Writing on Substack and Sourdough Era
Week 32 - I am getting back into writing more and learning how to bake sourdough which I have been unsuccessful so far as I wanted to try to bake bread for Sunday morning
Enjoy your weekend or Sunday morning with a warm cup of cacao and some fresh sourdough bread.
As I entered my Sourdough bread-making era, I am soooo confused! I have already messed up my starter as I made it and didn’t bake after day seven as I watched YouTube and got completely intimidated by the whole process. Back to this story later…
Named this starter Bob Marley…
Writing on Substack
I am considering keeping this style of a week-by-week update going into a writing routine. They are more FUN and EASY for me just to be ME, like we are HANGING OUT having a chat whilst drinking our cups of cacao or coffee.
If you are new here, thank you for recently subscribing to my Substack!!! I get sooo excited when I get email alerts of new subscribers, so WELCOME to my slice of Substack and the online world.
I aim to write weekly about Eco Lifestyle, Yoga, Motherhood and my personal (UNTOLD) stories as much as possible. However, they are time-consuming as I get weirdly attached to them and wait to publish until I feel they are ready to be released.
I have been feeling more space for creativity to flow, so I am going with it. But I don’t want to create an expectation as I am a mother who is fully busy running after two babies that are non-stop for 13 hours, and as much as I want to stay up writing articles.
I want to sit on my phone and zone out/ read a book/ catch up on my favourite YouTube channels.
Or
More recently, I started editing all the videos I try to capture through my day with the kids for my next YouTube video.
So, I don’t want to overcommit myself, and I want to find a balance between writing on Substack and creating content for YouTube.
When I started on Substack a year ago, on 19 July 2023, I completely forgot to celebrate this milestone until I re-read my first article. I mentioned that I was scared to create videos on YouTube. I made a lot of excuses in my mind as to why I couldn’t publish it YT, so I am still very proud to have shifted that fear into action a year later, and I am writing here and creating on YouTube in front of the camera.
I would write articles here and some required videos to help explain them, or maybe it is just my creative mind wanting to show visuals with my words constantly.
This got me thinking about how I will treat these two spaces differently and somewhat the same as they are both coming from me.
My next article is scheduled for next Tuesday (I’m ahead this week). YAY!
Free vs Paid Subscription
Writing for paid subscribers vs free subscribers can be so confusing, so what I think I will do is keep the week-to-week articles that are fun and lighthearted open for everyone to read and my written articles that take time and are more deep and personal for my paid subscribers.
You will always get an opportunity to read the beginning of paid articles and can choose to upgrade to continue reading and support my writing. There is a 7-day free trial as well if you don’t want to commit but are interested in one particular article.
Most of my articles are free, so there is a lot to catch up on in the library, but the shift will happen next week when more articles will turn to pay. This space is where we can support each other creative writing and ideas, and that is the beautiful thing about Substack is that you can pay with a small monthly fee of $10 AUD or an annual $100. But here, because I feel generous, it is 30% off for a year and you get to know when my next event will be hosted before anyone else online, also when I launch my next collection of pottery.
BACK TO SOURDOUGH…starting something new (life reminder)
I have been wanting to do sourdough bread since last year, and I thought this year I would do it.
So far, it has been an epic fail!!!
I just realised there are many steps to consider before making this bread. The whole making of a starter is such a process I did not think would make me feel so overwhelmed.
I got all my sourdough kit with my baskets and mixer, feeling excited until I started watching videos and got greatly confused.
But what Tony reminded me of was that I need to start making bread and learn as I go and stop watching videos. Part of the journey is failing to make bread versus making the perfect first.
Another good life lesson and reminder is to play, be experimental, and go for it when learning something new.
Try to find an instructor you connect with online and how they explain things to you so that you understand it and stick with them for a while until you feel more comfortable and more confident in your new skill. Learning a new skill is not about knowing how to do everything immediately.
I have never understood this concept well and put WAY too much pressure on myself to know everything before doing it, which is ridiculous as how am I supposed to know an entirely new skill without practising it?
If my mom is reading this, she will be thinking… “that’s Kimmy, though,” as I have behaved this way all my life, but being an adult, I can notice when I am doing, I realise that it is in the slowness of learning something new is where the magic and enjoyment happens.
When I do something with art involved, I am less critical of myself, but I now know cooking, baking, and even gardening are all art forms if you want them to be, in essence. You are the creator of something, and the end product is the reward.
SLOW DOWN
MAKE A MESS
BAKE a loaf that doesn’t taste good
BAKE a loaf that hasn’t risen correctly
BAKE a loaf that smells delicious
BAKE a loaf that looks beautiful
JUST KEEP BAKING
Named this new starter #2 Stevie Nicks
This is my approach to learning this new skill of baking bread as I enter into a life of making more homemade bread every week!
WISH ME LUCK, and if anyone wants to share some tips, let me know in the comments
For our next hang-out online, if you want to join in drinking cacao I always talk about… I thought I’d share the cacao I drink if you are looking for another alternative instead of coffee or tea every day.
My best friend Amanda (Joey) sells it online at Wolfmedicine.com.au. If you ever want to sample it, you can always visit her in-store at Soul Collective in Mount Lawley, as they sell freshly brewed cacao in-store! Promoting her efforts as she is a superwoman running three businesses and is in the works of launching her fourth as she has an event coming up, Holotropic Double Breathwork Retreat WA Sept 2024. I would attend if I had the time, but I can’t now.
Love and light always
Kim
