pr0ductive-in-sh4dow

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

Low-Energy Ways to Work with Nature and her Spirits:

Look outside. That's it - just open the curtains and see the sunlight, find the trees outside your window and watch the birds.

Put on a documentary or youtube video about a cool animal, ecology, the natural world etc

Talk to nature - whisper, talk out loud, say it in your head - just talk. Compliment pretty flowers, chat about how creepy but cool you think spiders are, picture light dancing off morning dew.

Trace the shapes of leaves/flowers/animals etc on your bed sheets or skin - try to see how many different shapes make up the natural world, find the patterns and fractals within them

Learn the name of one new local plant a week! Just one a week! If you have the energy, research a little about their ecology, history or medicinal uses

Make a flower crown/daisy chain/leaf crown

Take up nature photography - you don't need a fancy camera, jsut your phone!

Collect some shells/rocks/bones etc!

Just sit outside! can be just outside your front door, next to an open window, or in the woods (whatever you can manage)

Take your daily activities outside!! Read in the garden, eat your breakfast under the sun etc

Create art from nature - paint rocks, press flowers, create patterns using feathers or leaves as paintbrushes/stamps

Cloud watching!

More High Energy Activities:

Go for a walk or hike outside and take some offerings. Introduce yourself to the trees and plants and streams and leave them a gift.

If there's one nearby, visit a local farmer's market and buy some local produce; honey, meat, vegetables, fruit, etc! Chat to the sellers and talk about their practices and produce

Do a small spell outside! Find a secluded, comfortable spot and invite the spirits to observe your spellwork - let them get used to your energy and way of working

Make a small diary of your time outside! Don't worry about filling it in regularly, just whenever you have the energy! Write down when the bees start coming out or leaves return after winter. What plants stay during the cold season?

Research local plants and come up with your own correspondences based on their ecology/medicinal use/folklore etc

Go on a walk to see what plants and animals exist in your area! Research them - are they native? Invasive? What is their ecology? Medicinal uses? Even the most urban areas tend to have some wildlife!

Join a local facebook group for birdwatching!

Research your area and figure out what plants or animals would be native, or used to live there - create artwork or something to honour and remember them

Research gardening groups nearby - some cities will have volunteer gardening projects or local groups that help maintain natural spaces! See if any would be feasible for you to join and get out there

Join a local allotment or community garden if you have the means - do some weeding, plant some tomatoes, say hello to the coal tits nesting in the old shed!

If you have the means - invest in a hardy houseplant! Name it, research its care and talk to it! Make a ritual out of watering and talking to it.

Take an online ecology course! Free courses exist and can be super interesting!

Watch youtube videos on a favourite taxa and make notes - build your own knowledge at a pace you're comfortable with on the things you're interested in!

Invite some nature spirits in for a meal - cook something you enjoy and set the table (if you can) for the spirits. Enjoy a meal with them.

Please add any suggestions you have below and I can add them! Everyone has unique energy levels and capabilities, but I hope that I've given people a quick idea of things they can do, if they want!

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

What I Did Last Week: April 28-May 3, 2025

Here we are with another edition of “What I Did Last Week,” where I share my day-to-day life as a self-employed creative person. Every weekday (and some weekends) I keep track of all the work I’ve done each day, as a way to keep me on track as a full-time working artist. Fellow creatives and freelancers, whether or not you choose to share it publicly, I urge you to join me in this weekly professional accountability exercise.

Client projects in progress/in review: 4

Client projects on deck: 5

Client projects near-completion/awaiting approval: 1

Client projects awaiting payment: 2

Invoices paid this week: 1

Monday April 28

Caught up on emails from time off.

Website updates.

Prepared and sent quote for a commercial art & design client project.

AMI Membership Committee meeting and tasks.

Reordered shop products.

Met with one of my mentees for our biweekly check-in.

Prepared and sent contract for a video art client project.

Tuesday April 29

File backups.

Worked on preliminary drafts for a commercial art & design client project and sent for review.

Phone call with a different commercial art & design client to discuss an upcoming project.

GRAAA volunteer tasks.

Worked on CMI portfolio resubmission.

Offsite meeting with a commercial art & design client project about an upcoming project.

