I am in the “sy-yoh” camp haha! Most of my career has been in academia (lecturing in a business school) and art has been a side thing, but I am trying to find a way to make it a bigger part of my life. I really enjoyed your random list, it's amazing! It reminded me of Austin Kleon's "Steel like an artist", where he says "Don't throw any of yourself away". I am a mixed media artist and I love ALL the supplies, I don't think I will ever focus on one thing, and I am also quite crafty, e.g. I love knitting small winter hats & scarfs for toys 🤣 Another point on my random list is sci-fi stories, sometimes plots just pop into my head like a movie and I write them down, don't know if I ever turn them into full-fledged books / screenplays, but I enjoy thinking about the details and how characters develop. Thank's a lot for sharing your story, and thanks for your inspiring writing! ❤️
I love your random list Lisa, a kindred multi-creative soul embracing all of our parts! I think being into so many things keeps the ideas FLOWING even though we likely won't ever act on many of them. But that's okay, because the process is so fun!
Hi Carolyn! I recently found your Substack and as a fellow software engineer/artist I’m thrilled to be in such good company 💜 I went back to your Artist’s Way series because I’ve been feeling this pull to do the 12 week program for a couple years now but every time I've tried I’ve experienced a ton of resistance, especially when it comes to doing morning pages since dedicating that amount of time to stream of consciousness writing feels almost leisurely, my pragmatic ways tell me I should rather be painting, sharpening my marketing skills or doing all the business-y things. I’m curious as to what was your motivation for doing the program back then and if there are any lessons or habits you still carry in your art practice four years later? If you don’t mind sharing of course. Thanks for cultivating this amazing space!
Hi Yami, so great to meet you here! And what a lovely question. I decided to do the Artist's Way program precisely because I felt I was getting caught up in the accomplishments and the shoulds but still never felt like enough. I wanted to feel more confident as an artist and devote to a creative practice without relying on external metrics.
Doing the program was a huge boost to my art practice—I'd never even considered my endeavors as a real "practice" before. Committing to twelve weeks of anything (especially if it isn't a class! haha!) is really hard, and finishing it gave me the confidence that I AM dedicated to my practice, and that I am an artist. After the Artist's Way I started sharing my work way more (through this newsletter, and on Instagram) which opened up worlds of connection and opportunity. I learned tools to be kind to myself and allowed myself to dream bigger, which I still use today. I don't do morning pages nearly as often anymore, and nothing in this book is a one-size-fits-all solution for creativity! But if you've been curious about it for a while I really do encourage trying it 💛
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question! Lately I’ve been struggling with this weird balance between taking tangible steps to meet the goals I’ve set up for my practice while at the same time questioning why it doesn’t feel like I’m actually moving forward. I realize all this may sound like I’m putting a lot of pressure on poor Julia, lol, but reading your experience going through the program really has me itching to start with it myself and see if I notice any shifts in perspective.
As a fellow Asian American woman and bookworm, I really appreciated reading about the book club. I’ve been tossing around the idea of starting one myself, and you covered nearly all my questions! 🤩📚
So good to read this re-introduction and know a bit more about your art projects in the past Carolyn, what a creative human you are! That's really inspiring ❤️ love the new name and looking forward to read more and most probably learn a lot from you!
So lovely to get to know you a bit, Carolyn! That's what I already love so much about Substack, connecting with fellow artists who also ponder about their work :)
C Yoo / See You is the work of an artist/engineer as evidenced by the great logo! I've made the same comment about "C Yoo" for a while: the depth and breadth of your talents and interests are uplifting to a person who has been an interested observer of what I call "life-trajectory," how a person gets from there, to there, to there, to there...like balancing from one slippery stone to another slippery stone in a meandering stream. I'm not an artist and I'm not looking for anything but the pleasures of solitude**, in my dotage. But "See You" is peaceful, interesting, enjoyable and no pressure; it doesn't "stir-the-turd"
**Visionary poets/artists/writers/scientists, realize how this solitude of self-discovery becomes the wellspring of all the meaning-making that makes life worth living, whether we call it art or love. With solitude we become able, "we few, we lucky few," most of us, finally, after the sturm und drang in finding a life-trajectory, we peacefully peer out into the expanse of existence and train our eyes to look with wide-eyed wonder at the improbable fact of it all, how we traversed the slippery stones and not get too wet from falling, time and again.
Solitude, so conceived, is not merely the state of being alone but the art of becoming fully content; an art acquired, like every art, by a lifetime apprenticeship and being able to welcome the "aloneness" that exposes the inner lights of our singular and sovereign being, our actions and motivations. Solitude is being alone without being lonely; not a time of regrets but a time of joy. It is finally coming up for air...
