15 things I learned on sabbatical

These past weeks have been incredible.

I’m so grateful for this time to pour into my project as I figure out What’s Next. As my hiatus winds down, I took some time to reflect on what I’ve learned so far.

• 1. Beer tastes better from this glass. ⬆️

  Ok, that may not be entirely true. But there’s only one way to find out!

• 2. Nobody wants to subscribe to my newsletter. Unless I say not to.

  Then everybody wants to.

• 3. There aren’t enough hours in a day.

  I have so freaking many ideas I want to try and things I want to learn.

• 4. Jimmy Carter’s mom helped deliver his future wife.

  I knew he was just a little kid and she was a newborn when they met. But this was new!

• 5. My subscription process is too complicated.

  For me and everybody else. I am experimenting with simplifying it and I’m crossing my fingers that I’m not breaking everything.

  See Exhibit A

Exhibit A

I’m trying something new. Instead of an overwhelming form out of the gate, I have a tiny form. If subscribers want a trading card, they fill in the next page. Maybe fewer people will abandon the page. Or maybe I’ve broken everything.

• 6. I don’t like reels.

  Buuuut, I’ve been playing around a bit more. Mostly to learn. And I’ve also posted a few to my YouTube channel.

• 7. Making a 46-second video can take half a day.

  I learned how to add captions to a video and made some shorts. I learned (too late!) that I need to allow for more generous margins. I added a link to my YouTube channel in my main website navigation. Not much there, but it’s a teensy commitment to continue playing and experimenting.

  See Exhibit B

• 8. How to morph words and how to make a pattern.

  And that it’s not worth it to add swear words to merchandise. (Marking items as not for kids means they are harder to find in my store.)

  See Exhibit C

• 9. It’s ok to abandon a book.

  It leaves more time for the good ones. (Scroll down to see the books I’ve read so far this year and the next few on deck.)

  See Exhibit D

• 10. Mother Nature gives zero craps about my cozy, productive hermit lifestyle.

  Winter keeps wintering only when I have plans to leave the house. Except for today’s storm.

  Exhibit E

Exhibit B

Here are a few shorts I put together, including one that gives off some unintended ASMR vibes.

Exhibit C

Still learning. It’s all one big experiment. (I envisioned a brilliant book-themed repeating pattern to use for my Bookshop. It looked amazing in my head. You’re gonna have to trust me on that, because in reality it was crap. See? I ended up going a different direction.)

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Exhibit D

I’ve abandoned two books so far in 2023. You won’t find them in my list of books I’ve read.

Exhibit E

Mother Nature didn’t understand the assignment. I wanted a cozy day to hunker down and Get Stuff Done. She overcorrected — a storm so bad it cancelled school and cut the power for my five most productive hours of the day. Here’s me, trying to look unphased and chill and not annoyed that Nothing Went As Planned.

• 11. How to make a sortable collection of people!

  It’s still a work in progress, but check it out! Rather than just a static list of people, it’s a smidge flexible. I can show people alive in the 1800s. Or foreign leaders. Or women. I haven’t added many people yet, but I have tons of ideas.

  See Exhibit F, which shows non-Americans.

• 12. I can create a calendar that shows the blogs I've posted.

  Not at all sure what the point is, since I have no control over it whatsoever.

  See Exhibit G

• 13. Sometimes I don't like my plans.

  I have a rough plan of what I want to accomplish every day. Today Heather doesn’t always want to do what Past Heather planned for the day. And in some cases (writing my book proposal!), I keep kicking the can down the road. Everything I’m working on is all tied together though, so I’m [trying to] cut myself some slack.

• 14. Product photography is hard.

  See a couple examples of my sad attempts in Exhibit C.

• 15. My dream job isn't going to magically appear.

  I’ve been hoping for a call that goes something like this: “hey, we’ve been looking for someone to read interesting history books and then draw and post about what they learned and create content and we have a huge budget!”

  I’m starting to think that’s not actually a real position.

  See Exhibit H if you are in search of such a person

  That said, I’ve begun laying the groundwork for What’s Next and I’m really excited! Not quite ready to share yet, but I will soon.

Exhibit F

Check it out! I’ve started adding other people (and pets) in a more interactive way. This shows just the non-Americans (and also one non-American American — Pamela Churchill — because I haven’t quite figured everything out. (Here’s the full list, if you’re interested.) There are so many others to add. Feel free to throw any suggestions in to the comments section.

Exhibit G

Not sure how this would be at all helpful. It offers no design control. Somehow, clicking back to see how much I’ve done is satisfying. Probably not to anyone but me. And as my sabbatical comes to an end, the calendar will probably look downright naked. That doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a thing I learned how to do.

Exhibit H

Are you looking for someone to read interesting biographies and history books? And doodle what they learn and make content (blog posts, videos, social media graphics, etc.)? And the books are all fascinating and entertaining, even if I don’t always agree with the content? Please reach out! Even if I know that’s not an actual job.

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The next three weeks will zip by.

Thanks for cheering me on as I try to squeeze every last bit of awesomeness out of this time.

Like Grover Cleveland, I’m hardy but not “Theodore-Roosevelt-sabbatical-on-a-North-Dakota-ranch-hardy.” If I’m being totally honest, I’m not as hardy as Cleveland either. That man worked ‘round the clock and that’s not for me.