Checked PO box.

Shipped an online order.

Wednesday April 30

Facilitated and participated in an AMI networking event.

Worked on edits for a medical illustration client project.

Sent various check-in and follow-up emails.

Thursday May 1

Monthly financial assessment.

GRAAA volunteer tasks.

Finalized contract and sent deposit invoice for a video art client project.

Picked up new shop products from Brownlee Press.

Shipped an online order.

Friday May 2

Worked on edits for a medical illustration client project and sent for review.

Packaged new shop products.

Online shop update.

Worked on edits for a medical illustration client project.

Saturday May 3

Attended the state meeting for the Great Lakes Planetarium Association.

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

04.29.25. Alright Substack, let's try again. Just released "What I didn't learn from my parents..." & I'm slowly (& painfully) trying to get used to the fact that I write deeply revealing stuff. And that's okay, I guess?

There's a level of detachment that's required for this sort of thing, which I've had many years to practice, & with time I'm sure it'll bother me less & less.

Substack: Lost in interludes

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

Bestie took me to the Trancestry: 10 years of the Museum of Transology exhibition at the weekend. A huge collection of personal items and protest paraphernalia, every object came with handwritten stories, recorded memories, snapshots of histories. One exhibit winded me. My friend held me whilst I cried openly in the middle of the gallery, pulled apart by simultaneously feeling crushed by knowing how hard the past few weeks, months and years have been, how they will be, but also just grateful for the archival cache of existing and resisting

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

28/4/'25: back to the café, back to the grind.

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

10th semester, here we go! || 15.04.2025 Lux

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

i finished 'the country will bring us no peace' by matthieu simard the other day, and i'd had so much to say. i love the dread. i'm fascinated.

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

16.05.2025 [🫠]

📚: 북클럽 가입하기/ The day I joined the book club

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

finished the first year of my master's <3

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

It’s my last full week of uni before my graduation! 🎓🦇🎉🎊

For that reason I might be a little bit less active during this week. I have received tons of moodboard requests, and I can’t wait to make them! But it might not be this week, due to workload, stress, and major burn out. We shall see! :)

Good luck to everyone as we wrap up this semester. You are all clever, sweet, lovely darlings and I know you’re going to do excellent. 🦇🖤

-Yours, Jack 🖤

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

29|04|2025

Yesterday's lecture went better than I expected, I managed to focus more that I had anticipated, which at least didn't leave me feeling like I had wasted my time, so that's good. The big struggle at the moment is that I experience sensory overload way more easier than usual and going to the city was a nightmare. I still struggle to fall asleep, and probably I should try to go back to my reading before bed routine, which has always been helpful, but I am kinda stuck between books at the moment. Today's big goal aside from going to class is to actually start working on the book I have to study for this exam, and look for the materials for the other class since yesterday I did not do that. I am a bit intimidated by the first chapter of this book on the first circumnavigation of the globe, because I fear it might be very technical, but I believe it should be actually quite interesting. I had read the introduction when I got it, and it seems well written so I am hoping for the best.

On today's to-do list:

start reading and annotating book

look for the materials for the other exam (once again moving this task to another day lmao)

duolingo

commute + lecture

do the Thing™

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

April 29th, 2025

Nature is so beautiful right now... I am so happy to finally be able to spend much time outside, soaking in the colours of spring!

My vacation is over and I'm a bit sad. I loved every minute of these two weeks but now back to work. Which is ok as I like what I'm doing. Still, time off is still better haha

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

new semester: thankfully I don't have a lot of in-person classes because I've also just started a new job that's 20 hours a week. and I'm co-running the student magazine for book reviews now! so... busy times, but interesting. and all the trees are beautiful right now!!

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

[research life]

Some spring greenery among my study environments🌿🌷🤩🤍📝

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

| 29 april 2025 |

wow april is almost over... trying to balance end of the semester TAing and studying for final 🤪 also the cherry blossom picture is from like a week ago haha

🎧 1x1 — bring me the horizon, nova twins

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

Studying with a tired heart and a hopeful mind

[pr0ductive-in-sh4dow]

27/100

another meeting with SV today! wish me luck u guys! I am still having trouble getting out of bed! this bad phase is so stubborn!