Guten Tag, Reader,

“I am no poet,” I used to believe.

“I don’t have time to write,” I used to believe.

“There is no point in writing just for fun,” I used to believe.

Fast forward like a decade.

Me, in the first Midlife Basecamp Co-Creation Zoom Call, pulling a random word from a jar, and throwing letters, words, and shapes on a page.

Then, a big smile on my face when I share what I did in our time together: “I created a big pile of letters and words, and I had so much fun.”

What happened between the no-poet version of me and the joyfully-creating-word-piles version?

Well, the details could (might) fill a whole book, but here’s a haiku summary:

(I never claimed to be a good poet, only one whose brain enjoys counting syllables.)

One of the things I learned: Creativity isn’t for the few people who are somehow born with creative bones. It is not something we get to explore once we have our shit together.

In fact, it is how I get and keep my shit together.

And that’s just brain science:

The left brain hemisphere constantly scans for problems and narrates threats. Even five minutes of drawing matchstick people activates the right brain hemisphere, interrupting anxiety thought loops and calming the nervous system.

Knowing this has given me more than just permission to play with crayons and washi tape on a random Thursday morning. It has made my practice of drawing (and the drawing) a tarot card an anti-anxiety supplement I use every morning.*

I am curious:

What’s one tiny thing you’re curious enough to try - even especially if you’re not particularly good at it?

I will see you back here in two weeks,

Sylke

P.S. Because creating alongside other people is an important piece of the creative joy puzzle, I added a weekly co-creation hour as a part of Midlife Wilderness Basecamp. I am excited to add more possibilities for human connection.

* Who am I kidding? Not EVERY morning. But most of them.

If you found something valuable in today's letter, why not buy me a coffee? I am keeping my writing AI-free, which means a lot of creativity goes into it. You can leave a tip for me here or Venmo me @sylke-laine.