As A Creator, How Do You
Hilma af Klint, No. 6 Adulthood, Group IV, 1907
Välkomna. It's Thursday, October 23, 2025
The "F" word, (not THE "F" word), needs a PR agent. And a good one.
We’ll talk about it below.
But first…ADMIN news, I’ve set up a comment section at the end of the newsletter. Fingers crossed it works. Tell me if it doesn’t. In fact, comments are set up for all previous posts too, if you’re so inclined.
Onward.
My grandfather proudly loved to tell this story.
When I was 4, I begged him to take me duck hunting when I heard he was going out to his property, not far from Kosse,Texas to do just that.
This is Kosse today. Bustling compared to 48 years ago.
During my pleading, he gave me the run down of what to expect.
"It will be cold. Very, very cold." I was undeterred.
"We'll be up before the sun rises, every morning, out there all day." I was unfazed. "You have to sit STILL. Absolutely quiet for hours and hours."
“YES", with a touch of defiance.
His trailer on the property hosted hunters and looked a lot like this, with this one being in incredibly good shape.
It creaked, the walls popped in and out from the push of blue northers. Smelled of linoleum and insecticide, a dash of mold. There was no running water. A camping toilet with a garbage bag attached to catch all refuse. There was electricity 🙏
The trailer was a physical representation of my grandfather's mindset. He had incredible "luck", was outstanding at sniffing out and negotiating a deal, even better at acquiring things of great potential value.
But in daily life, his standard was bare bones, minimalist, tough-it-out living. I have no idea what we ate for food.
The first morning, before sunrise, as promised, we hit the dirt and set out for the pond. Grasses were taller than me. I was a puppy, trailing my grandfather, part terrified I'd lose him, part terrified I'd get eaten up by "something" from behind.
According to him, as he walked so quickly ahead of me, I said on repeat, "I'm coming, Pa Pa. I'm coming. I'm catching up. I'm coming."
He’d recall, "We sat on that log, all morning. It was bitter, bitter cold. Sitting next to the water and the North wind, made the wind chill below zero."
"She sat on that log and not a peep. No complaining. No asking to go back. She sat there quiet and not one word while we waited for any sight of ducks. Not one duck came that mornin'. Not one. But she sat on that log and waited."
Now, I've wondered so many times, what motivated me. Why did I do this?
Not why did I want to go with my grandfather duck hunting. That was an adventure. But what made me stay silent and adhere?
I used to believe that it was because I wanted to prove I was as tough as him. Or this was proof that I am an innately persevering person. These could be true.
But my 53 year old self senses that I did not want to let him down. I wanted his approval, even at 4. But if I go one more layer deeper, I sense I thought I wasn't enough and I had to prove I was enough.
The template was made. I used it for years.
All of this is entirely relevant to you, as a creator.
And here is where the "F" word comes in.
Gmail shortens emails in awkward places. Read online here. It’s better.
Feminine. That’s the word.
How do you feel when you read it? Truly consider how you feel when you hear it.
The "F" word has been taking a PR hit for a long, long time.
Considered weak or passive. Considered emotional. Some even believe should be dominated.
But weirdly, feminine energy is not just for women. It’s for all of us at times, especially if you are a creator. Why?
Here’s a HUGE clue.
I read this the other day on an instagram account pushed to the top of my feed. It stopped me cold.
The following is from neo.yug. I’m not able to internalize all of this. I don’t even know if it’s all true. But there is some truth here.
That the subject of this issue was initiated by this post has me a little rattled. But here goes. (BTW, important, in the text below, replace the words "abundance" with creation if you’d prefer. And replace any "problems" listed here with what resonates with you.)
“We speak of abundance as if it were a prize, something to earn through effort, intelligence, or devotion. But abundance isn't something you chase.
It's something that recognizes you.
And recognition can only happen when you are open to receive.
The truth is, you don't have a money problem. You have a receiving problem.
