visit Starbucks Reserve Roastery—it’s a totally different vibe. Beans roasting in the middle of the coffee shop, crazy drink recipes you’ve never heard of, and amazing pastries. No laptops or anything of the sort, just an elegant coffee store with tons of roasted bean options (and coffee merch) you can take home.

I can’t recall what I had (it was nice), but Alex went for an iced coffee with an olive oil shot. Not our favourite—there are definitely WAY better tasting options on the menu. And yes, it definitely did taste like olive oil.

I’d been to Duomo di Milano before, but that was pre-Covid era and I was pretty excited to revisit this popular landmark, right in Milan’s centre. Last time it was getting repaired, with an ugly large digital ad covering it. This time—it was there in its full glory.

It’s actually really beautiful if you really look into its intricate architecture, past all the pigeons flying all around. Though, I do love a good pigeon photo.

When we sat down on the steps in front of Duomo, we looked up to our right and saw these terraces. Turns out, you can actually get there, but it’ll cost you (quite a bit!).

We went up to to Terrazza Aperol, with two queues at the door: to the left if you’re happy to get a seat inside and to the right if you’re happy to wait for a seat on the terrace. We’re here so we might as well wait and do it properly, so off we went to the right.

A waiter took us through a swanky, orange hallway full of glass shelves featuring numerous Aperol bottles, and actually seated us at one of the best seats outside—right by the terrace wall.

We accidentally hit it just right with the timing too because the sun started to set, slowly disappearing and illuminating the cathedral and the whole plaza,

Was it worth it? The view was stunning. But you’ll have to dish out €21 for a single Aperol Spritz (or €11 for a Coke if you’re going alco free). We begrudgingly went for two spritzes for an eye-watering €42 bill for those two drinks, but at least the blow was softened with some nice snacks that come with it (we had no idea).

Still, would we do it again? Probably not. But if you have some spare cash, it’s a lovely view (though I wish they’d cut those bushes so you can see through the glass wall without needing to stand up). But you might as well queue for the terrace—indoors is just like any fancy indoors bar.

I actually didn’t take many photos inside the nearby shopping mall, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. I feel like it’s one of those places swarming with other tourists that it’s nice to just enjoy all of the designer shops with your eyes, do three spins with your foot on the Milan’s bull for good luck, and get some nice gelato or pizza slice on the go.

The only photo I took on my camera inside the mall was of a new (I think) gallery that was closed down for VIPs only.

The mall is definitely well above my tax bracket, but you can still enjoy a good stroll around it, even if only to enjoy the beautifully-dressed windows and décor. A pretty big step up compared to shopping malls back at home!

I still have a few things I want to share with you next time, so I’ll keep those photos for the next newsletter.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

Without going into too much detail, my grandma’s health turned for the worst suddenly, which had a snowball effect on the rest of the family. Worse yet, I live on the other side of Europe so the support I can offer is not as much as I’d like to. I try where I can, but it’s also led to many days of feeling helpless, empty, void of any creativity and motivation—only to then go into panic mode of trying to do everything at once.

I remember vividly when I was about ten years old, cuddling one of my favourite plush toys (a maroon Brontosaurus my parents brought back from a funfair), struggling to sleep because all I could think was, ‘What’ll happen if my grandparents are no longer here?’

For some reason, that thought kept me up that night and I just couldn’t fall asleep.

There was absolutely no reason for me to think this—my grandparents were active and healthy, in fact, they had never really had any health issues whatsoever.

It’s funny how as we grow up, our understanding and perception of age changes. We start seeing how inevitable passing of time is as our parents age, our grandparents age, and we do ourselves, too.

And that’s something we have been faced with—trying to rationalise this unforgiving passing of time that’s brought us stress, worry, financial burdens, and a touch of despair.

But in the wise words of my mum’s astrologist (more like an unqualified therapist), “It’s less about ‘how long will this go on?’ and more ‘this is the situation we’re faced with—and we need to make peace with it.’”

So, that’s something we’ve had to learn to do. Is it easy? No.

I swear I’ve gotten several gray hairs since December just because of the stress of it all. But I also know I need to look after myself, I still need to find joy in the present, and I need to look forward to the future. I still need to make time for creativity because it’s like going to the gym—I know it makes me feel good, I know it makes my life more fulfilled, I just need to sometimes pull myself out of that misery and sulking, and just do it. And I know I’ll be glad I did it.

We don’t always have the luxury of waiting for our muse to appear, sometimes we just need to put in some work ourselves for it to materialise.

Coincidentally, I started a new group project this month for 10 women across Europe—similar to one I led during the pandemic. The idea is to spend just a few minutes every day and capture a photo based on a daily theme. All we use is our mobile phones, a little bit of editing, with some tips & tricks shared by me. That’s it.

