"The Shitty First Post"
I'm paraphrasing Anne Lamott, obvs.
Here it is! The first writing.
What Anne Lamott calls The Shitty First Draft, well it’s the Shitty First Post, because I’ve definitely edited this, and re-wrote it completely, three times. But I told some people I was going to finish my first post (Hey Fleet002!) Also because this *gestures broadly* is an exercise in doing the thing earnestly, not perfectly, I’m posting it. Following that I’ll likely not sleep for a week. But let’s be honest, I’m a woman in my 40’s I’m not sleeping anyway.
OK! But, let’s get into it shall we.
Welcome to Amanda x Ampersand – A creative outlet for my mindful meanderings as I journey though the land of And.
Here’s what you’ll find in each subsequent newsletter:
Mindful meandering: An idea or thought or question that’s been taking up space in my brain and needs to leave, so I wrote about it.
Moment of Magic: Something that felt like a wee bit of magic.
On Repeat: A playlist I’ve been listening to, you guessed it, on repeat.
Metaphor From the Mundane: A thought I’ve had by staring longingly at the seemingly uninteresting.
You Outta Know: Someone or something cool that I need you to know about! Bonus points if you get the Alanis reference!
Brilliant Book: OK, I’m going to be honest here, this is almost always going to be a romance novel, because well, romance novels are everything I love in a book. I read a lot of them (listen some people bake, some people binge Netflix, I read books with intense emotional journeys that always lead to a happy ever after OK!), But I’ll throw you a non-fiction recco from time to time.
Ok, well, I can’t put this off any longer, heeeerrreeeeee weeeeeeee goooooooo!
I’m what calls a ‘multi-hyphenate’.
A Jane of many trades (with more yet to discover). I’m a multi-passionate human who loves to creatively problem solve just about anything. A neurodivergie who never has enough time or energy for all the ideas that are percolating my brain at any given moment. I think, lyrically…maybe I’m not sure, filling spaces of my mind with metaphors I’ve made from the mundane. That means that I’ll be writing on just about anything that flows from my head through my fingers into this space.
The undercurrent that will carve its way through most of my musings is the idea of living in the And. An infinite, evolving, non-liner space where many things can be true at the same time. The space we all exist in, acknowledged or not, where conflicting feelings and stories are held simultaneously. To really live fully here, we need to lean into to the ebb and the flow. Be confident in our knowledge and willing to change our minds. To learn and re-learn. And to be open to seeing the magic that lives in this space when we’re paying attention.
But that’s only part of it. Conflict, society, politics – they all make us feel like we have be all-in on one-side of the binary. Check only one box, commit to it fully, even better if you make it your whole identity. So to live in the And is to be a bit of a rebel, to be self-aware, to think critically as well as divergently, to ask better questions and to lead with empathy. It’s understanding that it can often be very uncomfortable, frustrating even maddening when there isn’t a clear answer or path. It’s this and that (and this and that and…).
If this feels interesting to you, firstly, REALLY?!? I mean, cool! I just, well, I totally expected it would just be me writing words into the ether. I think this is where I ask you to subscribe *inserts subscribe button below* so you get these meanderings delivered straight to your inbox! OK! Hooray! I’m glad you’re here. My greatest wish is to inspire you to journey through life in the land of And.
I look forward to engaging with you in a sort of substack’ified version of a Deep Meaningful Conversation.
I’d love to share your &’s! What are the multi-descriptors that help tell your story?
Here are mine: I’m creative & strategic. Fast & slow. Quiet & intense. Tender & resilient. All-in & all-out. I’m guarded & have a penchant for oversharing. I love writing & have no idea where to put a comma (a semi colon, forget about it! 🙃). I’ve lived for *just* over 40 years & only now feel like I know myself.
Until next time Anders.
- A&
This is not shitty at all!! I still haven't written my first one ... this has inspired me :-)
Hi Amanda, loved this and the energy within it. I've spent way too long thinking of words to describe myself, so I'm going with my first thought, weird and spiritual. I wonder if there is a word for people who don't know how to use commas. I write sentences that are way to long. It put me off writing. I'm over it now!