Comparison is a thief.

A thief of imagination, that is.

And I’m sure you’ve heard the other quote, attributed to Pres. Roosevelt, that comparison steals your joy. But before it steals your joy, it steals your imagination. Joy is just one of the options available but so is sadness, anger or indifference.

You may remember a few letters back I wrote about an experiment I was conducting. I’ve been feeling invisible for a while. Maybe this is what they say happens when you hit middle age? I’m okay with some invisibility, but I feel like my work isn’t reaching who it needs to reach. And when I’d slid into the habit of opening my phone first thing in the morning, it was only there to confirm that. I can’t control algorithms, who sees me or who buys my work, but I can control my imagination and what I do with it. Checking social media first thing in the morning was only showing me my limitations. It was like pinching the hose.

I won’t bore you with my thoughts on the perils of social media. We all know them. And that feeling of constriction isn’t something I feel every time I open up the apps either, or I’d just throw my phone in the garbage. But since it is unpredictable for me, drawing that boundary around part of my day has already made me feel profoundly better, even though my circumstances haven’t changed.

y creative energy feels urgent right now, but less efforting and more ease. This month in The Midlife Solution community, we are rolling over to a new topic and the concept of being a Late Bloomer felt really relevant. The expansive energy I’m in right now reminds me that it’s never too late to start something new, even if society would like to remind you that you’re way behind. The space I’ve given myself is allowing me to really examine options for whatever this transition is I feel I’m on the precipice of.

Are you in a place where you want to make some changes in your life, in your career, in your relationships or just creatively? I hope you’ll join The Midlife Solution this month. I’d love to go deep with you!

And if you have a creative project that you’d like 1:1 time with me to bring it to life, ask me about The Midlife Solution 1:1 coaching.

So with all of this time I’ve opened up, I’ve been making. I’ve gone through my 20 year archive and have pulled some products that I haven’t made in a while, like fabric cuffs. They are like art for your arms! I’ve listed two for now, but will have many more coming this week. I hope you’ll check them out!

And one more thing I’m super excited about, Ephemera Bundles. They are bundles of vintage fabric, lace and trims, buttons, thread and other ephemera…all you would need to for your own textile art project. I have a hand full listed right now, but will be adding more of those as well.

So yeah, I think my experiment is going swimmingly.