None of these participants are experienced photographers (or involved in photography as such) and for me that’s the beauty of it—we all get to see the world through the eyes of others. Pro photographers could easily spend way too long figuring out what to shoot, how to compose it, how to edit it, but here there’s none of that.

We’re just a group of professional women across different industries, locations, lifestyles, and family situations sharing small snippets of our lives as seen through specific themes. Dark. Blue. Water. Hand. Words. And so on.

The project is all about your everyday life. What you see, what you feel, what ordinary moments you spot and turn into a creative photograph. And I don’t know who needed this project more—them or me.

Maybe, just maybe, I subconsciously pulled this idea out because I knew I need something like this myself? We’re halfway through the month now and everyone’s been so generous with sharing their ideas, the different photos they take, and kind words after seeing photos others have taken.

Today’s topic is ‘vibrant’—so this is me, right now. Sat in the garden, with our unkempt bright green grass in the background, wearing my sushi slippers. These are the kind of moments we’re looking for. Real, authentic, frozen pieces of our life as we document it this month.

Though, my actual pick for the theme was this one. I’d just come out of bath and put my phone on charge in our bedroom, right next to this plant and our sunset light. We’re one of those people with Alexa routines—this one turns on our lamp on the ‘sunset’ setting to coincide with actual sunset time. Instant cosiness.

I spotted the plant looking abstract and almost ominous against the warm light, which changes from light yellow to glowing orange, to deep red and all the way back. I waited for it to turn red and snapped this—slightly Saul Leiter inspired—shot on my phone.

Another project I recently revived has been a woman and cat portrait series. I’ve done some cat-themed photography projects before already but this was one I really wanted to work on this year.

I’ve done two shoots specifically for this project so far: both with two beautiful women and their young black cats. Totally accidental, but they’re the ones who really understood my idea and vibed with it.

(You can see full galleries in my photography journal here and here)

The bond between a woman and her cat, it’s special. Celia Hammond, a 1960’s supermodel, knows it and has lived it, too. No pun intended, as famous as she was, she was sick of doing catwalks and swapped fashion industry for pet rescue efforts, specifically focusing on cats.

She went from rescuing cats herself to eventually opening up a couple of clinics in London:

“My agent told me I have to concentrate on one thing, modeling or animals so I gave up my job,” she says.

“I moved to Kent and was driving to London four or five times a week to rescue cats before taking them to a private vet who was absolutely brilliant and would neuter them for £3 each.”

Read the full story here. This one was written during the pandemic and her trust was hit hard—notably because restaurants were closed so food reserves were wiped out, add to it all other financial strains during this time, and it makes for a terrible situation for animals who also greatly suffered as a result of the lockdowns.

Speaking of charities, I actually tried two projects that both failed. Kind of. First one was meant to be with Blue Cross pet charity but they ended up putting ridiculous restrictions on what was a voluntary project I was going to do so I ended up ditching them and self-funded it myself. It was all about cat adoption and how people from different walks of life ended up with their furry friend. You can see more here.

The second one was meant to be a charity project with our local rugby club, aptly named Cas Tigers, but even after a positive meeting, a green light from their marketer, it still ended up getting nowhere. Though, I still hold hope for this one because I believe it could do good to rally up the local community & raise funds and awareness of pet adoption.

All in all, I think you can kind of see the direction I have been going recently. Saying no to the shiny, aesthetic trends for quick wins and easy ego wins, and going back to the roots of what I believe creativity is all about—sharing real stories, doing good, expressing your emotions, creating questions, curiosity, and also involving people. Just your everyday people who are happy to collaborate and create with me.

I suppose that’s what it all boils down to. Creating real stories with real people.

With how much AI gets stuffed into our faces, I think we need more and more of this.

It’s a good way to bring you back to reality and remind you what matters: genuine feelings, relationships, great ideas, conversations with a real human, conflicts that help you grow, imperfection.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my AI for lots of handy tasks, but definitely not for any of the above.

What about you?

P.S. Shoutout to for featuring the best, loveliest community leader I could ever have the pleasure of collaborating with: in Mia’s latest issue. Check out her newsletter—it’s art, music, & philosophy meets community. A few words from Mia’s newsletter on why this connection worked so well:

Alex is my first reader-recommended interview. I’m so thankful to Anete Lusina for putting us in touch. Anete could tell that Alex and I are two picky peas in a pod, motivated by the same thing: connecting with others (and ourselves) through culture. We both love to hunt for and share the good stuff — whatever “good” means to each of us.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

On top of it, I briefly moved some of our furniture and plants around for a quick self portrait session, did some jigsaw on our kitchen counter, kicked off some ideas I had bouncing in my head, finished up a photo gallery for a local painter (will share next time!), and wrote out a big to-do list that I’ve been slowly ticking off today.

