Big jobs + Love gifts ❤️
Friends,
I completed two big projects this week. What a good feeling. It reminds me of that release I associated with finishing finals in college and heading out for a nice long break. In this case, I am continuing to jump into work, but I am still savoring that “done” sensation this week.
One of the big projects was simply an important milestone in my farming and parenting book — I sent the first sample chapters to my editor. Hoorah! Preparing these chapters provided the opportunity to wrap my head around the whole book in a deeper way, building on my initial proposal now that I have done many more farmer interviews. I can see the landscape better now that I’m in this position and can see the paths I need to follow to write the rest of the book.
But the other big project? That one is DONE. It’s something I’ve been working on since early last summer, with my work load ranging from sometimes mostly waiting to spending hours on it every day over several weeks. It’s the first project of its type I’ve ever worked on — a book-length illustration project — and I can’t wait to share more details with you later this spring.
As I wrapped up this work, I reflected on the notion of Really Big Projects in general — the kind of work that has no shortcuts but simply requires on-going efforts over many weeks or months (or years) to finish. I’m no stranger to this kind of work, and I imagine you’ve done these kinds of projects at some point too: completing trainings and degrees, starting businesses, writing books, raising kids. One of the biggest example from my life is building our house with Casey in 2007 … but I suppose the farm itself counts too!
No doubt the scale of Really Big Projects can be daunting. By their nature you cannot imagine every piece of the puzzle at the start — you can see the outline of what you want to accomplish and then fill in the details as you go. For me, the pressure of Really Big Projects sits on me constantly. Right now, I always know in every cell of my body that I am working on a book. To be honest, it doesn’t always feel good. There’s a weight there. I often feel anxiety because the unknowns mean that predicting timeframes can be tricky. What unforeseen challenges will pop up and slow down the progress? The only moments where I feel truly relaxed mid-Big Project is in the day(s) after making some Big Progress. Which is a good incentive to make progress!
I am learning, as best I can, to trust the process — to trust that if I show up and look for the next step and put in regular work, I can do Really Big Projects over time. It’s not a very sexy process. I definitely wouldn’t try to sell its merits via an Instagram ad, because I can’t promise instant results or offer any especially time-saving or anxiety-reducing tips. In my experience, it really just requires the showing up and the doing — the prioritizing and clearing out of other tasks as needed.
In the last year for me that’s meant shifting the content of my life — more time working and fewer weekend activities with my family or friends. Mid-week I often work right up to my own bedtime (I never sacrifice sleep though — that’s no solution for productivity!). I’ve learned to fit work into every possible margin in my life.
I suppose I want to share this now to document the moment for myself and to provide insight into what goes into making a book. For most of my life I’ve known that making books is something I deeply desire to do, because I appreciate them so much myself as a reader. There’s magic in holding in our hands the beautifully packaged cumulative efforts of weeks/months/years of work. It’s not surprising that books can be so transformative when you realize what goes into making them. No shortcuts. Just time and dedication and a ton of effort.
Even though I feel like I’ve just been through my first big trial of work, I’m still loving it. I love looking through the months worth of illustrations I’ve made and reflecting on how many hours went into researching and drawing them. I am not the same person I was when I started this project. I look forward to many more such transformations. (And I look forward to sharing more about this project with you soon!)
Now, on to the news … !
New Valentine’s Day mugs & shirts!
Does your heart “beet” for your sweetie? Share a special message through one of my new love-themed mugs! Or, share your love with the WHOLE WORLD with a t-shirt!
Also, I highly recommend wearing these shirts as filters for who you want to hang out with in the future. Because, if they like your shirt, they’ve got to be awesome.
Mugs are available with romantic pink interiors and handles or classic contrasting black or yellow (depending on mug design). Shirts are available in pink, blue, and silver/gray.
SHOP NOW on my website. Free shipping for U.S. orders over $40! Enter code FREESHIP at checkout. Because these mugs and shirts are made to order, I recommend ordering EARLY to ensure delivery by February 14! ❤️
New Growing for Market podcast!
One of my favorite farming magazines Growing for Market just launched a new podcast … and I got to be the very first featured interviewee! On the episode, GFM editor Andrew Mefferd and I talk about pregnancy and farming as a tie-in to the series of articles I wrote about parenting related topics for the magazine last year. It was great fun to expand on what was in the articles as well as to share our personal experiences as parent-farmers. A second episode will come out very soon to follow up with more discussion of postpartum healing for the farmer and discussion of balancing farm work with parenting.
I’m especially excited about that the new GFM podcast will make information more available to busy farmers who can now listen while they are on the go (or while cooking dinner or washing vegetables in the packing station …).
Listen to the first episode now here or wherever you get your podcasts!
Pollinate Farms profile
I also published a new article in January’s Growing for Market issue profiling Pollinate Flowers, an awesome and unique flower farm here in Yamhill County. I visited Pollinate Flowers several times last year to chat with farmer John Peterson and farmer/florist Jeremi Carroll about how they manage their small farm using sustainable permaculture methods and how they’ve developed a unique marketing niche within the local wine industry. They had so much to share about growing and branding and I went away feeling inspired to try new things on our own farm (and in my flower gardens!).
The Pollinate Flowers article is available to read for free online — READ NOW HERE.
Thank you for reading all my January news!
I hope that your new year has gotten off to a good start! May you make progress on your new or continuing goals (and your own Big Projects if you have any right now!) in 2023.
With gratitude,
Katie