I don't know how it's possible that I haven't shared about the monthly clubs that I'm a part of. Other than the fact that they have no technical correlation to my “business," and they have no “ROI” on my business. HOWEVER, if you've been around here long enough, you'll realize this newsletter is not so much about my art or business, but just a place I share things that have been on my mind that perhaps can be an encouragement to you.
I'm a part of two clubs. The first club is a book club that my husband started almost three years ago. We read only fiction—usually fiction by an author who has written a book that is critically and publicly acclaimed and has been tested through time. The second club is a craft night that I do with my BFFL girlfriends. This one has just been since 2024, so it's at its infancy. We choose a monthly craft — anything from embroidering to painting.
Why am I talking about these clubs? Well, I highly recommend starting or committing to a club. Start a club, welcome people into, commit to it. Do it for months, even years. It doesn't have to be a book club or a craft club. It could be a puzzle/baking/gardening club! But, committing to something in-person monthly allows for rhythms and people in your life that shape you. And gathering people around something other than just “hanging out” allows for the pressure to be off of the person and entertaining, and allows for conversation that is bigger than yourself.
I never knew I needed fiction in my life; I had no idea how fiction would change me; I never knew I would prefer fiction over non-fiction. However, after three years of having dinner conversations over stories, I am a different person. The past three years, we've had conversations where we dislike a character because of a terrible trait, and later recognizing I have that similar trait. There's been conversations where we've wrestled with things we don't understand in life. There's been conversations about greater beauty and hope that exists past the beauty and hope in this present reality. I could go on and on. And the funny thing is almost every person in this book club, I only see at book club, and I've had some of the most vulnerable conversations with them. It truly is so special to see how the rhythm and community changed me over a course of a long period.
Then, there's the craft club. My best friends and I are in a season of life where our plates are little full, so having a routine of meeting once a month was just what we needed to get together. And being ladies in our 30s, I think it's default to feel like we have to be the best hostess and create this elaborate meal. And, the rule with craft club is we just show up to do the craft. No dinner, no snacks, no fancy schmancy anything. We just do the craft, and we are given permission to be amateurs at it. There is something to be said about moving your hands while talking that allows conversation that flows. You know how sometimes its easier to have a hard conversation with your spouse/kid in the car? I think it's similar. And this craft night does just that. We get to try different mediums, make different things, and just play. But most of all, we have time together to chat while engaging our hands and mind.
Did I convince you yet? I heard a quote recently: “If you work with your hands, sabbath with your mind. If you work with your mind, sabbath with your hands.” Let your monthly club be your sabbath. It will do wonders that you cannot calculate.