And that problem isn't financial, it's energetic.
Receiving is one of the most intimate experiences of being alive.
Yet when something flows toward us, love, support, payment, praise, our bodies often contract. The throat tightens. The chest closes. The nervous system whispers, "This is too much."
Because deep down, many of us carry ancient memories, lifetimes of being told that to receive is selfish, sinful, or unsafe.
Especially women, the feminine, the original vessels of life, have been conditioned to pour endlessly without refilling the cup.
So when abundance tries to come home to us, we mistake it for danger.
Money is the feminine current of the universe, ever-giving, ever-flowing, but never forced.
When you say, "I want money," what you truly mean is, "I want to experience flow."
When we hustle and chase, we slip into the masculine polarity of doing. When we soften and allow, we awaken the feminine polarity of receiving.
And true abundance is born only when the two dance together. Because without the receiver, even divine flow has nowhere to land. “
Holy! That hit me like a thunderbolt. How many times have I pushed away compliments? Minimized my achievements? Felt weird and squirmy when someone praised my work?
You too?
“The Hidden Karmic Pattern of Over-Giving
Somewhere along the way, you learned that your worth was measured by how much you gave away. So in this lifetime, the soul repeats the pattern, you give and give, and the flow doesn't return.
But this isn't punishment. It's the soul's way of teaching balance.
Your lesson now is not generosity, you've mastered that.
Your lesson is receiving without shame. Receiving without apology. Receiving as an act of sacred trust.
Because in higher truth, giving and receiving are not opposites. They are the same current, moving through two poles of the same Being.
The mystics say, "The measure you give is the measure you receive." Not as morality, but as mechanics.
Energy must circulate. And circulation begins with permission.
Permission to let love enter.
Permission to be supported.
Permission to prosper without guilt.
Permission to let the universe meet you halfway.
The collaborative nature of true creativity isn't only about what we push out into the world. It's about what we allow in.
Receiving as a Spiritual Practice
To receive is not passivity, it is participation.
It's saying to the Divine, "I trust You enough to let you give to me."
Each time you receive with grace, a compliment, a payment, a moment of luck, you anchor a new vibration of safety in your body.
You tell your subconscious, "It's safe to expand."
That's how money moves. She doesn't come to those who chase her. She comes to those whose energy whispers, "I am ready to hold you."
The Feminine Medicine for a World That Over-Produces
The world doesn't suffer from lack of effort. It suffers from lack of receptivity.
We have mastered the yang, the outward, active, logical.
But the yin, the inward, open, devotional, has been forgotten.
When you practice receiving, you're not just attracting money.
You're remembering the original rhythm of creation: inhale, exhale; give, receive.
You are restoring balance to a world addicted to doing.
Abundance is not something you achieve. It is something you allow.
And allowing begins when you stop apologizing for being the one life wants to give to.
So the next time something flows your way, a compliment, a client, a connection, a check, don't shrink, don't justify, don't rush to give it back.
Just breathe. Let it land. Whisper softly to yourself: "I am ready to receive."
Because that is the prayer that turns money into medicine and you, into the vessel through which the Divine flows.”
I admit I don’t know how to integrate all of this. It’s overwhelming. If you’re feeling that way too, let’s stick together and see what we can figure out. Here’s a moment of zen before we dig in.
Hilma af Klint, (1862-1944) Swedish, a pioneer of abstract art, and a spiritualist. Moderna Museet, retrospective of her work in 2013. Known for experimental automatic drawing as early as 1896, leading her towards an inventive geometric visual language capable of conceptualizing invisible forces both of the inner and outer worlds.
It’s interesting that the same resistance we feel when receiving compliments, money for our creations, or love is the same resistance that blocks our creative flow.
It’s interesting that masculine and feminine energies dance together when creating.
