Life lately? Bit of a circus, honestly. The kind where you’re both the juggler and the flaming hoops. I’ve been playing defence (is that the right phrase? I’m South African, so I dunno, insert a rugby version here). Point is, it’s been A Lot™.
Work has slowed down to a crawl. Thank you, AI overlords. Thank you, Canva. Thank you, Wix. Apparently, if you can drag and drop a rectangle onto a screen, you no longer need two decades of actual design experience. I’m thrilled.
And here’s the thing: I’ve hit that midlife shift, the one no one warns you about, where you just stop caring about being impressive or polished or “professional.” I’m tired of being the safe, dependable designer who always colours inside the lines (and yes, I’m still good at it and will obviously continue to do it, but something in me is itching for more). I want to smash some rules. I want to do some design that bites. I want to make something so bold it makes a marketing exec spill their Triple-Foamed Almond-Oat-Cashew-Matcha-Chai-Latte™ or whatever the latest Plant-Based Personality Beverage™ is trending right now. I want to shred the PowerPoint and play the guitar solo that ends with me setting the stage on fire.
Physically, I’m okay if “okay” means cocooned under 6 blankets, trying to weigh up the pros and cons of getting up to pee. The bathroom is approximately the temperature of Neptune. I am seriously contemplating whether a SheWee is a worthwhile winter investment. If anyone wants to sponsor one, I’ll write a full review, just saying.
In other news, Bugsy recently found and swallowed what can only be described as a decomposing pelt from the Upside Down Pet Buffet. I couldn’t stop him, because, well, MS. Now he’s groaning and on kibble lockdown. He’ll do it again. We both know it.
Other recent obsessions include:
– Nutritional yeast (I don’t even know who I am anymore, but this stuff is gooooood).
– Cinnamon. In everything. I’m basically a sentient chai.
– The fantasy of watching trash TV with a giant mug of lactose-free, sugar-free hot choc and zero obligations.
On the “doing things because I have to, not because I want to” list:
• Looking for work
• Doing work
• Starting 7 side hustles because bills
• Also, doing dishes (or rather, avoiding them entirely)
My soul? Currently on a hunger strike. All it wants is to make weird, beautiful things: paint, write, doodle, sing to plants, get lost in a good audiobook (if I could actually find one narrated by someone who doesn’t sound like a robot or a smug yoga teacher).
Also, if my body could leave me a Post-it note, it would say:
“I’m in spasm. I’m twitching like a haunted doll. Please sort this out.”
A few other thoughts, while we’re here: I’ve irrationally decided that my long, tangled hair is now my entire identity and also the enemy and needs the chop.
My autobiography title this week is How I Turned Into a Pot Plant and Suffered My Own Neglect.
Speaking of plants, I watered two of them recently, and they’re thriving. Who knew that water helps? Revolutionary.
That’s where I’m at. Tired. Unapologetically salty. Creatively starved. But weirdly hopeful that something good will take root if I just keep showing up. Maybe a little scrappy. Maybe not polished. But real.
Let’s see what grows.
— Kate
Bugsy says he won’t eat anything dead and unidentifiable this week… if you buy us a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/kateandginger
This weeks’s productivity level: 2/10 , but my plants are alive, so.
Mood-Support Beverage™ of the Week: Existential Crampuccino™, spicy, bitter, best served in bed.
Unsolicited Product Endorsement: This entry is not sponsored by SheWee™, but it should be.
Bugsy’s Digestive Adventures™: This week’s highlight: decomposing pelt from the Upside Down™ Pet Buffet.
Bugsy says he won’t eat anything dead and unidentifiable next week… if you buy us a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/kateandginger
