Dear Reader,

Last year I did one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my business which was to close down Landscapes, my writing group for all genres. In staying true to my own capacity I broke the trust of members I respected, lost a significant amount of recurring revenue, and abandoned my own steady work space and cadence.

While I don’t regret taking an extended pause on Landscapes, I wish I could have seen the signs of burnout coming before I needed to shut it down completely. I also know that sometimes in order for the meadow to grow new foliage you have to burn it all down.

In closing that chapter of Landscapes I was transparent that I knew I would want to bring it back in a new and different way, I just didn’t know how. Today I am pleased to share that it will return at it’s regular times on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11-1 EST starting Tuesday May 5. To be the first to know when registration opens join the waitlist. And to hear more about my creative process, business decisions, what will be different, and where my boundaries were leaky — read on.

Also included today : Free access to my class Organizing A Day for all paid subscribers. Plus so much new writing in Cody’s World for my thesis!

I was on an advising call with the amazing Carter Umhau when it became clear to me that I needed to end Landscapes and I had been pushed beyond my capacity. Carter is a therapist and space holder and a mirror like no other. She holds space in this buoyant way that lets you find your deepest truths without being overwhelmed or startled.

My realizations are often sharp and swift, which can sometimes feel like compulsion, impulsivity, or mania. But sometimes it is just a deep inner knowing coming from the depths, waiting to be revealed.

I talk about it some in this episode of Common Shapes and was transparent about it with the members of Landscapes, but what I felt had happened is that we had turned into more of a therapeutic support group than a co-working group to get our writing done.

Now don’t get me wrong, building online community is one of greatest joys, strengths, and passions. I love getting to see new connections made, see people become collaborators, friends in real life, and sometimes even go on dates with each other! Bringing a bunch of disabled neurodivergent queers (and my beloved fringe hets!) together is never an easy task, and I’d like to think I can sail the ship pretty well.

But when I started to see some of the holes in Landscapes I didn’t try to plug them, I just sort of shrugged it off as being a natural part of what happens when you gather online.

When I started consulting with other people who hosted online groups, they were not reporting hitting the same icebergs and it got me thinking about my own facilitation style and where my boundaries had been leaky.

Here are some of the ways Landscapes used to be, and what will be different in this new iteration.

In the past I would begin a co-working session by calling on a few people and let whoever wanted to share share openly. I did not hold this space to only be about the work we were doing, but also any personal updates people wanted to share. In some ways this gave us great inside jokes (corn, saxophone player polycule, and more). I think it also created distractions from the work at hand, which was to write.

In a lot of my co-working groups I encourage any sort of work - this could be doing laundry, toasting a bagel, making a smoothie, doing the dishes. This is more suited for Flexible Office, which I’ve been running again seasonally this year.

However I want Landscapes to be a place where people’s writing truly transforms and grows, not where we get distracted by chat chatter or share so much of our personal selves that the work becomes second fiddle. There were times when I forgot what everyone was writing about and only knew what was happening in their personal lives.

I will continue to emphasize this was not the fault of any member of Landscapes, but my facilitation style and how I shaped the space. Which is why in this new iteration during our co-working times there will be no group check ins. I’ll greet everyone with our cameras on, read a writing prompt, and then we will go cameras off, heads down, and get to our writing. The chat will remain open for the duration of the call if anyone gets stuck in their work and needs a hand, but otherwise check ins will be saved for the following monthly calls :

Admin Hours : Think Flexible Office INSIDE of Landscapes. Once a month we will have a two hour admin task co-working session where we can check in, unmute, keep our cameras on, and get the things we want to do the least done together.

Office Hours : Once a month I will host Office Hours where members can ask questions, share their desires, and get feedback on their work. We will keep our cameras on and this is a space where more connection can be built. Slowly and with grace.

Guest Workshop : Every month there will be a guest workshop that teaches something about their craft and how it relates to writing - we’ll kick off in May with Amelia Hruby and I can’t wait to share the other guests.

Guest Workshops and Office Hours will be recorded while Admin Hours and Co-working will not be.

Landscapes was formerly hosted on Mighty Networks but will now be hosted in Circle. The format is similar but simpler to interface with. Landscapes will remain sliding scale with a higher top tier price than before $33-99/mo.

I went back and forth on if I wanted us to have a “digital hub” or just have the calls. But one of my favorite parts about these groups is sharing resources with each other. Residency applications, grant submissions, job opportunities, podcasts we’re loving, playlists, and a channel for self promotion. This felt important to me to keep, and I’m so excited to keep exploring in Circle.

I also have my amazing substitute facilitators! I was so grateful to everyone who subbed for me in Landscapes (Thank you Joanna, Bee, and Hurley!) and I found that what I needed was more regular subs so that I don’t get burnt out from hosting.

I can’t wait to introduce you to our new subs who will be on board for the first half of June while I am at grad school and the end of June while I am at dance camp. The guest teacher lineup is already wild and worth the monthly cost of Landscapes alone. I have always loved Landscapes and I think it is going to be an even more transformational space. I think your writing is really going to grow and your work is going to shift.

In our previous iteration I made the choice to allow any member to create their own co-working event. This led to a lot of early morning connection, folks connecting about taxes, and people on the job search.

This will not be a standard feature of Landscapes as it returns while we shape the space. But! I am always open to proposals for workshops, events, desires for bonus times, etc. I still want there to be ways to co-create the space together with clearer guardrails.

Another important aspect of the group is that Landscapes is for all writing. Text messages, letters, novels, non fiction, poetry, prose, screenplays, sales emails, newsletters, syllabi, list making, website copy, etc.

All writing is welcome at Landscapes.

I wanted to give you a gift today dear reader, and that is my class Organizing A Day. It is many years old at this point and I’d like to teach it live again sometime soon. But after teaching Systems for Artists I noticed how many people really needed support zooming in on just the DAY, not the whole quarter or year. It is one of my most sold classes (over 1000 people have taken it!) and a class people say changes their practice the most.

I hope it helps you carve out some time for your writing.

If you’re interested in other online class recordings you can check them all out here.

My hope in bringing this to you today is two fold. I’d love for you to join the waitlist for Landscapes, and respond to this email or comment below if you have any questions or desires.

But what I really hope is that it is a permision slip in your own business or creative practice to pivot, to start to see burnout before it’s coming, to plug the holes in the ship while you still have time.

And to remember that you are allowed to bring things back. You are allowed to let things hibernate, rest, recharge, and resurface.

It is my hope that ending the container as it was and bringing it back in its new form was the most loving thing I could do for the members of the group. I am not a trained therapist or trauma informed facilitator. I am but a thoughtful artist, doing my best to hold a space that is safe and brave.

Landscapes will remain a monthly membership, which I know some people who filled out the survey were against. I will do my best to create seasonality within Landscapes, and trust you to create your own seasonal containers of coming in and out. Commit to a few months or just one month when you need support on a project. There is no pressure to stay forever.

Landscapes will also never have an annual price that is cheaper or different than the monthly price. Part of this is because I want everyone to have an equal financial opportunity to join, and I also don’t want to overcommit myself. I don’t know how long I’ll want to do Landscapes, but this time I have a lot in place to make it a more sustainable arm of my business.

Thank you for reading this edition of Behind The Scenes of Business. I’ll be sharing more details about Landscapes in the coming weeks but for now put the dates in your calendar, add yourself to the waitlist, and be ready for registration to open May 1.

I hope you have a beautiful day, and let me know what you think of Organizing A Day!

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