(OH, I just realised, this is my first newsletter post-birthday. I think this yearly milestone brought something back to me that I’d been missing ✨)

Side note: I’ve been really enjoying remixes of some classics like:

• Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams

• Sam Giancana, Robbe & DJSM - Barbie Girl (yes, I count that as a classic)

• CYRIL - Stumblin' In

• Disturbed - The Sound Of Silence (CYRIL Remix)

• And this Weeknd’s house mix (great for background music)

It’s almost like everything coincides and falls into place to make you feel so creative, inspired, and excited. It’s a feeling I don’t think we get anywhere near enough. It’s something you want to hold onto for as long as possible.

And speaking of this creative flow that makes you fall in love with the world again, let me tell you about Travis Taborek, a content marketing pro. He recently shared on LinkedIn about his poetry work being printed. What an achievement!

But this was achievement was just one of his bucket-list goals:

“Five years ago, I accomplished my dream of becoming a digital nomad when I went to Barbados in October of 2020. When I did that, I realized I could do anything I set my mind to if I worked at it long enough and didn't give up. With that, I set three goals. I wanted to be:

1) A 6-figure business owner
2) A published poet
3) An author with a book out

Getting my poetry published accomplishes one of those 3 goals. I accomplished the 3rd one the year before when I released my ebook My Robot Butler Bradbury, a guide on ChatGPT for content marketing. This year, I hope to accomplish the first.”

Sea Change, the anthology that features his poem Pura Vida, is available on Amazon, but it’s not the only literary project Travis has been working on.

What caught my eye was also his lofi hip-hop poem collection, an idea created for his friend:

“Since moving to South Carolina in 2023, I've been working on a collection of poems inspired by my favorite lofi hip-hop tracks. My friend Lisa came up with the idea of printing them out on flyers and putting them up at poster boards.

I started at one location a few months ago. Soon I hope to revisit this project, called "lofi poems to chill / relax to", and begin distributing them at bars and coffee shops all around the city of Savannah, where I currently live.”

Featured alongside the all-so familiar lofi playlist tracks that have kept many of us head down while studying, working, building, or creating, the three poems are: Shimmer, Leaves, and Saudade.

Poems are published on Notion—I love finding Notion users in the wild. For Travis, he just needed something simple that creates standalone pages without a setup hassle. “It helps me share and spread the poems easily, which is what I needed. I also use Notion as part of my core project and task management, together with Todoist,” he says.

As for that beautiful state where you can fully lose yourself in your art, Travis finds it’s not that easy to find time for it. His business development projects and client work take a big chunk of his time, often leaving hardly any space for passion projects and regular self-care.

“I do my best writing in the morning, when I'm most energized, focused, and motivated. I try to wake up between 5:30 and 6 in the morning on weekdays, so sometimes I'll start my day by writing out a poem before I settle into my workday. Friday evenings and Saturday mornings are sometimes a period of free creative work for me as well.

My poems and other creative projects often develop over time. When inspiration strikes and I get an idea for a story, a poem, a blog post e.g. I'll jot down notes in a Notion page and play around with different words, ideas, rhyming schemes, themes, hooks, and structures. I call this part of the process "word doodling", because it's like sketching doodles on a notepad, but with words.

Then, I'll give it room to breathe and let the seed germinate into a full-grown idea days or weeks later. Sometimes, I complete poems months after I wrote down the first few lines.”

But it’s more than just filling sheets of paper with words. It’s a part of his identity and growth. If Travis hasn’t written a new poem or started a new creative writing project in a while, it’s a sign something’s amiss. “It's a signal to me that I'm creatively stagnant, and that often coincides with stagnation in my career or business growth. I take it as my creative spirit telling me I need to travel, change locations, or try something new,” he explains.

“I'm extremely privileged and lucky in that I got to make a career and a living off of my creativity, but writing poetry and for my own pleasure gives me an important purpose in my life. It sharpens my creative writing muscles, which in turn helps me to be more effective in my client work.

Even if, for whatever reason, I have to pivot away from writing professionally, I'm going to write until I die. It's just who I am.”

But how do you find YOUR thing? And what do you do when you’ve found it, but you’re working full-time and seemingly there’s never the right time to sit down for your creative practice?

“Start small, and do it frequently. You get better over time just by getting started with a few small projects than by putting them off until you can devote a big block of time for them. Consistent effort over time yields more and better results than sheer, raw effort alone,” says Travis.