Thank you for your kind reading of the logos JRB, that's exactly what I'm going for! No stirring the turds over here 🤣 and I will savor your reflections on solitude, a state of being that I am always trying to savor and appreciate more of :)
Hi Carolyn, I stumbled upon your newsletter a while ago and really enjoyed reading some of the older posts and seeing your evolution as an artist while juggling a day job. I am an engineer in big tech and really struggling to make time for art. Sometimes, it's less about time and more about lacking energy. I find that my job sucks everything out of me and it's hard to muster up the energy to create, even though I really crave it. Any insights on this would be greatly appreciated! Also, I really like the new logo and rebranding but curious as to why you changed the "C" from Carolyn to "See"?
Hi Ruchi, fellow engineer, thanks for being here! I changed the logo because I wanted this newsletter to reflect being a forum and service for other creatives and artists, and not just about myself and my life updates. As for lacking time and energy, you're on the right track of identifying that it's more about sustaining our energy than carving out time! I'm gonna dedicate a future post to this very question :)
Love your thought process behind the new branding. I'm excited to read that post about energy!! Loving your Substack a lot, what a great read! Also, the modern doing website is also great. I've enjoyed reading the interviews there.
I have a question I hope you won't mind me asking. I am trying to change my banner, the way yours reads "SEE YOU" on the top. How can you change it on the site and not just on emails?
I love the new look! I totally read it as KEE-YEW before, and I made an audible "ooooh" when I saw the new header lol. Have really enjoyed this newsletter and excited to see where you take it! Particularly impressed by your organizational skills and hope that following along means some of it will rub off on me.
Hahaha THANK YOU, I feel more validated in changing it! Oooh happy to share more on keeping organized, is there anything in particular you wish you could make easier?
Thank you for sharing about your journey to this spot and the rebrand. Your new logo is delightful (as was your previous logo). As a new creative newsletter writer, it was interesting to see the poll results. Also, loved what you acknowledged about the benefits of having a day job on creative work. I think a lot of artists feel too much pressure to make a full-time living off their art, which isn’t always possible, and has downsides too (speaking as someone who does). Thanks!
Hi Eliza, thank you for being here and for your comment! Yes I am fascinated by the results so far as well 👀 Certainly there are downsides to pursuing an artist career full time, and I appreciate you acknowledging that too! It's easy to romanticize the other side, and we all need reminders that there's no ideal way to be an artist and we all just keep going however we can.
Good morning Carolyn! Thank you for having this space - and glad I found it! I am 52 and work full-time with the Army (the LAST place I thought I would ever end up). I had grand expectations as a teenager to become a fashion illustrator but after a move to Brooklyn (with my aunt and grandmother) after high school, this small town girl was terrified of working in the city and was rejected by the art school where I applied (with the most pathetic portfolio - I had no idea what I was doing). Dejected, I came back home and gave up art for nearly 20 years.
After receiving my B.S. in Legal Studies in 2005 & starting at the Army in 2006, I started feeling the itch to get back into art somehow. I started by painting wine bottles, which was fun for awhile. Then I tried to morph over to acrylic and oil painting (was terrible at it), then colored pencils. During this time I spent way too much time being concerned about having a following on social media and my art suffered (i.e. it was garbage and I just wasn't having any fun). About three months ago I decided to kick Instagram to the curb, to stop trying to find ways to monetize art, and just allow myself the freedom to create only for me. It was the best decision, and long overdue. Art is fun again! I now paint only with watercolor and mostly in my sketchbooks. And I love it!
I also dabbled with the thought of becoming a writer and wrote a memoir (which didn't get published). A couple of the agents suggested writing it for a YA audience, and I rewrote it as YA fiction and came closer to publishing, but then I realized that was all the storytelling I had in me. I LOVE reading, but I am not creative in thinking up new material (at all). But writing the memoir was one of the best things I ever did.
I always read cyoo as "see you" but I know immediately it's your name, so I think about you, but with the new name see you I think about me, so really nice play of words on rebranding!
