Your Words Are Flowing
Our Values, Your Words
We recently invited folk in the community to write words about the values at the heart of our Encouragement Manifesto.
We made a space for them - ‘The Gift of Words’ - and after a deep breath as our finger hovered, we quietly pressed the [send] button.
We have been blown away by the generous response and the quality and depth of the beautiful words that are emerging. We are thrilled to round up the contributions so far in this special edition of the ‘Encourage Meant’ newsletter.
First things first, you can find all the contributions in a single post, individual pieces of writing linked to the value they are inspired by.
Your Words, Gifted
Four years ago we gathered up the values that had underpinned our coffee shop/deli to create the Encouragement Manifesto. We wondered if they might strike a chord with others so we invited some folk to write about the value that most resonated with them
Guide our eyes, we hear you say …
We were thrilled that ‘Community of Words’ was the first contribution. Inspired by ‘Create Community’
(a fabulous community builder) gets right to the heart of what makes Substack so perfect for our Encourage Meant.We love how individual writers will put their own slant on a value. Take ‘Be Consistent’, for example, the value with the most submissions so far. In ‘One Equals One Thousand’,
urges us to do our very best work every time, whether we have one pair of eyes on it or one thousand. reminds us that the first step towards consistency is ‘Showing Up’ for ourselves. So true.We hope that the words people are gifting us will inspire others to share their thoughts, folk like
who has been thinking about how to ensure she doesn’t miss out on the opportunities when inspiration knocks at her door. We love the practical steps she shared in her piece ‘Just Indigestion’.It is clear already that folk who are attracted to writing about the Encouragement Manifesto values are already living through the same values. Our call to arms has surfaced a collection of kindred spirits. Folk like
who wrote about how ‘Kindness is a Superpower’ and who is ‘Valuing Words’, his and yours.We hoped that the words people offer might encourage others. Like these thoughts from ‘Start With Yourself’ by
:I think, what if in this space we are not only connecting with creatives and finding a safe space to write, but helping each other learn and unlearn?
What if this is why I have found my way here in this season of my creative life?
And …
What if by sharing the truth of me in this space, I am both learning to unlearn and helping others learn what they need to unlearn?
This feels like a perfect example of the ‘Be Generous’ value it was inspired by.
We hope you are as thrilled as we are with the quality of these contributions to our gentle collection of words inspired by The Encouragement Manifesto.
Would anyone be up for writing their own words to top up a well of encouragement for others to draw on? Please send your words to us at feastsandfables@gmail.com
The Ask (because brief sounds like actual work):
Easy does it. No time limit. A rolling collection, growing over time as people find us. No stipulations. Choose a value from the manifesto and write about it. Prose or poetry, fun or serious, fiction or essay. Any length, but it will become a Substack post and I usually - as a reader - go for 10 mins an article or less. But happy with absolutely anything about how a value speaks to you, the writer
Encouragement is our Superpower … we think it is yours too.
Feasts + Fables
Barrie, what a great invitation! I’d love to write for it.
Learning and unlearning. 💪🏻