Excuse me, self.

Welcome to my very first foray into podcasting! This is the audio from my Substack Live from earlier today PLUS my shiny, new theme song! I not only managed to figure out audio editing, but I also figured out how to put my podcast episodes on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube like a real-life adult! Unicorn Hollow is 💯 reader-supported. To receive new posts on clawing creativity out of chaos & tedium and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Unicorn Hollow’s January Theme: But Everything Looks Dead! This month, I’ll be focusing on the hard lessons of winter (both literal and metaphorical), where we do things over and over, and just have to trust that something is happening, even when that feels like a big, fat lie. This week, I’m talking about Intentional Interruption—taking a couple of minutes to stop the brain churning and force myself to do something that is different from the status quo. Whether I’m stuck on a character plot point, trying to get a theme to wrap up neatly, summarizing a grant request, trying to not pull out my hair as I step on another shockingly-sharp Lego, or resisting the urge to not strangle a haughtily sarcastic teenager, this practice has an outsized impact on my problem solving abilities that still shocks me every time. Over the last decade+ of intentionally interrupting my status quo, I have found that my brain almost immediately is able to look at the issue I’m stuck on in a new light, just from making myself move. How about you? Have you tried this? What small practice or idea have you found that helps you get unstuck? I’d love to hear! If you’d like to see more of my writing, check out the rest of what’s available in Unicorn Hollow, and then subscribe to make sure you never miss a post! For centuries, artists of all disciplines have been kept afloat and creating by patrons who looked at their work and said, “Yes! This matters! This needs to be in the world!” If Unicorn Hollow gives you that feeling, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription for the cost of a fancy coffee or tea per month (and get some fun perks!). You can also support me with a one time donation 👇 Your support means everything to me and allows me to keep building out this space for us to create together! Writing is my career and every bit of support goes to feed & clothe my small army of children & animals. Thanks for being my unicorn! 🦄 Get full access to Unicorn Hollow at kkwildegiuliani.substack.com/subscribe