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.

Tell me, are you a late bloomer?

“I was a late bloomer. But anyone who blooms at all, ever, is very lucky.”—Sharon Olds.

The first time I read that line from poet Sharon Olds, I’m pretty sure I audibly gasped. It took me until I got sober 7 years ago to fully feel into the luckiness of it. For most of my life, I just felt like I’d missed all of it: the mark, the boat, the opportunity. But now I feel like Sharon with the caveat that if I’d kept drinking, I’d surely be one of the unlucky ones.

I got to talk about this at length with my friend Lori Massicot  on her podcast, To 50 And Beyond. Felt good to be on a podcast again…hmmm. Hope you’ll give it a listen!

Being a late bloomer will also be a topic we will be exploring soon in my online subscription community, The Midlife Solution. If this pricks your interest, I hope you’ll join us. Late bloomers unite!

Every day this week, I’m dropping new Fall items a few at a time and posting them on Instagram. Wheeee! I am prepping inventory for a reuse fashion show (that I’m also helping to produce) with Austin Creative Reuse, so I am very much in my creative flow space. Let me know if you see something you like!

If this is late bloomin’, I’ll take it.

Late Bloomer

If you just start typing, the words will appear, right? *Ahem* My name is Sondra and I am 45, er 46 year old wearer of many hats, the biggest being wife and Mom of two. I am also a woman in recovery. That felt strange to type but it is my truth and truths are hard things to type out, much less blab to the world.  But damn, is it freeing once they are identified and brought to the surface. I'm also a seamstress, photographer, writer, story-teller, eternal optimist and dreamer of big dreams. So...with that intro, what if there was one obstacle in your life that if removed, could free you to work towards meeting your potential? Give your life purpose? 

Would you feel like you were given a second chance?

Now, I don't want to put too much pressure on this 'potential' thing. Your potential could be mowing your lawn once a week, taking your kids to the pool every other Summer day, or maybe a more creative pursuit. Do you want to finally make the quilt that has starred in your DIY Pinterest board? Learn how to use the camera you got for Christmas two years ago and take a frame-worthy picture of your family?  Maybe you just want to make yourself feel beautiful and confident everyday, have your outsides match your new insides? Write and tell your NEW story?

For me, that obstacle was alcohol. For the last 25 years, I've felt like I've lived in a well. I was alive but my view and space were so narrowly limited, so very small. As I've climbed out of that well, I see the world as so big. I can see so many opportunities and it's amazing. Maybe your obstacle is another dish on the buffet of addictions: prescription drugs, co-dependency, love, workaholism, food. When these obstacles are addressed, worked on and even removed, there is a void to fill. Let's fill it up!

This is still in the very early stages of construction, but I hope you'll join me on this tiny chunk of space that I'm renting on the Internet as we explore and celebrate those creative pursuits that are filling the void.  Please join my tribe, The Unruffled.