I took a break.
Not totally, of course.
Once an encourager, always an encourager
But I stepped back from the Encouragement Sessions * for a couple of months; it was a chance to take stock after two years of ‘Encourage Meant’ on Substack.
A rare look in the rear view mirror.
* No worries if you haven’t heard of them, we’ll cover all the important stuff in the next few minutes because they’re back and we don’t want you to miss out.
Has there been any Encouragement?
Definitely.
is the perfect place to lift folk up. Encouragement is at the heart of the community vibe; it is the way we can all make sure it is not just about us. We’ve talked about this before … we shared our idea of 80:20 engagement - 80% of our energy goes into celebrating other people’s creativity with 20% left for our own.So we carried on doing that.
We cheered from the sidelines as
’sharpened her pencils’ and brought her art practice fully into the open; we celebrated a one-year anniversary with and his ‘Beyond The Bookshelf’ community; we bought a copy of ‘Chasing Fog’ by ; you might have heard the cheers as slipped quietly back into view; we shared (and shared and shared again) the generous curations of fiction pulled together by at ‘Top in Fiction’; there were words offered to and when they shared prompts to stir the imagination of fiction writers everywhere; like you, we got into the festive spirit, peeking in daily to ‘Marzipan and Mistletoe’ with before heading into the woods with Lydia’s brother as he revisits ‘A Fall in Time’.So, yes to encouragement as a daily practice.
Did anyone encourage you, Mr Fables?
It is funny you should ask.
I have been an admirer of the interview series ‘8 Questions’ for some time. We received a generous invitation from
to take on the questions, a chance to reflect upon our experience. Reading my answers back, I was struck by how much the community aspects of this platform appeal to the way we relish using social media … and I was very touched by the kindness of the comments the post received. A huge thanks to Eleanor and to everyone who has read the piece … even encouragers need encouragement.
I wish I could remember who signposted Substack to ‘2022 Me’. There’d be a hug in it for sure. Out of love with the ‘Artist Formally Known As Twitter’ and hopelessly ill-disciplined at blogging on our (vanity project) website, I was on the hunt for somewhere that would encourage me to write. At the same time, we were offering positivity and enthusiasm to anyone in our social media circle who asked. So, we had an Encouragement Manifesto and a bucketload of encouragement to offer and I needed some too, ideally in a place where writing was celebrated. Coincidence? I think not.
8 Questions for Feasts + Fables
But what about the ‘BIG stuff’?
Great question.
We put out a gentle call for words to add to our ‘Gift of Words’ series … uplifting essays that celebrate the values at the heart of the Encouragement Manifesto.
There is ALWAYS room for me … will you write for us?
What’s the REALLY big thing, though?
Fair point … you know, don’t you? It’s the face-to-face stuff that counts. That is what the Encouragement Sessions are all about.
What exactly are the Encouragement Sessions, Mr Fables?
They’re one hour calls by Zoom … a handful of enthusiasm sprinkled liberally over your day … mostly, it is a conversation about what brings you joy, and an opportunity to bring more of that into your day-to-day. The calls are brimful of ideas, yours and mine … they are about thoughts, mine and yours … the calls can even include thoughts about ideas, and ideas about your thoughts. It is a ‘to and fro’, an ‘ebb and flow’. There’s listening as well. And I will have peeked into your world a little before we chat, so please don’t be surprised if you suddenly feel ‘seen’. I cotton on pretty quick … that’s important, because sometimes you might not get around to talking about the really important thing until we’ve nearly run out of time (don’t worry, there have been plenty of ‘follow up calls’ … we never leave anyone dangling).
So that’s it. One hour, chatting with an enthusiastic (and quite insightful) beard’y fella, putting the world to rights and unlocking joy.
How do you book one? Just message us and ask. Easy.
There will be up to 18 sessions in January, starting in the week of 13th. But they are filling up fast so shout up quickly.
Want to know more … of course you do:
Don't Take Our Word For It
We host something we call the Encouragement Sessions. They’re one-hour Zoom calls, one-to-one, conversations built upon positivity and enthusiasm. This is how they feel, in the words of folk who booked themselves in.
That’s it … we’re back … hopefully you are encouraged … and, if you need it, there is a bucketload of fresh encouragement waiting for a handful of lucky souls in January, the perfect month for upgrading the joy in your life, your creative practice, or your intentions for 2025.
And don’t forget, Encouragement is YOUR superpower too!
Warmly, as ever
Barrie
Mark is absolutely bang on when he says you're awesome! I loved your 8Q interview Barrie, I love what you do here with your Encouragement Manifesto (I haven't forgotten my own promise a year ago either... its in the making still!) You are a pleasure to know here... thank you for everything! 🙏🏼
Barrie, you have been an absolute inspiration! Wishing you all the best!