I am in the “sy-yoh” camp haha! Most of my career has been in academia (lecturing in a business school) and art has been a side thing, but I am trying to find a way to make it a bigger part of my life. I really enjoyed your random list, it's amazing! It reminded me of Austin Kleon's "Steel like an artist", where he says "Don't throw any of yourself away". I am a mixed media artist and I love ALL the supplies, I don't think I will ever focus on one thing, and I am also quite crafty, e.g. I love knitting small winter hats & scarfs for toys 🤣 Another point on my random list is sci-fi stories, sometimes plots just pop into my head like a movie and I write them down, don't know if I ever turn them into full-fledged books / screenplays, but I enjoy thinking about the details and how characters develop. Thank's a lot for sharing your story, and thanks for your inspiring writing! ❤️
I love your random list Lisa, a kindred multi-creative soul embracing all of our parts! I think being into so many things keeps the ideas FLOWING even though we likely won't ever act on many of them. But that's okay, because the process is so fun!
Yes, that's so true!
Hi Carolyn! I recently found your Substack and as a fellow software engineer/artist I’m thrilled to be in such good company 💜 I went back to your Artist’s Way series because I’ve been feeling this pull to do the 12 week program for a couple years now but every time I've tried I’ve experienced a ton of resistance, especially when it comes to doing morning pages since dedicating that amount of time to stream of consciousness writing feels almost leisurely, my pragmatic ways tell me I should rather be painting, sharpening my marketing skills or doing all the business-y things. I’m curious as to what was your motivation for doing the program back then and if there are any lessons or habits you still carry in your art practice four years later? If you don’t mind sharing of course. Thanks for cultivating this amazing space!
Hi Yami, so great to meet you here! And what a lovely question. I decided to do the Artist's Way program precisely because I felt I was getting caught up in the accomplishments and the shoulds but still never felt like enough. I wanted to feel more confident as an artist and devote to a creative practice without relying on external metrics.
Doing the program was a huge boost to my art practice—I'd never even considered my endeavors as a real "practice" before. Committing to twelve weeks of anything (especially if it isn't a class! haha!) is really hard, and finishing it gave me the confidence that I AM dedicated to my practice, and that I am an artist. After the Artist's Way I started sharing my work way more (through this newsletter, and on Instagram) which opened up worlds of connection and opportunity. I learned tools to be kind to myself and allowed myself to dream bigger, which I still use today. I don't do morning pages nearly as often anymore, and nothing in this book is a one-size-fits-all solution for creativity! But if you've been curious about it for a while I really do encourage trying it 💛
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question! Lately I’ve been struggling with this weird balance between taking tangible steps to meet the goals I’ve set up for my practice while at the same time questioning why it doesn’t feel like I’m actually moving forward. I realize all this may sound like I’m putting a lot of pressure on poor Julia, lol, but reading your experience going through the program really has me itching to start with it myself and see if I notice any shifts in perspective.
As a fellow Asian American woman and bookworm, I really appreciated reading about the book club. I’ve been tossing around the idea of starting one myself, and you covered nearly all my questions! 🤩📚
Ahh Erika, I'm so touched! I really hope you start the book club as they can be so fun and nourishing. Would love to hear updates on it!
So good to read this re-introduction and know a bit more about your art projects in the past Carolyn, what a creative human you are! That's really inspiring ❤️ love the new name and looking forward to read more and most probably learn a lot from you!
Eeep, thank you for reading along Teresa! So grateful to share with you and get to learn from you and your journey as well!
So lovely to get to know you a bit, Carolyn! That's what I already love so much about Substack, connecting with fellow artists who also ponder about their work :)
Likewise, Marloes! So grateful for this community of self-communers and ponderers 💛
C Yoo / See You is the work of an artist/engineer as evidenced by the great logo! I've made the same comment about "C Yoo" for a while: the depth and breadth of your talents and interests are uplifting to a person who has been an interested observer of what I call "life-trajectory," how a person gets from there, to there, to there, to there...like balancing from one slippery stone to another slippery stone in a meandering stream. I'm not an artist and I'm not looking for anything but the pleasures of solitude**, in my dotage. But "See You" is peaceful, interesting, enjoyable and no pressure; it doesn't "stir-the-turd"
I read this story yesterday, out of M.I.T. about a collaboration of science and art...I thought it may be of interest: https://news.mit.edu/2024/turning-science-history-comic-adventure-0111
**Visionary poets/artists/writers/scientists, realize how this solitude of self-discovery becomes the wellspring of all the meaning-making that makes life worth living, whether we call it art or love. With solitude we become able, "we few, we lucky few," most of us, finally, after the sturm und drang in finding a life-trajectory, we peacefully peer out into the expanse of existence and train our eyes to look with wide-eyed wonder at the improbable fact of it all, how we traversed the slippery stones and not get too wet from falling, time and again.
Solitude, so conceived, is not merely the state of being alone but the art of becoming fully content; an art acquired, like every art, by a lifetime apprenticeship and being able to welcome the "aloneness" that exposes the inner lights of our singular and sovereign being, our actions and motivations. Solitude is being alone without being lonely; not a time of regrets but a time of joy. It is finally coming up for air...
