Hi and Welcome to A Nomadic Rose! If you’ve found your way here but are not yet subscribed, you can do so HERE. You will never miss a letter, and I’ll be eternally grateful for your support.
Now on to this week’s musings…
In a beautiful piece about Mussels Jason Anthony, whose Substack Field Guide to the Anthropocene is well worth a read, wrote that, ‘Wherever our language has been attentive, our culture once was too.’ He was discussing the folk entomology found in the naming of mussel species, but I think the link between language and an attentive culture is one that can be found in many names, phrases, and ideas. Often that link exists in the way we relate our lives and bodies to the wider world. The metaphors we use to discuss our lives that draw from nature – an emotional landscape, deep rooted emotions, branches on a family tree, a thorn in ones side. Our bodies themselves are also part of an attentive language. Take for example the fact that a fathom is the measurement from fingertip to fingertip, so when we say we can’t fathom something, we are literally saying we can’t get our arms around it.
Two of my personal favourites are the idea of our path as a life, and of celebrating milestones. When I talk about my life’s journey or path, I have, since early childhood, imagined a literal path. The landscape it is traversing a metaphor for my emotions and the challenges I am facing. I imagine my path winding its way through lush valleys and over bare mountains, through tangled woodlands and crossing babbling brooks. The idea of milestones along the way, marking moments of importance, makes a lot of sense. As though each moment worth celebrating is marked by one of the carved stone markers you see on roadsides and along public footpaths, marking the distance travelled and the journey yet to be made.
I have reached one of those beautifully carved milestones today. A Nomadic Rose is turning two. I have written a lot of blog type things on a lot of different platforms over the years, but A Nomadic Rose is by far the most fulfilling, enjoyable, and honest writing I have done online. When I started this letter at my sisters urging, I didn’t really believe anyone would be interested. But here I am two years in and not only are more and more people subscribing, but this wonderful community is helping me make A Nomadic Rose the best space it can be.
When I started A Nomadic Rose, it was to document and share the process of converting my van. So many van-lifers make amazing video blogs of their conversions, and though that particular route wasn’t for me, I wanted some way to share it. Substack was the perfect answer. Over the last two years this letter has become a space for honest reflection about the thrilling ups and heart-breaking downs of life as an artist. It is a space to share the realities of struggling, and at times succeeding, to make art in the face of so many challenges. And, just as originally intended, it is a space to share my van conversion.
I was surprised when I started writing about my journey as an artist alongside the stories of converting my van. I didn’t realise when I started building my tiny home how interconnected it was to my art. A silly lack of insight on my part. And one I am grateful I had A Nomadic Rose to illuminate for me.
Writing A Nomadic Rose has become an essential part of my work as an artist. Every letter not only helps to build this community but provides me with space to reflect and think. It has, over the last two years, illuminated a huge amount more than the rather obvious connection between art and van. It is important to me that this letter continues to be sustainable. It was with that in mind that I began thinking of changes I wanted to make as I hit this two-year marker. Having a community to touch base with about those changes feels amazing. I want to thank everyone who took the time earlier this week to answer questions and leave comments. Having input from those reading makes a huge difference. It has helped me clarify what I am writing these letters for and what I hope to get from them.
And so, here is what A Nomadic Rose is going to look like for the coming year:
Free Subscribers:
A fortnightly letter, sharing my story of life as an artist and the journey of my van build. Plus, the chance to comment and join in with this amazing community.
Paid Subscribers:
A fortnightly letter, telling my story of life as an artist and the journey of my van build. Plus, the chance to comment and join in with this amazing community.
Photo from the Archives- a monthly photograph from my archives, along with the story behind it, and a 10% discount code for anyone interested in purchasing a print of the photograph.
Adventures in the Kitchen- recipes and stories shared throughout the year as I play, discover, explore, and invent in my kitchen.
Founding Member
A fortnightly letter, telling my story of life as an artist and the journey of my van build. Plus, the chance to comment and join in with this amazing community.
Photo from the Archives- a monthly photograph from my archives, along with the story behind it, and a 10% discount code to purchase a print of the photograph.
Adventures in the Kitchen- recipes and stories shared throughout the year as I play, discover, explore, and invent in my kitchen.
The surprise arrival of something special in the post a few times a year: a postcard, treats from my adventures, or something else entirely.
JOIN A NOMADIC ROSE AS A PAID SUBSCRIBER AND GET 10% OFF FOR 12 MONTHS. VALID FOR ONE WEEK TO CELEBRATE THIS MILESTONE…
When I started A Nomadic Rose on August 17th 2021, I shared a string of emoji’s my sister had used to sum up my life. Looking back at them two years later they are still uncannily accurate, though I can add a few more: 🚶♀️ 🥾 📷 👩🏻🎨 ⛰ 🌊 🏊♀️ 📓 🚌 🐺 🐾 🍞 🍪 🧶 🎾 👩🏻💻 🗺️ ⛺️ 🛣️ 📝
It’s fun to think on all that has changed, grown, or remained the same over two years of writing to you. To everyone reading this, and particularly to everyone who has subscribed to A Nomadic Rose, I offer a heartfelt thanks. I hope in the coming year you will continue to find something in this letter that brings you joy or sparks your imagination. Above all I hope A Nomadic Rose allows me to remain attentive in my life and in my language.