Molasses in January

In which I contemplate reviving this newsletter

Dear Reader,

I have a confession. Many doors opened for me in 2024, and I am grateful. But I ended the year emotionally wrung out, mentally and physically exhausted, and creatively drained. 2024 has been a good year for me in so many ways: I signed some incredibly talented clients; I closed my first book deals; I rebranded my business, launched a new product line, and more than doubled revenue compared to our first year. We all know that great things require hard work. (Some go as far as to say that all the things worth doing in life are hard.) And I am ok with that! I love all the things I do or I wouldn't be doing them. But as this year comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year. Get more sleep. Exercise. Prioritize my health.

Oops! I didn't do any of that.

This is not meant to be a complaint. We all make our own choices. I worked extra hard and saw positive outcomes. I am fortunate! But in the end, I feel I’ve sacrificed more than I wanted to, or at least more than I want to continue to. In short, the way I’m going about Things doesn’t feel sustainable, and I want to be doing Things for a very long time.

I am in a pivotal moment in my career: I am actively establishing my own client list and simultaneously building a product-based business from the ground up. These things take time and so I need to be intentional about how I am spending mine. Part of that is questioning whether the systems around me are working—both the ones I've created and the ones I've opted into—and how my bigger goals fit into the kind of life I want to lead. The kind where I spend less time sitting and staring at a screen and more time taking long walks, visiting with friends and family, eating well and moving.

Fundamentally, these things are connected. Physical activity, sleep, diet, and relationships all have an impact on productivity and creativity. There is a lot of research behind this, but on some level, it just kind of makes sense, right? We do our best work when we feel our best. When we're happy and healthy. (Check out books and podcasts by Cal Newport, Ali Abdaal, and Ryan Holiday, just to name a few people I admire who are doing a lot of research and discussion in this space.)

This leads me to something new I’m trying for 2025: I am kicking things off by choosing a word of the year. (Yes, I know this is not revolutionary. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here.) If you're unfamiliar with the concept, the idea is to choose a word that serves as a theme or focal point to guide your actions, rather than a traditional new year's resolution.

My word for 2025 is "slow." Slow as molasses in January. Ah, don’t you just love when the title appears in the text?

Slow.

So simple! So scary! So seemingly at odds with someone who is trying to do so many things at once. But in thinking about how I want to approach this new year, I want to slow down. For a while now, I've felt like I've been running non-stop, full speed ahead. "Slow" feels like the natural counterbalance. Working at a slower pace will enable me to be fully present, intentional, and produce the highest-quality work. Slow, too, as a mindset shift. As humans, we have a natural predilection for immediacy. The future is uncertain; we want resolutions (and rewards) now, not later. The modern era has only exacerbated this mentality. Culturally, we went from writing letters and not expecting to hear back for weeks (if not months) to emails and texts that can be answered in minutes (if not seconds). Industrialization and capitalism have played their parts, too, but I digress. It is natural to try reaching milestones as quickly as possible—getting an agent, selling a book, having your business actually show up on Google search—but creating good things takes time. (The comparison game is deadly here: No one is an overnight success. We all cover distance at different speeds, reach milestones at different times. I'm telling this to myself here as much as you.)

Slow down. Enjoy the process. Focus on quality, not quantity. Take care of yourself along the way. These are the things I hope to embody as I embrace "slow" this year. I hope you'll follow along my journey.

Until next time,

Courtney

A POSTSCRIPT

Because it's been a while, I thought I'd quickly reintroduce myself and what this newsletter is about.

Who am I?

I am a junior literary agent actively building a list of authors and illustrators. I've been in the industry in some capacity since 2018. I'm also a writer, artist, and generally crafty person. I love making things! In 2023 I launched my handmade business selling candles, greeting cards, and jewelry inspired by my love of books.

What is Shelf Care?

An accountability journal where I write about my creative and entrepreneurial pursuits while prioritizing health and wellness.

In a culture that values overwork and struggles to adequately define productivity in art and knowledge work, many of us suffer from overwhelm and burnout. We love what we do, and we are hard-working and ambitious, but modern workplace demands and societal pressures often exploit these traits until the quality of the work—and our health—suffers. How can we continue to do our best work—the work we love—while taking care of ourselves and living a fulfilling life? These are the questions I aim to explore.

Who is Shelf Care for?

Are you a writer or artist? Do you want to learn more about the publishing industry, or what it takes to start a business? Are you generally interested in the intersection of art, commerce, and health? Shelf Care is for anyone with these interests and for anyone who wants to lead a creative, balanced life.

Why Shelf Care?

It's no secret that I am a bookish person. A proud book nerd, if you will. I read for fun and for work! I am also a lover of puns. The cornier, the better. You get the idea.

Have a question?

Feel free to drop a note in the comments if there’s something specific you’d like to see me discuss in a future post.