Welcome!
Time to dig deeper
Beginnings are hard
I've been toying with the idea of doing something like this for awhile. I mean, I obviously never thought I'd do a Substack about the lessons I've learned from divorce (read this if you’re confused about what’s going on), but maybe something more personal than what’s on my longtime design lifestyle blog, The House That Lars Built.
I started my blog in 2008 and never felt comfortable getting truly personal because remember when people didn’t even say their names online? I called myself Miss B for years and it was really inch by inch that I started to share more. Then people REALLY started to share more and now we probably wish we didn’t know as much. Well, consider me that person now! Gulp. Pressure is on
!
Why this, why now?
Living in a state of major life altering events over the last many years, one right after another, has, as you might imagine, forced considerable self reflection and unexpected observations. I don’t intend to divulge all the details of what’s transpired over the years (wouldn’t you like to know! but who knows, maybe just a few contextualized details?) so much as the lessons I’ve learned, hence the very clever title. It’s my chance to get more personal and share a side you’ve only glimpsed here and there.
And if I’m being honest, which is my goal here, I’m also using it as a form of therapy. So, we’ll see how my vulnerability hangover plays out. I’m viewing it as a live project with the ability to edit as I go. That said, I’m also open to feedback so feel free to give me some so I can shape it accordingly.
How did it start?
When I was first exploring the idea of divorce seriously, I started reaching out to women I know who were either going through it or had gone through it. It instantly felt like a secret club full of the most wonderful women who were SO supportive and generous and kind. The scariness of the decision—it was terrifying—started to wane.
I know there are plenty more out there who are considering divorce, are in the middle of it, or out of it. This is for you. Those curious about my journey? This is for you too. Listen, I’m a curious bird too and I’d be doing the same thing!
What you can expect
My goal is to share a lesson I’ve learned once a week. For now I’m going to say Wednesday, but I’ll see how it goes and might need to adjust as I figured out how this new life goes.
I’ve tossed around the idea of doing one article that’s free for everyone and the rest behind a paywall, but because of the nature of the topic, I’m going to keep everything behind a paywall for now to keep the group intimate and private.
Same but different
I’ve spent years teaching people how to create beautiful crafts and design projects over on The House That Lars Built and I’m convinced I have the most supportive and open community on the Internet. By starting this Substack, I’m hoping to gather a smaller group of people looking to talk about the harder stuff in life and find ways to create beauty from it. So, the goal is the same but the topic is different.
Thanks for joining me here. I can’t wait to learn with you.