Book Tour Promo Video! And What Was True For Me This Week

The weekly column here that's a little chatty and personal so you can get to know me and my creative weird sometimes silly sometimes mundane little brain ...

Welcome to Create Me Free where I share all of my deep research into and musings about the complex relationship between art and mental health. While I touch on art as therapy and the benefits of creativity, I really dig into the ways that our mental health symptoms can impact our creative process, content, productivity, medium choice, self-perception, and reception by others.

I’ve been trying to find a jumpsuit/coveralls that I love and this might be it. I have been using Nuuly to rent clothes to see what I like as my body changes.

I utilize the Chat tool here on Substack as a spot to nightly share what is true for me that day. Sometimes it’s a deep thought, sometimes it’s a mundane one, sometimes it’s just a recap of what happened during the day. Then I invite others to share what’s true for them that day. I truly want to know so please join me there nightly to touch base! 

Then I do this weekly roundup of what I shared there throughout the week. It’s a way for me to connect with you in a more informal, personal, chatty kind of way than my usual essays and interviews. It supplements the deeply researched stuff that I write about the relationship between art and mental health. It’s me being an artist with mental health challenges just sharing whatever is happening for me that day.

Virtual Book Tour Begins Tuesday!

Before we get into what was true for me this week, I want to share this fun promo video that the talented

Jane Marie King

created for the virtual tour for The Artist’s Mind. Because that’s the biggest thing that’s alive or “up” for me right now … the tour kicks off with a guest post, excerpt, two interviews and a giveaway - all right here on Substack.

This week’s stops will be over at

Jodie Benveniste

,

Socratic Psychiatrist

,

Wendi Gordon

, and

Loreteller

with the giveaway happening on the 3rd right here. More details:

You might have noticed in the video a mention of my Artist’s Dream Year. This is directly related to my Substack goal:

PLEASE HELP ME MEET MY GOAL:

My goal is to find 1000 people who are interested in subscribing to this work at a rate of $100 per year. This shows the world that we as creatives believe artists and writers can and should earn six figures. I practice artistic tithing, meaning that at least 10% of my income automatically goes to support other artists, writers, makers, creatives, performers, etc. So if I meet my goal, we keep at least $10000 of that right in the creative community.

$100 per year feels like a lot. But it works out to about $8 per month.

If this is something that you believe in, I really need the support of paid subscriptions to be able to keep doing this work that I’m deeply committed to. See benefits for paid subscribers here. On a really tight budget? Learn about my Pay What You Can option here.

Here’s a recap of what was true for me this week:

July 24, 2023

What’s true for me today is that I spent the morning working on my virtual book tour and am so excited about the stuff already done for it. (There are spots open so if you want your Substack to be a spot on the tour let me know!)

 I am currently in a driverless car mildly annoyed because my publisher’s marketing person was supposed to call me and didn’t but I think it was just crossed wires and regardless I feel fancy saying “my 12 o,clock canceled so I called my car ...” 🤣 Real life may be mundane but the story of real life still feels fancy sometimes. 

I am headed to spend the day catching up with my bestie. I had a million other things to do today but it’s been forever and he got today off unusually so we are making it happen. I am mostly feeling like I can put work out of my brain to enjoy that time. It helps that I have no other things scheduled except work for the rest of the week. 

Was happy to receive this book in the mail this week from fellow Substacker Ben Kerschberg

July 27, 2023

What's true for me today is that the past couple of days were a slow blur of watching relationship tv (The Ultimatum, Married at First Sight) and playing games on my phone and napping a lot and snuggling my dogs and doing a little pup training and repeatedly telling myself that I would get up soon and finally do some work. And I'm excited about my work so usually that's motivation enough but my body is just tired. So, I rested, and today I'm awake early and I feel good so far and I'm about to dig into work. And I'm trying to believe that the ebbs and flows are exactly what they need to be because that's what I tell myself and others but nevertheless it feels like days of email and other stuff piled up and part of me can't help but wish that I were the machine able to do it all. It's a tiny part. Mostly I am glad to be human and not machine. It's just the fear-based part who worries that if I'm not continually producing then I'm not going to be able to support myself. But I choose not to live by fear. So on we go.

Just loved the style of these women who were walking down the street in front of me

July 28, 2023

What’s true for me today is that I did some stuff for school today and it made me curious about what school will be like and what life will look like around this new corner. My first grad program was life-changing. What will this second one bring into my world? Will I be able to show up authentically even as I perhaps change and learn?

July 29, 2023

What’s true for me today is that I am having some fond memories ... my partner bought a Vespa today. We went on an amazing trip to Italy last fall and went to the island of Lipari where we rode a Vespa around and he’s kind of wanted one ever since so he made that happen which is joyful. And reminds me of that trip. 

The trip wasn’t perfect especially because I was dealing with a pretty bad bout of depression at the time but I traveled a lot better/comfier/happier than I usually travel and the trip was dreamy in so many ways. So: fond memories. 

It’s also just been really fun to see my partner develop a new interest and follow it. You never know what’s around your next corner and what might capture your attention and where it might go. He didn’t know anything about scooters a year ago and now he knows a lot and even though (or perhaps because) it’s not my thing, it’s really been fun to watch. 

Last year in Lipari

What’s true for you today?

I really want to know so …