Love note from the beach
Happy new year from my beanbag to yours.
Hello kind folks on the other site of the screen,
I had hoped to send this first newsletter of 2024 from the Hebrides, but sadly a snow storm got in the way and I stayed put. This was sad at first, but after 12+ hours of slightly frantic decluttering as an alternative to travel I fell back in love with my home and my life by the sea here.
I’ve had time to journal, do little rituals around the house and count my blessings. I tried to think about what I am wishing for this year, but really most of my thoughts went to a permanent ceasefire everywhere. This made me remember world peace stickers around my childhood home (or rather “Weltfrieden” in German) and it felt awkwardly naive. Digging deeper into it, I found more complicated wishes that I don’t actually feel awkward about - that we continue to resists structures of oppression, that we find the courage to dream of safety & belonging for all of us, that we rest & regenerate, that we stay engaged & creative in these times of wild transformation.
For my business in 2024 I found it helpful to think about radical simplicity - to focus on doing really good work (which as a side effect makes marketing less important because word of mouth rocks!), to leave space for upheaval, to do what brings me joy (design! podcasting! solving weird tech problems! stitching through difficult feelings! being creative together!). That’s all. I’m excited to share this with you all this year.
There are also a few new podcast episodes:
I hope you enjoy listening and I am wishing you a gentle, hopeful start to 2024.
Love,
Yarrow
P.S. My friend Sophy Dale is offering free workshops on writing for your business in mid-January that I think some of you might enjoy. You can sign up here.
After a bit of a break my Patreon is back! Join us for three live Zoom sessions per month starting this Sunday to deepen your creative practice with gentle accountability & lots of inspiration in 2024.
I am also sharing my radical needlework history research & a monthly needlework skill or project idea with a focus on mental health, sustainability & wellbeing with everyone.
Think slow stitching, colour play, mending as ritual, stitched amulets - but other crafts are welcome too!
USD 14 base / 8 concession per month (intro price till January 8th), cancel any time.
I’ve decided to run my web design studio a little differently this year to allow for better planning and more creative joy. I will be offering six slots for custom web designs in February, April, June, July, October & November - customers who book more than 3 month ahead get a 5% discount and the option for a longer payment plan. If you’re interested, you can book a call below.
I will also be offering eight tech days throughout the year, during which I can help you create better software system, create a marketing or newsletter strategy, make small updates to your website or work on your SEO for example.
Our next free Spark sessions is this Sunday the 7th of January from 7-8pm UK time (that’s 11-12 PT or 14-15pm ET & here is a timezone converter).
The format will always be the same:
A warm welcome & a moment of grounding
A chat check in with everyone
Quiet time to work with the Spark session workbook, which includes journaling prompts, reflections & useful tools to help you set yourself up for the month ahead - choose your own adventure
Intention setting & goodbyes
Hi! I'm Yarrow,
a web designer, artist & writer living on the East coast of Scotland.
I offer creative classes, host podcasts, create eco-friendly websites and help people build sustainable livelihoods.
Thank you so much for following along and dreaming with me.
Love,
Yarrow
Loved listening to the new podcast episodes. I have a question about your tech days. Do you help with setting up Substack and marketing of these newsletters?