Issue #34: The Unknown Path

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

In Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken,” he wrote:

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, 
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood 
And looked down one as far as I could.”

Both of these examples touch on something we can all understand: the comfort of the familiar and a fear of the unknown. While most people (including me) try to stick with the former and avoid the latter, those efforts are futile. The truth is, changes on our journey are inevitable, and we can’t know what will happen. We can’t foresee the future. And we can’t live in the what-ifs if we go one way and not the other. 

And that sucks, right? I mean, there’s already so much chaos in our world. So who would want to purposefully stray away from the familiar at this point?

That person would be me.

I know I’m not the only one. But if I’m being real, that wasn’t always how I felt. In my early adulthood, I craved stability. I reveled in a solid plan. And I loved helping people. So my career as a teacher served that purpose while giving me a firm ground to take root and grow. 

As many of you know, things changed. And—to belabor the metaphor—I grew tired of the path I was on. So I left teaching. Nevertheless, I immediately felt anxious about having no clear step-by-step trajectory for my future. 

Instead of rushing back to the life I’ve always known, I leaned into the new path and felt more determined to create the life I wanted, and that included venturing into the unknown in my creative projects as well. 

Many writers understand that getting a book traditionally published is hard. Extremely hard. Yet it was the standard by which writers measured their success, and the only way to get a story out that was worthwhile. 

Or so I thought.

When we tried getting THREE BEE HONEY published (as well as a second manuscript) through the well-trodden and very traditional path, we were met with dead-ends, false hope, and straight up silence. We thought our story’s journey was over. Another one lost in the sea of abandoned ideas. 

Then our agent actually encouraged us to try a non-traditional path: crowdfunding. This made us nervous. But we trusted that it would be okay. At the very least, we’d learn something, and that alone was worth it. So we ventured on another new path, and our story is now in print and has a whole new readership beyond us and our small circle of writer friends.

Now, I’m not saying going out on your own is easy by any means. But it’s important. It’s us putting a stake in the ground. It’s telling the world, Dammit, my ideas matter. 

So my wish for you is this: trust the voice in your head and pursue your dreams, even if they push against the familiar. Don’t keep yourself small to avoid potential pain. If a door is shut on you, make your own side entryway. 

Throw things at the wall, and see what sticks. Take more risks, even start with smaller ones, if that’s more comfortable. 

You might be surprised at how making your own trail opens up your world. 

Writing Updates: 
The THREE BEE HONEY books are now printed!

We received the book delivery, which was so exciting (we captured the unboxing moment in this video). Can you spot the early 90s movie reference? We’re anxious to get those orders packaged and delivered within the week.

If you missed out on our Crowdfundr campaign and would still like a copy of TBH, we have them for sale here on our website.

In the meantime, we’re looking into applying for exhibitor tables at local conventions and comic events. Also, we’re planning on making an appearance at some local pop-ups with other comic creators. Stay tuned! 

Current Read: Made to Stick, by Dan Heath and Chip Heath

I discovered this book when reading a Reddit post on how to come up with stronger “big ideas,” and this book was recommended. It’s been great so far! By deconstructing various real-world examples and leaning on evidence-based research on human psychology, Dan and Chip Heath illustrate why certain ideas die. More importantly, they reveal how we can take an idea that might be “okay” and amp it up to make it “sticky.”

​Fun note: they also cite teachers as great examples of people who are effective at making complex ideas “stick” with students (yay teachers!). If you’re looking to make your ideas stronger or finding an angle to make it resonate more, this would be a good book to check out!

Garden Update:
Our late-summer fruits are coming in hot! Lots of grapes (cabernet and red flame table grapes), plus figs. The purple cabernet grapes are astringent and really only work to make wine, which we tried to make a few years ago. It tasted like balsamic vinegar lol. We’ll have to try again when we have time. But the red grapes are very sweet and crisp and even better after they’ve been chilled in the fridge. And the figs are delicate, sweet, and so snackable. 

​Sanity Corner:

​I’ve been baking more these days. Since the afternoons get pretty warm, I usually try to bake in the mornings.I don’t have a ton of baking experience and truly lean on my go-to recipes: banana bread with chocolate chips (pictured), cookies, and sometimes homemade granola. There’s something so grounding about it. I love the way the house smells when I have something baking in the oven. The way it makes everything feel so cozy. And cozy is always a vibe I’ll go for. 

That’s all for this month. Thank you so much for reading! 

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Take care,
Desi