<![CDATA[THE CREATURES]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cdgS!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F495f5e52-c1b0-462c-b08f-9f9d1ae46748_1280x1280.pngTHE CREATUREShttps://thedarlingrage.substack.comSubstackWed, 02 Sep 2026 21:24:32 GMT<![CDATA[The World Will Burn and Remake Itself Again]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-world-will-burn-and-remake-itselfhttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-world-will-burn-and-remake-itselfSat, 18 Jul 2026 00:13:02 GMT

***FYI, this essay contains SPOILERS for The Odyssey. Okay, you’ve been warned.****

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]]><![CDATA[13 weeks and everything has changed]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/13-weeks-and-everything-has-changedhttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/13-weeks-and-everything-has-changedSun, 21 Jun 2026 20:44:26 GMTIt is safe for me to say no to what is not meant for me, it is safe for me to say yes to what I truly want. The creature whispers to herself as she gathers her strength to say goodbye to this last chapter of life…

WHAT ENDED WHEN YOU SAID YES TO THIS?

My marriage ended. Hiding ended. Self-abandonment ended as I slowly unfurled in the light of my new fou…

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]]><![CDATA[In the eye of the hurricane there is quiet...]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/in-the-eye-of-the-hurricane-therehttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/in-the-eye-of-the-hurricane-thereThu, 11 Sep 2025 13:02:43 GMT

Welcome Creature… you’ve wandered off the main path. Good. Follow the snail trail and you’ll find yourself immersed in stories gathered from the wild places within and without. Some are pulled from dreams, some from grief, some from deep oceans, dark forests, backyard gardens and the strange terrain of being human. All are gathered with muddy hands and …

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]]><![CDATA[What to do when you're f*cking pissed]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/what-to-do-when-youre-fcking-pissedhttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/what-to-do-when-youre-fcking-pissedThu, 04 Sep 2025 12:31:11 GMT

Welcome Creature… you’ve wandered off the main path. Good. Follow the snail trail and you’ll find yourself immersed in stories gathered from the wild places within and without. Some are pulled from dreams, some from grief, some from deep oceans, dark forests, backyard gardens and the strange terrain of being human. All are gathered with muddy hands and …

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]]><![CDATA[The last time I talked to him]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-last-time-i-talked-to-jake-baxterhttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-last-time-i-talked-to-jake-baxterWed, 06 Aug 2025 19:09:05 GMTWelcome Creature… you’ve wandered off the main path. Good. Follow the snail trail and you’ll find yourself immersed in stories gathered from the wild places within and without. Some are pulled from dreams, some from grief, some from deep oceans, dark forests, backyard gardens and the strange terrain of being human. All are gathered with muddy hands and a curious heart.

Come in. There’s plenty to explore.

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And now, the essay:

The last time I talked to Jake Baxter, I mean REALLY talked to him, he told me that I should quit.

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]]><![CDATA[Mud, clay, and what comes next]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/mud-clay-and-what-comes-nexthttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/mud-clay-and-what-comes-nextWed, 25 Jun 2025 12:30:08 GMTThe energy today has been... weird.

Not dramatic or explosive. Just thick.
Heavy in the air, like a storm that isn’t quite arriving. Like emotional humidity.

I kept thinking, why does everything feel so murky?
And then I saw the headline.
The U.S. bombed Iran.

Add that to everything else — Gaza, Ukraine, the general collapsing of things — and suddenly it made…

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]]><![CDATA[Drawing for sanity, and life as ART. ]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/drawing-for-sanity-and-life-as-arthttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/drawing-for-sanity-and-life-as-artThu, 03 Apr 2025 13:25:55 GMTI used to think being an artist meant showing your work in galleries or having a regular studio practice. Something formal. Intentional. Recognizable to others as capital-A “Art.” But over the years—through loss, motherhood, burnout, and healing—I’ve come to see it differently.

Life IS the art.

I’m not sure exactly when this shift happened. Maybe it was a…

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]]><![CDATA[A Cubicle, a Career, and Composting the Guilt]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/a-cubicle-a-career-and-compostinghttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/a-cubicle-a-career-and-compostingTue, 18 Mar 2025 10:49:50 GMTWelcome Creature… you’ve wandered off the main path. Good. Follow the snail trail and you’ll find yourself immersed in stories gathered from the wild places within and without. Some are pulled from dreams, some from grief, some from deep oceans, dark forests, backyard gardens and the strange terrain of being human. All are gathered with muddy hands and …

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]]><![CDATA[The Weight, the Release, and the Birds Singing]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-weight-the-release-and-the-birdshttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-weight-the-release-and-the-birdsTue, 25 Feb 2025 23:59:26 GMTWelcome Creature… you’ve wandered off the main path. Good. Follow the snail trail and you’ll find yourself immersed in stories gathered from the wild places within and without. Some are pulled from dreams, some from grief, some from deep oceans, dark forests, backyard gardens and the strange terrain of being human. All are gathered with muddy hands and …

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]]><![CDATA[The Love You Are Searching For Is Hidden in the Grief You Avoid]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-love-you-are-searching-for-ishttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-love-you-are-searching-for-isWed, 19 Feb 2025 01:11:50 GMT

