New Beginnings
Discover more from Creature//Creative
Friends,
I am so excited to be sending this month’s newsletter from Substack! Hopefully, you’re able to access this and the transition feels seamless and smooth!
If you are interested in checking out the full site, I will likely be playing with Substack features over the next few weeks/months and hope you’ll poke and prod at some stuff with me.
As always, I’ve got loads of project updates that you’ll find below and a few reflections on the past month that will be included throughout.
To start, I have been feeling really energized recently. I think it has something to do with the first taste of the crisp autumn air that got me to throw open all the doors and windows and deep clean my apartment this past week. Since the Day Job has me working out amongst the trees more often, I’ve been watching the slow color change of the foliage on those early Fall performers. The trees seem just as eager as me when it comes to spooky season.
Of course, Autumn holds a lot more than Halloween for me and I am really excited to dig into all the delicious experiences I can this year. I am also overjoyed to get those last few projects and updates out before the long darkness of winter eventually pushes me to slow down.
Speaking of Autumn projects and updates, below are some things to keep an eye out for as we move through the next couple of months!
*But first - a few people have asked for it, so here’s the first of some monthly playlists I will be curating. The playlist will change on the first of every month and include 30 songs I’ve got on repeat when I’m trying to make art/get into my flow state. Enjoy!
PRODUCTION BEGINS
Restless Ghosts
This month, I am working with the AMAZING Jaid Saviero to finalize the first episodes of a fun new project we are excited to present. You might recognize Jaid as the new audio production manager at UnBound Arts Collective and on my other storytelling project, Extraplanar Radio Show. I am very excited to be working with her on this.
Restless Ghosts is an anthology series following the residents of the Silent Pines Eternal Resting Grounds located in the sleepy, small town of Grimwood Hollow. Each story is told with the utmost care since the residents of Silent Pines are, of course, very much undead.
Stay tuned for the first release in October!
NEW EPISODES
Extraplanar Radio Show – Episode 6 is coming!
After a bad upper respiratory “thing” that put me out of voice recording for a stretch in August, we’re getting back into the swing of things to bring you episode 6 of Extraplanar Radio Show this month. I will post here on Substack when that new episode is available.
Until then, you’ve got plenty of time to catch up on dopplegangers, deep space leviathans, hive mind takeovers, shadow creatures, the frightening spread of deathbloom, and of course…Jerry.
Tune in, but don’t tune out. You never know who else is listening.
Absolutely Feral
Episode 2 of Absolutely Feral went live in August. Listen to me and Enkfi Saviero, Co-Creative Directors at UnBound Arts Collective, as we have yet another unhinged discussion about the arts. Some even say we are still rambling to this day.
RETURNING IN OCTOBER
Tales From Niveen
Reconnect with our adventurers as they navigate the ever-growing threats that abound across Niveen.
Updates resume in October, with the re-release of chapters 1-20 including revised and expanded content (and a few extra chapters!). The best part? Tales From Niveen is now pay-what-you-can with tiers starting as low as $1/month! A Patreon subscription gets you immediate access to all content, including worldbuilding documents, character art, maps, and more! You also get to see drafts/WIPs written and updated in real time.
Right now, Tales From Niveen is only accessible to patrons who were subscribed before production was paused and will unfortunately remain that way until October 1st. However, when the Patreon reopens on October 1st, newbies should keep an eye out for a post from me so you don’t miss the opportunity to snag a free trial subscription!
I love the seasonal shifts because they also inspire me to shake off the dust and change things up a bit. I wrote at length in my previous newsletter about the difficult time I’ve had through the late spring and summer, and that is true. Things have been beyond tough and I felt like a walking corpse for a lot of it.
As the seasons transition, however, so do I.
I feel the sun as it peeks through the leaves of trees. I watch the moon glowing somehow bigger and brighter in the clear cool evenings (anyone catch that blue supermoon the other night?). I hear the cicadas buzzing out their last tunes for the year. And I steer clear of the yellow jackets as they grow ever more aggressive in the face of the coming cold.
To return to the metaphor of the sand in the waterbottle from my last newsletter, I am happily shaken with many positive opportunities at my feet. Suspended in so many swirling grains and sifting through all the little bits. Call it reprioritizing or whatever you want, but it feels nice to take a look at what is working and what isn’t and let shit go to make space for so much good.
I can’t wait to share some of the art that I have been creating out of these experiences, but I am afraid those projects aren’t ready for other eyes/ears yet. But they are coming, and I am very proud of my continued work.
Also, hey… do you want to collaborate some time? Do you have your own idea you need my skills for or just want to lend your voice to any of my current projects? If any of you creatives reading this are like me, I know you have things you want to do but you’re either scared to start or you don’t know how to.
Either way, I want to hear from you and see what we can do!
There are so many opportunities for artists to work on fulfilling projects, but I know it can be overwhelming to find outlets and support and even more terrifying to actually start.
To that end, here are a few of my favorite resources for various artistic disciplines! If you find this helpful and want more of this, let me know. And if you have ideas for resources to share with our little community, feel free to send them my way either here, via my email hello@lashondalove.com, or even through my DMs on Instagram.
For All Artists/Creatives:
Check out Artists in Rise (@artistsinrise on IG) they curate tons of artist residencies and other opportunities from all over the place each month and put their deadlines and application links all in one place. This is a great way to find travel opportunities or funding that aren’t reliant on you generating revenue through marketing, selling, or using social media until you’re a zombie.
For Writers:
Check out Writer’s Hour by the London Writer’s Salon. I have been using Writer’s Hour periodically for over a year to support my writing goals. They offer multiple free group writing sessions each day across various timezones where you can come together for 50 minutes and just write quietly with other people on Zoom. They share inspiring quotes to open each session and have a little chat back at the end of each session to reflect on what you worked on. I can’t recommend them enough.
Let me know when you’re going to a session and I will join you if I’m free!
For Voice Artists:
I know the podcast market is oversaturated, but that makes it all the more meaningful that I am recommending the following resource: an actually helpful podcast!
If you are looking to book voice gigs or curious about what voice directors and project managers are looking for, you should listen to Mission Audition by Voices. They host guests from all over the industry and spend each episode listening to real auditions and providing critique in real time. It’s almost like a little mini-coaching each time I listen – you can take your newfound knowledge directly to the vocal booth or production process and start improving your own work.
That about wraps up this months newsletter, though you will likely see some posts from me throughout the month as I explore everything Substack has to offer.
Please keep chatting with me and feel free to send feedback on the new setup!
xoxo,
Lash