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Hey, {{ first_name | Rebel }}!

Happy belated Easter!

What a wild few weeks: we’ve welcomed new Rebels into the Studio, collectively helped one another drag our butts into Spring, and Artemis II launched to the moon.

If you’re a space nerd like me, you’ve probably been tracking the lunar mission 24/7 for the past few days. 

The past year or two has been a constant migraine that nobody asked for, but intense, happy emotions have swelled in my heart since watching the Artemis crew leave Earth’s orbit. 

We can be a species that hopes, even in the darkness. 

And here’s some light courtesy of the Studio disco balls!

Lock in, it’s Ship & Hype time 🪩

It’s the most wonderful timeeeeee of the week…

Here’s what our Rebels are celebrating inside the Studio:

❤️‍🔥 Talisha is SO close to publishing her book, and I can’t wait to read it (got an early copy, I’m starting this week) - we’re also throwing a virtual book launch party inside the studio to celebrate her amazing achievement because that’s what we do 💃🏻

❤️‍🔥 Naomi finished, I repeat…FINISHED…the first draft of her novel as part of TYOTN - that’s 85,000 words on the page and a big fat well-earned break in the bag. YAAAS NAOMI!

❤️‍🔥 Lindsay started writing again and got back to that chapter for the first time in a long time!!

❤️‍🔥 David, despite last week being a short ‘un, published FIVE pieces on Substack and is getting so much love from his audience. Here’s a brilliant children’s short about a fish named Oswald, and here’s one that will make you cry your heart out.

❤️‍🔥 Mina successfully submitted a piece to a publication, and it came out this weekend. If you feel like supporting a small queer-led publisher and possibly finding your new favourite writers in the process, you can pick up a copy here: https://www.delospublishing.co.uk/product/queer-words-newsletter-01

❤️‍🔥 Seth did his “Podcasting Made Simple” talk - recorded and shipped - will be out in a few months!

❤️‍🔥 Tom passed the 20k mark in the first draft of his novel as part of TYOTN!!!

❤️‍🔥 Ben steamrolled over the 50k words mark in the first draft of his novel as part of TYOTN!!

❤️‍🔥 Paulette has surpassed a whopping 35k words in the first draft of her novel as part of TYOTN!!

❤️‍🔥 Chu has shown 30k+ words “who's boss” in the first draft of her novel as part of TYOTN!!

❤️‍🔥 Peace said, “25k words? Checkmate!” in the first draft of her novel as part of TYOTN!!

❤️‍🔥 Chloe has had the universe throw all the lemons her way, and she’s still managed to cross the 42k+ words mark in the first draft of her novel as part of TYOTN!!

❤️‍🔥 Jo has been reworking her seagulls story (IYKYK), and it’s getting longer. Probably going to end up around 2k, compared to her other stories, which usually net out around 1k.

❤️‍🔥 Jeff finished a full-length ghostwriting project (book) for a client AND also secured $3 million in funding for a film project he’s producing. Yes, he really is that guy!

❤️‍🔥 Ayman, after three months of working on her magazine, has finally launched her first issue, and THEY ARE FINALLY OUT ON SALE :))) Here’s the link if you’d like to support her, even signing up to her mailing list or resharing will go along way (artists support other artists): https://www.samajhmygal.com/shop

❤️‍🔥 Ayman ALSO won the Artist of the Year award at Peshkar’s event the other day ;) So you can trust that the mag is good :)))

So yeah, we’ve been a little busy inside the Studio (and there’s way more hype happening on the daily)

Many of our members are ADHD/neurodivergent, and I am no exception. My autism craves routine while my ADHD detests it. The burnout has been unforgiving, and while I attempted to have a “Creative Reset” week recently, the universe had other plans.

Last Monday, I decided to opt for an alternate route. One that did not chain me to a million lists (although I will admit, I do have a list in front of me right now - memory issues). Pre-diagnosis, lists were the only way for me to wrangle my brain, but since they have become a hindrance, they make my pathological demand avoidance centre stage. 

I leaned into my ADHD and spent the best part of the week letting my brain flow where it wanted. An experiment, if you will, to learn how my present-day brain enjoys working best. Yes, I still had a mental note of what needs to be done, but I have practised trusting myself to do the thing while also sparking joy in between.

So far, so good, even if there are a heap of little fires everywhere, aka my “spring cleaning” attempts.

Other notable highlights from recent times:

📌 I surpassed the 10k mark of my novel while leading TYOTN (only 90k more to go, lord help me)

📌 Set up a new Instagram for my space nerd stuff (because whimsy)

📌 Have been actively journaling every day and exploring shadow work prompts

📌 Smashed my Duolingo leaderboard last week (even starting to learn chess as well as Spanish) 

📌 Began prepping for the next intake of the Year of the Novel (applications open in the next couple of weeks)

The world feels heavy, but spring is upon us. So I’ll leave you with this quote (do with it what you will):

Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

Every week inside Studio Sonder, members:

• Choose one writing/creative focus
• Post one intention or microgoal
• Return with one honest check-in

We host weekly co-working sessions and full-group check-in calls, and we share stories, life updates, and tips on our private feed.

👉 The only thing that truly matters is that we’re here to show up and support one another.

If you’d like to join the fun, come on in.

Keep taking messy action,

— Dr Demi

Founder & Creative in Chief | Studio Sonder