Thank you for your kind reading of the logos JRB, that's exactly what I'm going for! No stirring the turds over here 🤣 and I will savor your reflections on solitude, a state of being that I am always trying to savor and appreciate more of :)
You are in your prime. Solitude comes with the contentment of finishing a lifetime race well-run. Keep running!
Hi Carolyn, I stumbled upon your newsletter a while ago and really enjoyed reading some of the older posts and seeing your evolution as an artist while juggling a day job. I am an engineer in big tech and really struggling to make time for art. Sometimes, it's less about time and more about lacking energy. I find that my job sucks everything out of me and it's hard to muster up the energy to create, even though I really crave it. Any insights on this would be greatly appreciated! Also, I really like the new logo and rebranding but curious as to why you changed the "C" from Carolyn to "See"?
Hi Ruchi, fellow engineer, thanks for being here! I changed the logo because I wanted this newsletter to reflect being a forum and service for other creatives and artists, and not just about myself and my life updates. As for lacking time and energy, you're on the right track of identifying that it's more about sustaining our energy than carving out time! I'm gonna dedicate a future post to this very question :)
Love your thought process behind the new branding. I'm excited to read that post about energy!! Loving your Substack a lot, what a great read! Also, the modern doing website is also great. I've enjoyed reading the interviews there.
Beautiful rebrand!
I have a question I hope you won't mind me asking. I am trying to change my banner, the way yours reads "SEE YOU" on the top. How can you change it on the site and not just on emails?
Hey Nicole, thanks so much! You can change that via your publication settings -> Branding -> Replace wordmark. Hope that helps!
I love the new look! I totally read it as KEE-YEW before, and I made an audible "ooooh" when I saw the new header lol. Have really enjoyed this newsletter and excited to see where you take it! Particularly impressed by your organizational skills and hope that following along means some of it will rub off on me.
Hahaha THANK YOU, I feel more validated in changing it! Oooh happy to share more on keeping organized, is there anything in particular you wish you could make easier?
Love the new logo Carolyn!
Yay, thanks very much Anne!!
Thank you for sharing about your journey to this spot and the rebrand. Your new logo is delightful (as was your previous logo). As a new creative newsletter writer, it was interesting to see the poll results. Also, loved what you acknowledged about the benefits of having a day job on creative work. I think a lot of artists feel too much pressure to make a full-time living off their art, which isn’t always possible, and has downsides too (speaking as someone who does). Thanks!
Hi Eliza, thank you for being here and for your comment! Yes I am fascinated by the results so far as well 👀 Certainly there are downsides to pursuing an artist career full time, and I appreciate you acknowledging that too! It's easy to romanticize the other side, and we all need reminders that there's no ideal way to be an artist and we all just keep going however we can.
Good morning Carolyn! Thank you for having this space - and glad I found it! I am 52 and work full-time with the Army (the LAST place I thought I would ever end up). I had grand expectations as a teenager to become a fashion illustrator but after a move to Brooklyn (with my aunt and grandmother) after high school, this small town girl was terrified of working in the city and was rejected by the art school where I applied (with the most pathetic portfolio - I had no idea what I was doing). Dejected, I came back home and gave up art for nearly 20 years.
After receiving my B.S. in Legal Studies in 2005 & starting at the Army in 2006, I started feeling the itch to get back into art somehow. I started by painting wine bottles, which was fun for awhile. Then I tried to morph over to acrylic and oil painting (was terrible at it), then colored pencils. During this time I spent way too much time being concerned about having a following on social media and my art suffered (i.e. it was garbage and I just wasn't having any fun). About three months ago I decided to kick Instagram to the curb, to stop trying to find ways to monetize art, and just allow myself the freedom to create only for me. It was the best decision, and long overdue. Art is fun again! I now paint only with watercolor and mostly in my sketchbooks. And I love it!
P.S.
I also dabbled with the thought of becoming a writer and wrote a memoir (which didn't get published). A couple of the agents suggested writing it for a YA audience, and I rewrote it as YA fiction and came closer to publishing, but then I realized that was all the storytelling I had in me. I LOVE reading, but I am not creative in thinking up new material (at all). But writing the memoir was one of the best things I ever did.
I love the rebrand! All the best with this next chapter!
I LOVE this logo. Both clever and beautiful in equal measure!
I always read cyoo as "see you" but I know immediately it's your name, so I think about you, but with the new name see you I think about me, so really nice play of words on rebranding!