August Flourish & Flow

Notes on Midlife Creativity, Connection & Joy

I'm Vanessa—menopausal mama, writer, creative communications strategist, and certified life coach. I share honest reflections on creativity, connection, and finding joy and flow during midlife. Welcome. 🦋

Welcome, August.

I’ve been waiting for you.

A cold front came through, and lower temps and lower humidity are doing my soul good.

But I know it’s short-lived.

Summer is still here, but fall is ever-so-softly knocking on the door.

My dear friend reminded me the other day that summer is not my season for creating and doing, and putting out tons of energy.

“You’re a winter baby,” she said.

Ding.Ding.Ding. My Capricorn head nodded.

I’ll slowly walk over this bridge between summer and fall.

I’ll savor the summer watermelon.

I’ll take after-dinner walks.

I’ll visit the local ice cream shop a few more times.

I’ll listen. I’ll flow.

Welcome to all the new readers and subscribers. I appreciate you taking the time to read and share my words. Thank you.

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🖋️ Creativity & Connection

Can we put a price on creativity?

I mean, yes, we do.

We pay for books, paintings, music, sculptures, theater tickets—you get my point.

But as someone who considers herself a creative, I’ve grappled for decades with the idea of being paid for my creativity.

As of this fall, I will have been published in three books.

I didn’t receive payment for any of them.

Does that make them less than?

Of course not.

I wrote for four years for a popular homeschooling blog. I was paid per post. I also considered that creative work. But my blog posts are not more important than my poems.

I’ve been writing newsletters for over four years—all creative energy. But no earnings.

I talk to other writers and creatives about this topic.

So far, we haven’t come up with one answer.

We live in such a productivity-based and transactional world.

I’m not always sure how to navigate this as a “creative person" and I also believe that we can and should be paid for our creative pursuits.

If we want to.

If it’s in alignment.

Creative energy has been a constant for me.

Navigating midlife and menopause has meant I needed to be protective of it sometimes, and other times, share it with anyone and everyone.

A connection to myself.

A connection to you.

And in the end, that’s really all that matters.

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🪄 Midlife Magic

Here’s a little monthly round-up of things that are supporting my midlife magic.

• 📕 Fiction Book: In July, our book club read Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. From the first page, the story and characters pulled me in. One of the best books I’ve read in the last year.

• 📙 Non-Fiction Book: Maggie Smith’s (the writer, not the famous British actress) book Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change is one I reach for over and over again. I’m about to finish it for the third time, and I found an unused copy of the companion journal on Thrift Books.

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Instagram Account: Wanna know a secret? I follow TONS of Scottish Instagram accounts, mainly little B&Bs, some general ones, some food, and some just for fun. My favorite one is @officialskyeclouds and yeah—it’s just pics of clouds on the Isle of Skye. Don’t ask me why I love it so much. I don’t know. And in true Vanessa fashion, I reached out to the person who runs the account, a lovely person named Dulcima, and now we follow each other and they told me to reach out if I ever visit. I plan to.

• 📺 TV Show: I absolutely love crime shows and if it’s British or Scottish—even better. Department Q on Netflix was bananapants and I watched it while walking on my mini treadmill and a few super early mornings (thanks, menopause).

• 🎵 Song: A song came on Spotify the other day and my body just knew. I hadn’t heard it in maybe 20 years? 25? I knew all the words. I even told my daughter that I was 99.9999 percent sure it was from the Dawson’s Creek soundtrack. I was right. Listen now: “London Rain” by Heather Nova.

• 🗣️ Quote: Day 50 of Brianna Wiest’s, The Pivot Year, really struck me this morning, “The space between no longer and not yet is what defines the pivot periods of our lives…If we find the courage to hold our hearts open throughout this process, what we find is that we create an opportunity for miracles to find us, to take root in us, to change us through and through.”

• 📲 App: Earlier this summer, my coach,

  Jolinda Johnson
  , encouraged me to try the Insight Timer app. I’ve attempted a meditation practice in the past, but it never stuck. This morning, I celebrated 49 straight days. I use the free version of the app, and there’s something for everyone. P.S. Go check out Jolinda’s new Not Another Midlife Blog.

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🌻 Rituals & Rhythms

As I flow into a new month, I am playing with two concepts—what anchors me and what buoys me?

My Anchors:

• Ground me when life gets turbulent

• Prevent me from drifting away from my core self

• Provide steady, reliable foundation when I need stability

My Buoys:

• Lift me up during difficult times

• Keep me afloat while allowing movement and flow

• Respond to changing conditions while maintaining support

How they work together and help me FLOW: Anchors create stability and keep me rooted. Buoys provide support and elevation while allowing movement.

My anchors might be non-negotiable boundaries, core routines, or fundamental values. My buoys are my support network, joy practices, or things that restore my energy.

The beauty is that they work together—I need both stability and lift.

This week, I invite you contemplate your anchors and buoys. It’s a great time to reflect and change up your self-care as we head into a new month.

New to my FLOW self-care rituals? Click below to learn more and download your free guide.

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I always enjoy reading your replies and comments. Looking forward to connecting this month.

Wishing you a wonderful August,

Vanessa 🦋

P.S. I’m bringing back my Cuppa & Coaching 1:1 offer. 90 minutes. You and me. Perfect for gaining clarity around midlife changes, creative projects, self-care support, and more. Stay tuned!