hi email beloveds!
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how are you doing amid the uprisings? my prayer for all of us is that you allow for the processing, the grief, the rage to come through and that you alchemize it into your creativity, your magic, your movement toward the world you desire to live in.
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I've been moving through my own, and have been using it as fuel for this work. cuz doing this work gives me energy, it renews the vigor in me to keep going. BUT it must be sustainable for me, someone who is easily wooed by lots of ideas and bursts of energy.

some lessons

so today I'm sharing some learnings that have come through in the creation of the @creating.in.kapwa digital zine, published on my Instagram page earlier this month:

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1️⃣ as I was sitting with how to create content in a way that felt fun, sustainable, and like a project I could dig my creative fingers into, I needed to revisit my relationship with Instagram. I decided I needed to *lean into* the parts of it I DO love, instead of holding onto the resentment I have toward it. that resentment was also feeding energy into its neverending suck.
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the parts I love and have fun with on IG: the design element, playing with graphics, paired with writing.
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​⭐the lesson: follow the fun! I created a creative playground for myself. where, in whatever forms your practice takes (in my case, it is social media for now), can you lean into the play, the joy, the wonder?
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2️⃣ as I was releasing the resentment I held toward IG, I also leaned into what the platform is known for: the ephemerality and impermanence of it. so I began to use it as a DRAFTS playground, too. a place to refine the messaging and the things I really want to say into a cohesive statement. the more I leaned into that, the clearer the message got.

⭐the lesson: might be a hard one for any ex-perfectionists, but let what you publish/put out into the world be a work in progress. the build-in-public concept is a beautiful one to me. it releases the need to mask, to pretend, to have it all together. and, quite honestly, I think everyone on this list needs to embrace our C+ work LOL. cuz actually the C+ work is EXCELLENCE. once it's shipped, it's in the field, you receive real-time feedback, and you can refine and massage it and get it to that A+ magnificence.
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3️⃣ I made it a project, one that continuously feeds & nourishes the work (and me) without extracting. I gave each post meaning; each post, each completed issue of the digital zine is now an ASSET for my business I can repurpose, republish, print, and breathe new life into with every iteration.
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I now do not worry about my IG profile. while the messaging and the clarity I think it still could use some refining, the GIST is there. it's clearer than it was before. I have the next steps for what to do to guide more folks into this world of agballa creatives. and it is very ME.
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⭐the lesson: I've said it before, but make tasks that feel heavy, boring, dreadful into meaningful projects/art that you can shapeshift into lightness, fun, and something that lights you up and pours energy back into you. THAT is flow.
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okay more lessons from this season are coming up, too, but I wanted to share the full issue of the @creating.in.kapwa digital zine - issue 00: welcome for you to download and keep :)
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⭐please enjoy this gift from me to you⭐
​creating.in.kapwa zine - issue00 - welcome (1).pdf​

some announcments

I'm experiencing a lot of creative momentum with this work and cuz I still hold a small fear that I'm not sure when this will happen again, I decided back in december to execute on ALL the ideas that were coming through....

as you can imagine, this is proving to be UNsustainable lol.
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and now, more than ever, we need sustainable practices, cuz we are in it for the long haul, in this lifetime and beyond.
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so I'm pacing myself and editing the events calendar for this month!
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​winter reflection & reset live = canceled​
I've decided to cancel the live winter reflection & reset, BUT the pre-recorded version is still available and I'll send that out to folks who signed up for the previous seasonal reflection & reset workshops next week.
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AND I don't want to leave you in the lurch, so if you do need support grounding through the wintertime (cuz SAD is real and let's be real...winter JUST started!), our creating in kapwa sessions are still open and we can discuss tools, ideas, and create a plan for you to experience this winter in a different, more nourishing way.
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​the ways of being challenge = postponed​
I'm also postponing the ways of being challenge, which is one I'm really excited about; it's all about reframing productivity, habits, goals, and creativity. I'm still going to run this, but it will be at a later date, so stay tuned!
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​new event!​
I'm a guest "speaker" at an email-only summit, called the Unmasked Summit (the vibes here are 🤌🏽). My lesson will be published on January 30th! All about finding your creative flow in life & art & work. You can sign up for that here.
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​putting energy into a project/offering for you coming in february​
I'm making these edits cuz yes, sustainability, AND I've got a special offering for you coming up in february that I am PUMPED about and will share more about soon :) so I am also rearranging events so I can put more energy into that and make it potent AF.
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​creating in kapwa sessions still on!​
finally, creating in kapwa co-working/co-creating sessions are still on! the next one is wednesday, january 21st at 5pm Pacific / 7pm Central / 8pm Eastern. You can sign up here.
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what a whirlwind lol. I am so grateful for you all, truly.
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thank you for opening my emails, reading my notes, and supporting me in this work.
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​please feel free to reply with what you're working on, what you're reflecting on, what you're releasing here in this last month of the shedding snake.
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loving you, kapwa-tao, truly, widely, deeply (is that a savage garden reference?! omg iykyk 😅)
teresa

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I live, work, and mother as a settler on kānaka maoli land, the island of O'ahu. In support of landback initiatives and the community here, I want to amplify the work of Oʻahu Water Protectors, The Hawai'i People's Fund, and The Hawai'i Community Bail Fund. Our support of these organizations is to support the kānaka community in defending their land and waters.

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