Let's Be Creative - 02
Featuring Lindsay Sword!
Hi! I hope you have a relaxing weekend ahead. This was quite the week! I personally am just trying to pace myself.
In December, I published this post about my own creative process, and it included a Call to Action for anyone else who would like to partner with me and share their process. It can be how you approach writing on Substack OR any creative endeavor. This CTA is still open and if you’re interested, drop me a line.
When I set out to write this newsletter, I had three intentions. First, to improve my writing. Second, to build a writing portfolio. And third, to find a creative outlet and embrace the challenge of learning something new. I did not anticipate the social aspect of Substack and that I would make friends! This has been the most fun and unexpected plot twist to an already very soul-nourishing adventure. So…note to self: when your gut tells you to try something new for a bunch of solid reasons: do it! …and note that it may come with glorious outcomes that you haven’t even considered yet. The point of all this is to say that I’m excited to have my friend, , as the boss of this week’s newsletter.
Lindsay writes the kind of newsletter that feels so “insider”— but with a distinctly “I’ve got the inside line and I’m going to share it all with you” tone. No gatekeeping. When I was new to reading a lot on Substack and trying to keep everyone straight in my mind, Lindsay emerged as someone with a very polished point of view that could be coming from the InStyle or Lucky of yesteryear, but with a signature girl’s girl angle. When Lindsay raised her hand to do this first-of-a-kind collaboration, I was SO excited. I will now stop gushing and get to the point which is: Lindsay, and how she approaches creativity.
Wow, I thought the intro would be the easy part, but how to introduce and define myself? Am I the sum of my “roles”? Merchant, mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, mentor, volunteer, writer (yup, I’m claiming it), creative (yes, also this one), former small-business owner, New Yorker, and part-time Wyomingite. Does that tell you who I am? How about what I love? My three boys, husband, family, and friends, reading romance and rom-coms (and trying to write one!), running, hiking, fashion of course (the product, the business, the history, the shopping, the designers, the beauty), traveling, staying home and decorating my nest, Substack (duh), photography, art (making and looking), the mountains of Jackson Hole, and the streets of New York City.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, my Substack covers most of the above, with a particular focus on style, design, art, creativity. And good clothes.
I’ve always loved to write. When I was in grade school, my favorite hobby was writing stories about plucky girls (I grew up in the era of the Babysitters Club series, Sweet Valley High, and the American Girl dolls - I really loved the books). As I got older, I became obsessed with magazines and thought I’d get a job at one after college. The industry was famously hard to crack, which felt frustrating at the time but turned out to be a blessing. When Abercrombie & Fitch recruited for their training program at my university, I knew I’d found my calling. I love being a merchant, which requires a mix of creative and analytical skills. I spend half my time working with design to develop great product and the other half working the planning, finance, and sales teams to deliver great business.
But I missed writing. When my best friend and I had our baby clothing business, I migrated our small email list to Substack. I didn’t do much with it until we decided to close that chapter. And then I had the idea to start writing a new one.
I sent my first post for Lindsay Sword Writes on April 6, 2024. (I wanted to do a play on words with my last name, Sword’s Words, perhaps? But my husband, the more practical of the pair, suggested I keep it simple, which I now love.) And honestly, Substack has been such a natural fit and a fantastic outlet for my creativity, one I’d been looking for for a long time.
I really believe that creativity is one of the main keys to happiness, because, for me, creativity leads to flow. I think the concept of “flow,” that state where you can just be, is such an elusive and critical part of contentment. It is presence and play. It is not anxiety, worrying, thinking about the future or the past.
As a kid, I was so creative. I think all kids are. I was constantly drawing, making collages, sewing bits and bobs, doing crafts, world-building with my dolls, writing the aforementioned stories, painting, putting outfits together. The making was the point.
But as I got older, so much of that fell away. In my 20s, I tried various activities, like photography and pottery classes. I took writing seminars. I had a photo blog. I was always searching, and I found some great resources. But as life got busier with children, running a home, work, etc., it became harder to make time to go to a class or studio. To get away and into the creative act.
Writing my newsletter is such an accessible, immediate, way for me to be creative. And the community is an unexpected fantastic bonus. I keep a running list of ideas - which come from everywhere - in my Notes App. (I always wanted to be someone who jotted things down in a Moleskin, but this works much better for me.) I pin my favorites and unpin them once I’ve written about them.
One of my favorite sources of creativity is going for a walk (or a run or a hike). I have some of my best sparks when I'm out and about, either walking down 5th Avenue, hiking up trails in Grand Teton National Park, or running around the reservoir in Central Park. I still haven't figured out the best way to get all those ideas out of my head and onto paper (or the digital equivalent), but if you see me breathing heavily while speaking into my phone trying to capture a thought - no you didn't!
I write pretty quickly and could probably do with some more editing, but again, I write to access the flow state so I try not to overthink it. I’ve committed to a weekly post and that’s been the right frequency for me. The routine forces me to just do it, which doesn’t put too much pressure on any one post and keeps the creativity grooving. My north star when it comes to creativity is Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic. I’m probably due for a reread on it, but I remember being so moved by the idea that we should just be open to creativity. That it will find us.
I’ve been so grateful for the other writers I’ve met on Substack. That has definitely been the coolest thing that’s happened to me since I started publishing. There is such an interesting, dynamic, smart, kind, supportive group of people eager to read and talk about what we’ve all written, which is just the best. (Although, as a longggg time reader of Cup of Jo, it was very cool for me when
liked one of my titles - How to Dress a Guy in 10 Ways!) And actually, there is less hierarchy and more immediacy on the platform, meaning I’ve had the chance to engage with some writers, editors, and stylists who I’ve admired from afar for years like , , and the aforementioned Joanna Goddard.
Choose-Your-Own-Proust-Questionnaire responses1:
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Being with my family, going for a run, reading a book, and looking at a beautiful view while my boys laugh and play in a pool.
Who are your favorite writers? Curtis Sittenfeld, Mhairi McFarlane, Karen Swan, Emily Henry. I love rom-coms/romance.
What is your most marked characteristic? I’m a Gemini, so I’m not sure I have just one!
Who are your heroes in real life? My parents, my husband, and my boys. They all live with integrity, kindness, and a competitive spirit to be their best.
What is your motto? There is no right decision. Make the decision right for you.
Which talent would you most like to have? I wish I were a better singer and dancer! I truly stink at both, and I think music is another amazing creative outlet so I wish I felt more comfortable in that world.
What is your greatest extravagance? Probably how much we order take-out! Like almost every night?! We live in NYC! The food is amazing! Way better than anything I could cook and way faster. Eek!
This is Jen writing again. Below are just a few of my favorite Lindsay Sword Writes columns. There are honestly too many hits to list here. I urge you to go get yourself a giant latte and read everything. Happy Saturday!
Ed note: I love the Vanity Fair / Proust questions and still turn to the back page of every issue. I bemoaned the lack of a “Lindsay” illustration, so she made me one!
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Thank you so much, Jen, for “hosting” me in your Substack home! I loved your post about creativity so much and was so excited to share my own thoughts on the topic. I think creativity is one of the secret sources of happiness, who doesn’t feel better after making something, even if it’s just a batch of cookies?? I am so glad you started this series and even happier than we’ve found each other via our newsletter. I’m so grateful to/for you!
This was SO FUN! Lindsay OF COURSE you’re a Gemini. So am I!! This alllll makes more sense now lol. Loved this look into your process…Sweet Valley High I am DEAD! Miss those days….thanks Jen, for such a fun glimpse! Me next please! Xoxox