"And now I realise that that was the best education I ever could have got in how to write and how to be a writer."

Tamzin Merivale

Morning Everyone!

Oh wow you guys are in for SUCH a treat with this podcast. 🍬

I’ve had a go another go at editing and decided it’s not for me - it’s fine but I’d rather not do it so although a good experiment, I’m so relieved to have found someone who loves the work I do here and can edit podcasts - yay! ✨ This whole podcast has been an experiment; I wanted to record 12 episodes, I wanted to learn about the whole process of podcasting, dance with it’s needs and wants, I wanted to model it for you. If you are considering using audio on Substack, this one’s for you;

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Onwards…

Back in November ‘23, I spoke with Tamzin about art, taking our time and intuitive writing and art work… We chatted about the new dimension Substack has enabled in her work, visuals that stop us in our tracks, monetising and hosting membership here. We talk about giving our work space and time to thrive and how deflating that has felt over on IG.

Creative breath and our life force

I realised as I recorded with Tamzin that I felt tired. Not tired of conversations like this one, no this was wholly energising.

No - I’m tired of plugging into a sector that asks us to burn ourselves out in the name of art and participatory delivery. That’s why I pivoted my work from real life to online.

Sitting with Tamsin gave me so much insight into the world of her gentle and soulful creativity it felt like sweet medicine to me.

Re-listening to this conversation 8 weeks later has spurred me on to keep doing the work to support as many creatives as I can through this platform. It’s my driver but in that I need more down time because the online world is WILD. Just yesterday someone sent me a ridiculous email I deleted after wondering if I should reply… guys I’m not used to it! 😳

To diversify our income using Substack as perhaps our first step (?) into entrepreneurial work is a bold choice. One we’re all at the vanguard of and modelling to each other generously in real time.

Sharing generosity in it all is so important to me. Please know if you are in financial hardship and need a subscription to Sparkle on Substack it’s yours - no questions asked. The exchange; belief that my work can hold you to make a change for yourself and impact others positively in the world and a promise to pay it forward when you can.

Meet Tamzin

Tamzin Merivale is an intuitive artist, writer and creative mentor. In creating her unique Soul Sign Energy Portraits, Tamzin guides her clients through an immersive experience to unearth their powerful selves, their incomparable light, their impact and their strength. Her writing gives readers tools and insights to release their struggles and live a life that feels expansive, free and aligned. Tamzin's mission is to hold space for greater empathy and understanding, as these are the true enemies of prejudice, judgment and discrimination.

Follow Tamzin on instagram.

Read more about her soul portraits

Transitioning from the squares of instagram to the expansive canvas of Substack

"And that can feel really awkward that we have to keep repeating it and say it again and say, this is who I am. This is what I offer, this is what I do. But I think that's one trap I see with people on Substack is that they're just writing and writing and writing and writing and writing, and that's great, go for it. But I think publishing, especially if you don't have a huge following anyway, publishing 20 to 30 minutes reads, people aren't going to engage with that."

Here’s your timestamped overview;

00:00 Unique portrait work captures women's inner power.

03:27 Cherishing personal stories, especially from resilient women.

07:08 Excitement for Instagram faded, switched to Substack.

10:14 Substack community fosters collaboration and appreciation.

13:15 Substack offers freedom for authentic expression, creatively.

16:17 Artists struggle with defining success on social media.

20:08 Disappointed by losing swipe up feature.

25:26 Substack writing on well-being and psychology exploration.

28:14 Substack writing process leads to creative growth.

31:56 Letting go of weights and floating up.

35:15 Discovering passion through soul portraits and sales.

37:43 Finding inspiration, exploring shadows, staying connected.

41:32 Emotionally moving digital capture project about friendship.

45:43 Embracing energy, simplicity, and client focus.

46:55 Offering workshops, free posts, and paid content.

51:10 Continuous journey of growth and self-awareness.

53:17 Embrace refining work and avoiding overwriting.

* Read the transcript (except I’m sorry about the Welsh) 👀

* Watch our convo on Youtube

I’d love you to pop back and let Tamzin and I know what this conversation sparked for you.

We’ll meet you in the comments.

Thanks as always for being here and supporting my work here at Sparkle on Substack.

Claire

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