It’s hard to believe we’ve hit our one year anniversary for the Noteworthy newsletter! We thought we’d take the time this month to reflect back on what our hopes were for the newsletter in the beginning and where we hope the future will take us.
One Year On
Last year was one of the most challenging that any of us have experienced. The lockdown was a much needed reaction to try and stem the progress of COVID-19, but it was not without its own impact. Maintaining relationships and connections had to move, by necessity, online or over the phone, and it became less possible to explore outside. We both found that time difficult, as did many others. The separation from friends and family, and the loss of physical interaction with our environment had us questioning how we could sustain connections that didn’t exact too high a toll through technology and would allow us to maintain relationships. It was then that the idea for a newsletter was born, something that wouldn’t be intrusive but could be read at leisure and perhaps spark ideas for other people.
As the restrictions eased last summer there was more potential to highlight events that would be great first outings post lockdown, as well as activities that could be done online or in smaller groups and anything interesting we thought would be good to share. Our aim was to create something to share with our friends that might inspire them to take their own trips or curate their own projects and interests, things that would feel achievable and shareable in the changing climate. We also saw it as an opportunity to practice our own writing skills in a format that could be fun and friendly.
What we hadn’t considered in our initial brainstorming was the possibility of further lockdowns. When the announcements came in October and November it quickly curtailed our plans for any trips in the immediate future. It also highlighted to us the need to remain flexible in our content and to consider further implications of accessibility. We both live in London, which means that a lot of our personal experiences tend to be skewed towards the South of England. While we hope to explore further afield as the health situation improves we also want to include more content for our highlights of interest that is more inclusive of the rest of the country, and offers something for everyone across needs and distance.
Some months we’ve struggled to come up with ideas for posts to share, things that feel like they add to our collective interactions and act as a source of information. Even when we decided on a specific theme for a month, creating a post for that was at times overwhelming. There’s such a lot that can be written about that narrowing it down presents a challenge. How we plan and curate ideas is something that we need to take a deeper look into.
Before the pandemic we’d been keen to work on some sewing projects together, and thought this was something we could also document as a way of encouraging others to have a go at their own projects. We’ve really enjoyed working on our collaborations, and solo makes, this last year and sharing the progress on the newsletter. However it does feel like our Get Crafty segment could explore more creative outlets than it currently has to date. We’ve covered some recipes and cooking before (What’s Cooking) and it feels like that would be something we could easily transition into the Get Crafty section. It would be fun to explore other kinds of craft too, some that we might have tried before but also things that are new to us.
The playlist was a late addition to our monthly offering, but we thought it would be good to share the music we love and discover. Some months have had a loose theme and these have probably been more successful than the months when we’ve added anything that has been interesting. We’ll look more into themes for our playlists so that they’re a bit more cohesive to listen to.
Like any project there’s things we’ve enjoyed, things we perhaps will think again on and others that we’d like to add or change. We’ve had an enjoyable first year and are excited to see what develops over the next twelve months. We’re going to take some time off to reevaluate how we do things and what we hope to achieve for the future. We’ll keep you all updated on our progress and any changes we make.
If you have any suggestions for us we’d love to hear them!
Off The Shelf
An unconventional career choice for a nine year old perhaps, but Carla Valentine has known since her early years that she wanted to work with death. In Past Mortems Valentine invites us to peer behind the veil of the mortuary doors, to see how care continues after death and what it is personally like to work in such an environment. A memoir at turns humorous and devastating Past Mortems reminds us that humanity is present in every aspect of our lives and death.
Cool Links
Lightopia, an immersive light experience in London, Manchester and Alton Towers
Music Map, an interactive music search that shows related bands and artists
Outro
Be sure to enjoy the last hurrah of summer weather before the nights head towards their winter slumber once again. October’s a month of taking stock and planning for the months ahead. Whether it’s organising the next to-reads or infusing gin for the winter months, it’ll be as busy as ever!
Congratulations on your first year :)
Happy birthday :)