Beyond that, Travis also encourages:

• Put yourself out there (this one’s even for you, introverts)

• Take a chance on yourself and show your work to other people—friends, family, social groups

• Just start talking about your poems and creative writing projects (or anything else that you find fulfils your creative battery)

• Believe in yourself—you might be surprised by how good you are

“Community is important. Look for open mic nights and weekly and monthly writers groups near you. Your local coffee shops and bookstores will often have information about local writer communities, and there's always Eventbrite.

Make a goal to go to at least one open mic night per week.”

And I can’t disagree. I’ve been making it a conscious thing to go back to doing more projects with strangers—one of them being my 2025 version of a lockdown photo project I led for 10 women across the world. For a whole month, we all did one photo daily based on a new theme I sent each day. It was a fulfilling, challenging month, and it made some of those dark lockdown thoughts feel lighter. And at the end of it all, I designed a beautiful work of everything we created.

Creativity, community, sharing ideas and different perspectives—it’s how we stay connected to our true selves irrespective of what our society expects of us. It’s how we grow and reflect.

P.S. Connect with Travis over on LinkedIn, Instagram or Threads to catch updates for his lofi poems and other writing projects.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨

Just look at those bagels. 🥯

So, how did I end up with a handful of baked goods visuals landing in my inbox?

Sara shared in our Notion Ambassador Slack mentioning “Old Lady Time”—her way of switching off from work to do something creative, peaceful, soul-not-bank-account-enriching.

I wanted to dig a bit deeper about this concept. Sara explains,

“Old Lady Time is doing all the things that I used to do with my grandmother — having a cup of tea and working on a puzzle, cooking/baking and chatting with friends, reading. It’s my version of offline mode.

I don’t share these things on social media (98% of the time), because its my time to connect with the things I was raised on, and hold dear to my heart.

My Old Lady Time is a daily non-negotiable. I usually spend an hour in the middle of the day with no screens, and of course after work cooking dinner.”

Switching off as a business owner is hard. As is getting out of the mindset that everything you do in life should come with a financial ROI at some point.

For this reason, Sara has a hard rule:

She tells me a story that's all too familiar for anyone who's spent any time on LinkedIn—that endless cycle of personal branding, service promotion, and the delicate dance of "please hire me" wrapped in a façade of confident expertise.

“There is enough pressure as an entrepreneur to make money from everything and share every aspect of your life to ‘build in public’, and I know that the second I do that, it will no longer be for me or enjoyable,” she explains.

“However, I feel like I have a solid routine (1 hour a day) that easily gives me time to be creative without it feeling like a chore or feeling guilty for doing something else I love instead of just working on my business all the time.”

Making bread fits this perfectly. It’s a staple of Sara’s ancestry and childhood. Her grandmother would always have a fresh, crusty loaf ready to snack on, with another slice or two with to accompany dinner.

“However, I got really into making my own bread in my 20s because of how bad store-bought bread (in the US) is for you. Now I make everything from sandwich bread to pasta and tortillas.”

If you’re looking for recommendations on what to make, here’s two great options Sara suggests:

• Homemade tortillas (recipe here)

• Shredded chicken tacos—Sara’s weekly dinner staple (recipe here)

Beyond transforming flour and water into artisanal loaves, Sara's creative spirit finds another outlet in writing. When I ask about the novel she once mentioned on LinkedIn, she laughs:

“Ha, my first novel. I really need to finish that. I started working on this story in undergrad. I took a class where we had to write a pilot for a TV show, and the concept I developed stuck out in so many ways that I decided to explore it further.”

But what brings all these outlets together is how they all have systems of their own. Systems that can be followed and replicated every time for success. “I think that’s why I enjoy what I do, because I completely control the outcome, there’s no surprises (usually),” she explains.

And systems have a role to play in how Sara splits her time between personal and business activities. Over the past seven years of freelancing, that’s the biggest change she’s made. How does it work? She now follows her energy ebbs and flows, instead of trying to fit a square into a circle (aka pushing through energy dips no matter what):

“Circling back to my one-hour Old Lady Time block, I usually do that about 2pm, because my energy is lower. I don’t force myself to work through that low by having another cup of coffee.

Same as I usually work at 9/10pm every night because I have a burst of energy after going to the gym.

I think I get more done now than I did when I first started freelancing thinking I needed to follow the traditional 9-5 hours so I was available as much as possible.”

Tying in with my last week’s thoughts, offline recharge is where it’s at. Doing it because you want to and it brings you joy, not because algorithm likes it and engagement boosts your ego.

And this is exactly the idea that Sara leaves us with:

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