PaanPrintables Celebrates One Year!

Happy first year of publishing my first newsletter!

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

It’s been a year (!!)

I started this newsletter to create a community and to share insights on navigating through aging and retirement. I’m neither an online marketer, SEO expert, self-promoter, nor a published author. I'm a writer and an artist who finds joy in both pursuits, and I like to share with readers whom I hope to connect with.

It’s also important to me to share with you personal experiences and inspire you to take more risks and learn to love life both the joyful and the painful moments more deeply.

The elephant in the room

My original intent of course was to create a soft landing for my Etsy shop, which by the way never got off the ground. I created a few digital items such as date night cards, a scavenger hunt, a sleep planner, and activity placemats for kids.

It was pure misery. The logistics behind creating digital products without a template (and my not having a graphic design background or any formal training) was hell. And I felt guilty charging money for such shoddy product.

So then I spent a small fortune buying templates for private label sales. Crazy products like cootie catchers, wedding planners, medical planners, hospital stay planners (I got really into planners because the physical products were so expensive to buy), and party games.

All duds. Dismal failures. Why? Because I didn’t bother trying to redesign them and make the products into my own signature branding colors, font, and styling.

Why?

Because I hated the entire process of creating digital products. But I loved the idea of doing so, of being an online digital product creator. This pseudo passion came from being bored with arts and crafts, you know the kind, the one’s retired people do when they’re filling free time or not entertaining grandchildren?

I say I’m an artist. But I’m not. I’m an art stalker, one who loves and admires art so much that perfection paralyses me from sitting down and actually doing the work needed to prefect the craft. Does this make any sense at all, to you?

Well, it didn’t to me, either.

My definition of success

I don’t want to be that person who sits in a chair and watches the world pass by. I’m not a spectator. I’m a participant.

In order to write I have to get off my ass and do things. Then I think about how to communicate the successes and failures of what I’m learning or interested in. And hopefully they engage, entertain, and teach what or what not to do with your lives, especially in the 3rd and 4th quarters of life.

My definition of success is to create and enjoy new experiences while stepping outside of my comfort zone, and sometimes this leads to some pretty crazy shit by other people’s definitions of living life.

I want to seek adventure and age gracefully in the process. I’d like you to do so with me.

Paid subscribers

I can’t thank you enough for believing in me enough to support my work. As much as I’d love to work for free, it isn’t in my bones to do so. Being paid incentivizes and gives me worth and value as a writer.

If you feel comfortable enough, please direct message a physical address to me, I’d like to send you a small gift of appreciation.

All subscribers

Thank you for taking time to read and comment. Engagement and camaraderie are half the fun in writing a newsletter and without you what’s the point? So, again, a big thank you and I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber. This year I’ll be putting out an additional weekly newsletter for paid subscribers only.

What’s in store for the coming year?

I'm excited to change the direction of the newsletter. I’m toying with changing the name of the newsletter but nothing is sticking as of yet. In the event I find something that fits, I’ll send a notification

While I've delved into numerous life experiences, and shared glimpses of my past, it’s time to move on with current plans and experiments. As I say goodbye with the last couple chapters of 'Draconian Detox', it's not closure but a step to the future.

In the next year I plan to write more on what’s current and topics that may interest you while you’re aging and defining who you are as a person. Eight or 80 you will change and grow, things change and so do we.

So let’s grow together, shall we?