It's been months more than a minute, Reader!Thank you for being here! Let's talk momentum. You're probably better about this than I am, but if I miss even one session of whatever I'm supposed to be doing (physical therapy, posting on LinkedIn, this newsletter...), it's a slog to get back on track. It's like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Miss a newsletter → take the summer off from the newsletter → autumn, too, because it was beautiful outside → holidays happened → Oh no, COVID! And here we...
4 months ago • 5 min read
Greetings, fellow human! Did you know the next couple of generations are going to save the world? It's a lot to put on them, but they've got this. We can learn so much from them, and this week, chatting with my kids has felt like hanging out with past Jana. Here are my two takeaways that kid and adult Jana needed to learn this week, and maybe you do, too. 1. Take up some space. Amid friend and academic drama, my teenage mini-me said, "I don't want to take up space in the world because it...
about 1 year ago • 6 min read
Happy spring, Reader!How's it looking where you are? As the crocuses shimmy out of the soil here in Maine, I can't help but draw parallels between this season of renewal and our creativity. We're firmly planted in mud season, but some days I see sunshine, blue skies, and fluffy clouds. And that's a start.You see, my family is full of gardeners (not me — I've been convicted of plantslaughter). As a teen, I skulked away to avoid yard work. That's when I perfected the Irish Goodbye. Plants were...
about 1 year ago • 4 min read
Hey there!It's been a crazy week in Janaland! We made a flying trip (literally) to see my family in Missouri. It was great (family). It was awful (my youngest gets horrendous air sickness — fun). *** Aside: I have the urge to practice storytelling right here, but I'll spare you the gruesome details. (Please forgive me, Ann Handley and Jay Acunzo.) Let's just say six of the air sickness bags were used. *** Now, I'm just trying to catch up (but really it's so I can watch Taylor Tomlinson's...
about 1 year ago • 4 min read
Hey there, Reader!Welcome to this week's party. I almost didn't make it, but I'm glad I did because you're here! Have you ever been invited to a party (or worse yet, invite people to a party) that you thought you wanted to attend, but the day of, you hope it's canceled because you just want to change into your sweats, order takeout, and settle in to binge Angie Tribeca? But you go (or host) anyway. And you're surrounded by your friends, and you realize that community is just what you need to...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read
Hello hello, Reader! I never grew out of playing pretend. Sometimes, I like to imagine what my business's alter ego is. I want to think it's playful and charming like Paul Rudd, but I'm pretty sure I come off as more of a Jess from New Girl or Linda Belcher from Bob's Burgers. via GIPHYA fun, creative strategy is imagining your creative project or business from that alter ego's perspective. Once, I spelled workshop as Workshbop in an article about webinars. Daydreaming — as usual (like JD...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read
Hey there, Reader!Thank you so much for being here for our first block party. Are we officially party people? Do you ever just type something and cringe at yourself? Please don't tell my kids. They already have me on block for asking if someone had rizz. As an introvert, this is a pretty vulnerable step for me, but I know I'm not the only one who faces these creative quagmires once in a while. After all, I've seen a lot of emails and social posts lately that look a lot like this one from...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read