Welcome to issue #6 of Soft Hobbies, a weekly creative check-in for imperfect perfectionists around the world. To see what else I do across the internet, go here.
Hi softies,
I’m delighted to announce that I GOT A JOB! Hence, last month’s concerning volume of tears was not shed in vain. You are now reading the words of Microsoft’s newest contract content writer for enterprise software products! I’m starting next week and really looking forward to it. Thanks to all my friends, mentors, and loved ones for supporting me and encouraging me while I hunted for a livelihood in the barren wasteland that is today’s job market.
Here’s what I got up to last week.
3 things I’m reading:
Still on Martyr! and about halfway through it. Ok so I had a thought about this finally, so basically, I’ve seen Kaveh Akbar speak twice, and he has a really unique way of speaking. Not unique in how his voice sounds, but unique in how he puts words and sentences together verbally. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever watched one of his interviews/lectures/readings. The problem is that because I know how he speaks, I notice how often the characters in his novel sound like him. Whenever a character gets really passionate about something or has a longer piece of dialogue, they start to sound exactly like Kaveh does when he speaks publicly (and maybe privately too, I have no idea). Sometimes it feels out of character for the speaker, but I don’t know if I’d have noticed this if I didn’t have prior knowledge of the author’s speaking patterns. Now I’m just wondering if this is true for every writer, what it means for the quality of the writing, how death of the author plays into this, etc…anyways. I’m enjoying this book and will continue reading it.
Read a fanfic that literally had me kicking my feet and giggling. I love when that happens. No you can’t have the link.
Loving the celebratory onslaught of articles about Thursday, one of my favorite bands, since they put out their first single in 13 years this week. This newsletter from Dan Ozzi was especially nice.
3 things I’m writing:
Spent like 4 hours doing a take-home writing assignment for a job application. It was honestly really fun since it was in a style and format I don’t typically do. We’ll see what comes of it! If they accept me, it’ll be a PT additional income stream.
Been writing in this one-line journal every day since 2024 began. It’s an easy and quick way to get some journaling in, and I usually take care of it in the morning. My entries are very random.
Spent almost the whole day yesterday crafting the descriptions, tags, and specs for new items on my Etsy store.
3 soft hobbies:
Ethan and I went to see some local bands in a really cool DIY artsy loft space. The show was fantasy-themed and decorated and almost everyone dressed up. It was super magical!! I wish more shows had dress codes; I love dressing to a theme.
Went to the zoo and rode a historic carousel yesterday. I can’t remember the last time I rode a carousel, it was probably 5-6 years ago. It was so fun! Also lovely to get my walk in at the huge Woodland Park Zoo. We definitely want to go back again this summer.
Been going to beginner dance classes 2-4 times a week since February, and I love it, but it’s really hard both emotionally and physically. Sometimes I can’t stop from crying afterwards because of the emotions it brings up. It’s one of the most intense “unlearning perfectionism” regimens I’ve ever undergone. It runs straight against a lot of intense mental blocks and historically bad experiences. I know that having a mirror in the dance studio is important, but like…does it have to be so BIG? Lmao.
Your turn! What are you reading? Writing? Making? When’s the last time you rode a carousel? Let me know, and thank you for your time.
Softly yours,
Auzin