their faces terrify me I don’t like them at all

And even though I fully intend to pursue the traditional stuff: I’m looking to publish my poems and I’m looking to apply to mfa programs in spring 2025, I’ll always advocate for doing things out of order or unconventionally. I think it’s important to be that spokesperson.

It feels good bc I don’t currently have a traditional writer’s path! I only a BA this year, in linguistics. I have no mfa, my day job is as a grant writer, yet I’ve completed a manuscript and I’ve won grants to offer free literary events in my city and I make things and I exist and I’m a writer.

this is an exciting and comforting conclusion for me to arrive to, as I’d been very nervous about what my options were if I wanted to continue working. Now just to figure out what it takes to get accepted into the school I want

I do make cards, yes! I was just thinking wistfully about the idea but had doubts around interest, but I think I’ll try making a few and find ways to sell in person and maybe promote them online, as a test. It’ll be fun, I think!

Oh! That’s nice to hear. I guess I just imagine the market for them to be very small but i should probably make a Halloween batch of cards anyway

I’d have to be so dedicated to have this be a reliable source of extra income, and i am often so lazy. however, I think it would be nice to try and experiment with the concept, just to see if ppl like it at all and to gauge how well my cards sell on their own

I make handmade greeting cards and have taken a few commissions in the past. They’re a bit pricey (like $25-30) but people have been happy with them! I would like to make sets and try to see if i can sell several for like, $15-20ea? at small pop-up markets, maybe?

There are probably various ways i could go about this — ex: a remote side gig. I’m not sure what I’d like to do. I’m thinking about having my cards be the thing though—I’d need to start making them in larger batches but if i did little pop-up shops it could be cute??

anyway, these are all my big thoughts tied to making better choices with the income i have from my job. (super long thread that i know no one but me will ever read lol)

learning how to make dishes that help me feel more connected to my mother / heritage / ancestors / community is one thing that does make it fun to cook. so i probably will give that another try i guess.

one way to reshape my relationship to cooking is to start with learning either how to make dishes i order often OR to learn dishes significant to my culture. a while back i'd watch vincentian ladies on youtube make cultural dishes, many of which were familiar to me from my childhood & upbringing.

i tend to get overall by cooking. i prefer baking mentally even if i'm not amazing at it! making one singular yummy thing is less exhausting to me than making 3-5 sides that all add up to a meal. it's too many moving parts. so many simultaneous or back to back pots going. i find it stressful lol!

anyway, i hope to slowly make some strides on getting into a habit of cooking for myself and finding joy in it. i think it's partly bc my kitchen at home is uninviting and we lack a working oven. but in the meantime, i can collect recipes i want to learn and find a way to make cooking exciting to me

this is very ED to say but tbh the way i'm currently making strides on the takeout side is, i just eat less lmao. the meds i take suppress my appetite by like a LOT, so it's lowkey an advantage to my wallet to just skip meals or suffice on like, eggs & tea every other day. this is not wise lol