Welcome Creature… you’ve wandered off the main path. Good. Follow the snail trail and you’ll find yourself immersed in stories gathered from the wild places within and without. Some are pulled from dreams, some from grief, some from deep oceans, dark forests, backyard gardens and the strange terrain of being human. All are gathered with muddy hands and …

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]]><![CDATA[Relearning Creativity: Navigating the 40-Hour Workweek as an Artist]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/relearning-creativity-navigatinghttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/relearning-creativity-navigatingWed, 12 Feb 2025 13:02:35 GMTWelcome Creature… you’ve wandered off the main path. Good. Follow the snail trail and you’ll find yourself immersed in stories gathered from the wild places within and without. Some are pulled from dreams, some from grief, some from deep oceans, dark forests, backyard gardens and the strange terrain of being human. All are gathered with muddy hands and …

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]]><![CDATA[A Creation Story: The Invisible Threads of My Memoir]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/a-creation-story-the-invisible-threadshttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/a-creation-story-the-invisible-threadsTue, 04 Feb 2025 10:51:40 GMTThis morning, I woke up thinking about those invisible threads again. The ones that tickle my thoughts when I’m not looking directly at them, connecting my experiences across a lifetime and then some. The threads of story, of the human experience that I’m living but also am grasping at to try and weave something coherent into a story that helps you unde…

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]]><![CDATA[Burnt Out but Still Showing Up]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/burnt-out-but-still-showing-uphttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/burnt-out-but-still-showing-upTue, 28 Jan 2025 11:21:49 GMT
Dancing Through Purgatory - a painting I made in 2019

Five weeks. That's how long I have to wait until I start my new job, and right now, it feels like an eternity. One could call this a kind of purgatory. It’s such a weird space to be in—knowing that change is coming but not being able to fully step into it yet. It feels like standing on the edge of a …

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]]><![CDATA[The kids are alright]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-kids-are-alrighthttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-kids-are-alrightTue, 14 Jan 2025 11:13:25 GMTGood morning beautiful human! I hope the week is treating you well so far. I can imagine you sitting somewhere, maybe sipping a coffee, reading these words. I’m sending you a big squeezy hug. Feel it? Wrap your own arms around yourself and squeeze. And tell yourself that they’re doing a great job existing, because it’s true.

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I’ve been doing a lot of wri…

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]]><![CDATA[Gratitude Lists as a Creative Practice: ]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/gratitude-lists-as-a-creative-practicehttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/gratitude-lists-as-a-creative-practiceTue, 07 Jan 2025 13:51:04 GMTThe world can feel so loud sometimes. Like, everything around us is just screaming for our attention—bad news, hot takes, everyone pointing out what’s broken or wrong? It’s overwhelming. And honestly, it’s exhausting. I’m over it. I’m sick of cynicism.

That’s why I’ve been leaning into gratitude lists lately—not the fluffy, “everything’s fine!” kind, bu…

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]]><![CDATA[To the One Who Feels Like Giving Up: Stay]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/to-the-one-who-feels-like-givinghttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/to-the-one-who-feels-like-givingTue, 24 Dec 2024 14:16:38 GMTSeven years ago, I almost didn’t stay.

I was freshly separated from my ex-husband, leaving behind a marriage that was unhappy—which is putting it way too lightly. I didn’t know what the future held, and honestly, it felt like I was drowning in grief. The unknowns stacked up around me, and I could barely see a way forward.

But I had to make a choice.

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I coul…

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]]><![CDATA[Breaking Through]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/breaking-throughhttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/breaking-throughTue, 17 Dec 2024 12:36:14 GMTI’ve been sitting in the tension lately. That gnawing, restless feeling of not being “good enough.” The voice that sneaks in at the edges of my work and whispers, This isn’t worth anything. No one will care. And then, just as quickly, another voice jumps in, all bravado and ego, shouting, Why isn’t everyone paying attention to this yet? It’s exhausting—…

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]]><![CDATA[As I prepare to start writing my memoir...]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/as-i-prepare-to-start-writing-myhttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/as-i-prepare-to-start-writing-myTue, 10 Dec 2024 13:02:24 GMTI stayed home sick from work today. I think I just needed a good cry, like the kind where you get a headache from how hard you gotta sob. Sometimes it be like that.

There’s a lot happening under the surface for me right now. It’s hard to put into words—but I’ve been feeling like I’m being pulled apart on the inside. Something is shifting. Something is e…

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]]><![CDATA[The Quiet Magic of Falling Snow]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-quiet-magic-of-falling-snowhttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/the-quiet-magic-of-falling-snowTue, 03 Dec 2024 12:35:48 GMTLast night, as I lay in bed, I watched the snow drift gently outside my bedroom window. There’s something about those moments—the hush of the world blanketed in white—that stirs something deep inside me. It reminded me of my childhood, of nights spent wide awake in wonder, watching the snow fall outside my bedroom window.

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When I was 6 or 7, I would wake …

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]]><![CDATA[Defying Gravity]]>https://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/defying-gravityhttps://thedarlingrage.substack.com/p/defying-gravityTue, 26 Nov 2024 11:35:19 GMTLast night, I watched Wicked, and for two hours, I cried like my heart was on fire. Seeing Elphaba’s story unfold—her decision to stand up for what’s right, even when it made her a villain in the eyes of others—felt so fucking familiar to me. This is a musical that has walked with me for almost 20 years, and the story has been a boon for me in some of m…

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