Feeling connected in London // Soup + sunsets // Feedback when you're self-employed
Hello Carousellers,
Happy Monday.
I'm trying to write every Monday at the moment, to keep my writing going and to see what emerges (inspired by Robbie Swale's 12 Minute Method, which I shared a few weeks ago).
I just went for a dusk walk and tried to tune into what this letter was about today. Sometimes there is a clear theme or message that wants to emerge, sometimes not so much.
I am inspired by a friend's newsletter where she bullet points themes from the week. So here goes...
Things that have been alive for me this week:
How much I thrive off feeling connected in my local community. On Tuesday I went for a swim at the reservoir, saw someone I knew, met their friends and was consequently invited to a campfire sing-a-long in Hackney Marshes, a swimming whatsapp group, frisbee playing and a Sunday Jam. This means the world to me to feel part of the local goings-on, and also not to be the one organising it!
How liberating it is to bring all my skills together into one context. As a Carouseller we may find that we have variety in our lives across different projects, but that within each individual project there is a sort of hyperfocus for one version of us (eg. this is where I'm a coach, this is where I'm a DJ). Recently I've started a Breakfast Radio show with a friend Jenn (Boogaloo Radio 8-10am - next one on Wed 16th), and it is a liberating amalgamation of so many things: choosing great music, chatting to a friend, life coaching, improvised comedy (I do a cameo as Sarah Moany) and the performance energy of putting something out live. It feels so freeing to find a format where I can embrace the Smorgasbord of my Carousel, rather than do them one by one... Do you have a context where you can bring multiple parts of your Carousel together?
Soup + sunsets. I've been loving cooking delicious soups and inviting friends round to eat soup at sunset. My flat is on the 12th floor and this time of year the sun sets over the reservoir, so it's a pretty spectacular show. Living alone, I'm noticing how much joy I get from having people round to eat with me and to be able to cook for someone!
Here's a slightly personal one, but it is one that is alive. I notice how often my decisions of how to spend my evenings are filtered by where I'm more likely to meet a partner. I resent that this should be a factor, and yet, it is. I would love to be hunkering down watching The Crown and not having to worry about 'putting myself out there' so much.
Feedback when you're self-employed is so sparse. This week I delivered a workshop and one of my new facilitators came with me to observe. Afterwards they shared some positive feedback about the session and I realised how often that can be such a lonely process - to run a workshop and then pack up and leave, and not have a professional expert sharing their thoughts, or have any idea how it has gone. I am very grateful for that perspective and also want to find ways to build that in more to my delivery work.
I'm noticing as I write all of this that themes of connection vs alone-ness are very present. I wonder how others feel at this time of year? Where the balance is between group vs. solo time, extroverted activity vs introverted watching The Crown time?
This does always seem like the trade off when you work for yourself; really making the time to stay connected. I feel grateful that so much connection has emerged since the email on freelancer loneliness a few weeks ago - the local community hangs, the radio show, my co-facilitator for Power of Uke. Poco a poco.
Wishing you all a lovely Monday and thank you for reading,
Sarah