Newsletter Writing

...and why it helps to start simple.

Happy Sunday friends, and welcome to the very first newsletter from The Textured Page.

This is another welcome post of sorts, to say hello and thank you to everyone who has subscribed thus far - last week I had three blog entries on a website I wasn’t even sure people visited and this week I have a little group of 20 to chat to - yay!

Since I announced the launch of my page last Monday I’ve been busy familiarising myself with the platform here on Substack and what strikes me is just how calm and pleasant everything is.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, exactly, but i’ve discovered it’s full of people with things to say and they’re… well, they’re just saying them.

No pushy advertisements, no pop-ups, no 10-second reels that make absolutely no sense. Just a bunch of normal people chatting and sharing their thoughts and ideas.

It’s pretty great and a refreshing change from all the ‘noise’ we have come to expect and accept on social media these days.

Now, back to this whole newsletter business.

I have an insight to share with you.

When I sat down to write this, my first ever newsletter post, my mind completely blanked.

I literally couldn’t think of a single thing to write.

“Marvellous. Great work me. Make a big song and dance about starting a newsletter and then have absolutely nothing to say. Sterling effort. Well done.”

But then I got to thinking about what it means to be creative, be it in illustration or writing, or in any endeavour where the sheer option of choice and possibility can result in overwhelm and the dreaded ‘paralysis by analysis.’

In art I have learnt to deal with uncertainty by breaking an illustration down into manageable pieces.

I start with the easiest thing, be it a loose, no pressure sketch, or maybe some nice, manageable colour blocking (we all like a bit of safe colour blocking). I find this approach helps to build my confidence in a project and also gives my mind space to consider where it’s headed. Starting is always the hardest part and this is usually all it takes to set me on my way.

Of course, sometimes I sit scribbling page after page of texture and don’t actually do anything constructive, but that’s a discussion for another day.

I stumbled across a journal entry by Australian author/illustrator Matt Shanks recently who was talking about this same topic of breaking things down.

It touches on the subject of working within your own limitations to get to where you need to be, and then learning from that experience to improve the way in which you reach similar goals in the future.

It’s a short but insightful read. I’ll pop the link below for anyone who’s interested.

The Art of Breaking Things Down by Matt Shanks

Here’s another short read and another example of how breaking down a creative endeavour can lead to fabulous results:

My husband bakes the most amazing bread.

It wasn’t always amazing but it was something he really wanted to get good at.

We live in the Tropics and so any type of baking or pastry making has its own unique challenges, but he stuck with it.

By breaking down each stage and making the refinements needed to accommodate the hot weather and humid climate, he was able, over time, and after many, many, dough-related fails, to crack the secret to the perfect loaf.

He is now the master of delicious Sourdough.

And I get to eat fresh bread every Sunday - winning!

All this is to say that breaking down a task into simple steps and then building it up in a manageable way is often the best idea.

And so, i’m starting my foray into newsletter writing by breaking it down and beginning with the simplest thing I can think of:

I’m sending a big hello and a sincere thank you for joining me.

As this, I believe, is both the easiest and the best place to start.

Until next time,

Caroline ✏️✨

Resource: If you’d like to read more of Matt’s journal entries on writing and illustrating you can find them here:

Matt Shanks Art Journal

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