Shitty Poetry Month: Week 4

Passion as protector.

♥ Shitty Poetry Month ♥

*Ｓｈｉｔｔｙ= 𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙 ☆ 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊 ☆ 𝕴𝖋 ☆ 𝕿𝖊𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖊𝖉 ☆ & ☆ 𝕿𝖗𝖚𝖘𝖙 ☆ 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖑𝖋

We’re almost there. The last week of #ShittyPoetryMonth is upon us.

I feel a mixture of feelings. Sad, because I’ve enjoyed knowing that I’m doing the same thing as other people in this community in different parts of the world and that feels connective. Relieved, because I hate being told what to do, even by myself and having a routine often still repels me despite my better judgement. And grateful, because a silly idea I had has been taken up by others with such vulnerability, sweetness, and enthusiasm. Thank you. 

You’ve given me the gift of encouragement, especially where my sudden passionate wants to realise something creatively are concerned. It’s so important that we have spaces and people with which we feel safe and encouraged to be passionate. I firmly believe that PASSION is our most effective protection against the tyranny of perfectionism and all the fear, cringe, self-doubt etc. that comes with it.

Your passion will defend you against discouragement. Your passion will remind you what feels most meaningful in your life. Your passion will safe-guard you against quitting things that you secretly want to be doing (or avoid doing to begin with). 

Your passion is an innate, divine part of you that can’t be dulled, even when it feels like it. It’s your higher creative consciousness. A reservoir of creative curiosity, playfulness, and joy. Your passion is yours to acknowledge, proudly own, and cultivate. And if you’re neurodivergent, doubly so; your passions are what you learn through. That’s what being an interests-based learner means! Embrace the intensity.

I say this because I want you to leave Shitty Poetry Month more ALIVE and more passionate than you started it. Not just because it feels good, but because these feeling states are tools in your creative arsenal that will make you a more resilient, brave, playful, full of self-belief, and an unstoppable creative force. You already are, of course. I just want you to deeply feel it, so you fully believe it. YOU ARE A POET. YOU ARE AN ARTIST.

☆ SHITTY POETRY MONTH ~ WEEK 4 ☆

Day 22: Connectivity…
Day 23: An old museum…
Day 24: Aliveness is like…
Day 25: Why apologise…
Day 26: When the body speaks…
Day 27: At dusk…
Day 28: A dark night of the soul…
Day 29: Awakening…

If you haven’t already noticed, the poetry prompts over this whole month have been vaguely structured like a day; from dawn to dusk, to night, and morning again. That’s why “awakening” was there at the very beginning and again here, as our last prompt. As you come to a completion this week, spend some time reflecting on where you’ve been over the last month. Some journaling prompts for you:

1. What didn’t I know, that I know now?

2. How have I been there for myself over these 4x weeks?

3. What do I want to remember from this experience?

This is you: a poet!

A note on the pledge button

Thank you again to all who’ve participated in this month-long creative challenge, whether on The Dreamer, IG, or just privately at home.

I’m feeling pretty *passionate* about creating more spaces via this newsletter for body-doubling, creative co-working, workshops, and more. But I’d love to know how many of you value my work ~and have the means to donate to its growth! When you hit the “pledge your support” button on this Substack, you’re letting me know that when turn on new paid tiers, that you’re reading and willing to pay for closer access to experiences like this, virtual events, and much. I hope you’ll consider pledging <3

☆ YOUR INVITE: GO DEEPER WITH ME ☆

If you feel the call to work with me at a more intimate, more transformative level as your creative coach, I’m accepting new clients NOW! Come Alive is my three-month private coaching container for creatives (or the creativity-curious), the highly sensitive, and neurodivergent. In it, I’ll take you from stuck and scared to more playful, less judgey, and more in love with your creative voice than ever. I can say that confidently because it’s happened for every one of my clients. I have a bunch of testimonails from filmmakers, artists, therapists, musicians, producers, designers, and many more people on my site.

If you’re curious to know more, we can jump on a zero-pressure Zoom call together. Sliding scale price tiers available! And I also offer scholarships a few times a year.

Xo Jerico

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How to work with me

☆THE DREAMER☆ is a free newsletter and online space for those dreaming at the intersection of creativity, therapeutic work, ecology, magic, and neurodiversity. If you enjoy The Dreamer, pass it on! And you can support my work in the following ways:

~ Book yourself (or a friend) a tarot reading with me. Slots open for April/May now!
~ Purchase one of my four books/decks.
~ Learn about 1:1 creative coaching/facilitation on a call with me.
~ Join my self-paced meditation + mindful journalling course, Write About Now.

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This email has been sent from stolen and unceded Bidjigal Country, part of the Eora nation, where I live and work. I also frequent neighbouring sovereign Birrabirragal, Gadigal, and Wangal land. I send my solemn respects to Elders of this place, past and present, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders. I vow to continue the journey of unsettling colonialism and aim to do my part to move us closer to true justice, reparations, and renewal of Country and culture with every right action. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.