Hilma af Klint, The Swan, No. 1, 1915, © Stiftelsen Hilma af Klints Verk
The masculine pushes through resistance with discipline, structure, action. The feminine -intuitive, adaptable, emotionally intelligent, receptive - helps us understand what we’re here for in the first place.
We learn to receive the inspiration in fleeting moments when spirt speaks, honor the resistance as a signpost (dig here, follow this thread),and then act with decisive clarity.
Me, at 4, on a f’ing freezing log in the winter?
I was all masculine energy pushing through discomfort, ignoring my body's signals, proving my worth through endurance.
What if I’d said "I'm cold" or "I need rest" instead?
What if receiving comfort is as valuable as endurance?
Receiving is an active spiritual practice that requires trust and openness.
Me, at 4, on a f’ing freezing log in the winter?
I didn't need to prove my worth through silent suffering.
And neither do you.
The "F" word is the wisdom to receive before we give, to listen before we speak, to flow before we force; it is strategic receptivity.
Hustleflow.
Business Practices for Creators That Embody Feminine Energy
Close Mouth and Listen
Before you create anything, sit in silence. Not the scrolling-through-Instagram distracted silence. Actual silence.
Get quiet enough to receive your next idea. Empty the vessel to receive the gift. Close your eyes. Feel your way through it. Ask to be shown. Ask to hear.
Your Community Holds the Answers
Create intentional ways to hear from your people.
They'll tell you what they actually need instead of you guessing.
Could be casual coffee dates, voice memos from clients, a survey, or a genuine question on Instagram. Invite them to tell you what is really relevant for them at this time.
Try asking a specific question like, "What's the biggest challenge you're facing in your creative work right now?" or "What's one thing you wish someone would create that would make your life better?"
Put that feedback in the murky cosmic soup floating in your head and see if it can provide material for your work.
For Client Work: Become a Creative Medium
When someone hires you, they're buying your skills and your intuition.
Start with a "receiving session" where you listen so deeply they feel truly seen. Before you sketch/draft/create, take 5 minutes of silence to tune into what they're really asking for (hint: it's usually not what they said).
Notice where your body expands or contracts when considering different directions. Physical responses can guide you.
Price for the Invisible Work
Charge more for this intuitive process.
Document the journey the initial visions, the intuitive hits, the evolution.
This becomes a second product alongside the art itself.
People will pay premium prices for the story of how their piece came to be.
Objects with Stories Outperforms Objects without Stories
Art with a story sells for more than art without one. Create pieces based on narratives that matter, yours or others.
Package the story with the art as premium content.
Start a subscription where collectors receive both your art and perhaps a narrative of how it came to be.
People want meaning they can connect with.
Market Like You're Receiving, Not Chasing
Before you create that newsletter or social post, get quiet and ask: "What does my audience need right now?"
Trust those intuitive timing nudges like when you feel compelled to reach out to someone at an unexpected moment. That’s guidance.
The best referrals come from connections that feel aligned, not from relentless self-promotion.
I'm still figuring out how to fully embody this balance of feminine and masculine energy in my own creative practice.
I'd love to hear how you're incorporating receptivity into your work, or where you struggle with it.
What happens when you try to receive instead of just produce? I want to know!! ⬇ ⬇ ⬇
COMMENT SECTION UP (I hope)
This link will direct you to my website and you may have to login to comment (not my idea of a frictionless experience but I’ve not been able to work around it). It could be that you DON’T have to login either. So why don’t you try it?
You can also email me here [email protected].
That’s it for this week. And that was plenty.
How are you doing on your GATHERING?
Hey ya’ll love on your creator friends.
EMAIL your thoughts about the content here…..I want to hear from you…[email protected]
Know anyone who’d like to join us (btw, always free)? Share this email or copy and send this subscribe page to them. Thank you.
*I earn a commission on some links if you make a purchase. It doesn't cost you extra. I only recommend what I use or believe in. Same goes for any businesses I partner with. This helps me keep doing this work. Much respect. Thank you.