No. 0–Welcome to the Strandline
the strandline: a section of the beach where the high tide reaches, often where things of wonder and of curiosity are found.
the strandline: a section of the beach where the high tide reaches, often where things of wonder and of curiosity are found.
This is my project to re-connect with my childhood love of nature, to take time and make space for myself to enjoy what I’ve always loved.
Why I Started This Substack
After 5 years of running a successful design studio, I caught long covid in 2021 and spent a year struggling with physical and mental symptoms. That, plus a string of difficult clients, made me extremely burned out on the studio and design in general. If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re supposed to love your job right? Well, I didn’t anymore.
This is my answer to that. I can’t quit my job, but I can prioritize my life to engage with the things I love outside of my job, to become an interesting person that isn’t defined by their career, even if it’s self-chosen. A place to recover from burnout, long covid, and create a happier life for myself. I want this to be an intentional and engaged lens into a love of nature, the ocean, birding, sketching, and learning to keep a nature journal. A place to reflect. To document. To slow down. To grow.
What to expect:
Marine Biology: tidepooling/beachcombing/geeking out about nudibranchs (I do really freaking love them). I abandoned my original dream job of becoming a marine biology because I thought I was ‘too stupid’… (now I know I just have dyscalculia). I can’t go back to school, but I’d like to try to learn first-year biology and engage with citizen science initiatives through apps like eBird and iNaturalist. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll learn and document as I go.
Nature Journalling: I’m learning to become an artist instead of a designer (for myself only!): I want to learn how to nature journal and glue feathers I find into my watercolor illustrations and write down my learning about the birds I spot and the things I observe. I want to correctly ID as many species of creatures on the beach as I can and record them. I want to document a record of the seasons, of the neat things I see on walks, and my (hopeful) improvement at sketching and painting.
Exploration of Natural Pigments: I’m really geeked on making my own ink and pigments from foraging plants and such. I’ve made chestnut ink before and I can’t wait to try lichens, seaweeds, acorns and more!
Intentional, slow content. This isn’t a place for marketing or business, or even as a “future” business - in fact, it’s the first time I’m working on a separate personal project for me alone since I started my “day job” studio. It’s a place for me to carefully make time for my own interests strictly outside of my profession and share them with others, but mostly to keep myself in a schedule that allows me to make time for it and document my successes. After long covid I really can’t keep up with the hustle grind culture, and never want to again.
Thanks for coming along this little journey with me. I’m scared and nervous to start this project and, if you’re reading this, I thank you for your support. Also, I reply to every email and comment, so welcome new friend! I hope you’ll chat with me!
Emma