Six months of Magic, Noted
Some more reflections on where we've been and where we're going
Whew — another three months down! This week’s post is a lil’ delayed because, well, gestures wildly at everything currently going on around us and all the different subsequent states and feelings it evokes. Plus, it’s open enrollment season. But! I’m here to give an update on the previous three months, much like I did in this post a few months ago:
While these kinds of posts aren’t focused on Disney, they do offer a peek behind the curtain to the creative process of Magic, Noted. The mental, emotional, and physical journey of creating anything has always fascinated me, and I hope that this perspective illustrates that behind all the words and photos and doodles is a very human being who is just trying to make something good and something comforting, for me, for you, and for us.
With that said, let’s review the last few months and think of what’s still to come.
What I’m most proud of
Remember my note on commitment and discipline from my three-month post? Well, I’m back with more reflections because this passion project continues to challenge and humble me in all the best ways.
I’ve experienced consistent but slow growth since I launched back in May. I knew that writing about a niche topic that only appeals to a small subsection of my target audience would present unique challenges, but it’s different to anticipate something and be wading through the cold, murky waters of it. And I’ve been wading, y’all. But! Lucky for me, all this time spent in the water has taught me the following:
I’m here because I love what I’m learning and writing about. Take away everything and I would still be here chatting away about Central Florida property values in the 1960s, vintage stuff I’ve found on eBay, and past and future Disney trips. It fuels me.
This is character building, baby! Seriously, I’ve faced and overcome so many mental and emotional challenges over the last six months thanks to Magic, Noted. I’m like Hercules battling the hydra and being this close to throwing in the proverbial towel but managing to get clever and claim victory instead. In hindsight, it’s pretty spectacular to think about. In this regard, I feel like I’ve grown quite a bit as a researcher, writer, and Disney fan and I’m so proud of myself for that.
Mistakes happen, and you can either dwell on them or move forward. Anything worth doing isn’t going to be easy, but it will be worthwhile. It will teach you about yourself and give you a greater appreciation for those who are also, as President Teddy Roosevelt once said, in the arena. It will grant you perspective, and it will pull you toward those who are in your circle rooting for you to grow and evolve and succeed. If that’s you, thank you.
As of today, this publication has 26 posts. To quote our favorite audio-animatronic father figure, now that’s progress!
My favorite recent posts
Magic Badges
So far, six months of Magic Badges have been mailed out to paid subscribers with another round currently being prepared and sealed up with gratitude. Additionally, I slid a special sticker in the September mailing, and another will be sent in the November mailing to celebrate six months of the publication! I feel like I say this every time, but they’re two of my favorites.
Goals for the next three months
I worked on this a little bit over the last few months, but I want to be a bit more intentional about putting myself out there on Substack. I’m sort of awful at sharing my posts and promoting Magic, Noted to a wider audience, so I know that I have ample room for improvement in that area.
I’d love to continue growing Magic, Noted. Like I mentioned above, growth in a niche but oversaturated topic can be quite challenging. So, my goal for the next few months will be to gain 10 new subscribers and two paid subscribers. With that said (shameless plug), feel free to subscribe if you haven’t already done so and share this publication with others!
Even though I’ve been posting on Wednesdays or Fridays pretty consistently, I’d love to create and share a monthly Magic, Noted content calendar on Substack and Instagram at the beginning of each month. There’s a few dates that I keep filed away in my brain but I want to extend that awareness to my readers so that they know when to expect posts, Magic Badge cut-off dates and mailings, and my monthly no-post week. Having a nice graphic also, you know, holds me accountable (wink).
I want to continue exploring diverse subject matter for my posts. Part of this involves recognizing which of my posts have really stood out amongst the rest and that’s all decided by you, the reader. Such posts include the Main Street Post, along with topics that explore Disney news and tips and tricks for the parks. Is there something that you’d love to see on Magic, Noted? Let me know!
Adding narrated audio recordings to some or most posts. If you read my three-month update, you might remember this being one of my late summer goals. I think it’d be fun to add a lil’ personality to my posts, as well as offer another method of reading them. I was prepared to do this recently, but my computer (bombastic side-eye) had other plans. However, I just got a new set-up so it’s back on my to-do list! Keep an eye on December posts.
Things I’m looking forward to
Writing and preparing more posts that fall into the Treasures of Yesteryear bucket. I have so many super cool, vintage paper goods (see above) that I want to yap about, so I’d like to prioritize those posts over the next few months! Using the poll below, let me know which topic you’d like to hear about first:
A break. It’s the holiday season, y’all. Whether or not you celebrate any of the festivities that take place during the last chunk of the calendar year, it’s high time to put your feet up, turn on a feel-good movie, and let the waves of relaxation wash over you (name that attraction…). I’ll be finding time to do that, and I encourage you to do the same.
That’s all, folks! If you’ve subscribed and interacted with my posts over the last few months or more, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It means the absolute world to me. There’s so much more to come!
Be sure to smash that lil’ heart icon below and leave a comment to let me know if you’ve got an idea for topic you’d love to see featured here! As always, thank you so much for reading. I appreciate you being here.
See ya real soon,
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Congrats!!! Okay Ms. GIS... a deep dive on how Disney uses GIS in their construction planning and management? Could be interesting seeing as I've heard rumors about a Villains land.
Wow, congratulations on six months, McKenzie! That is so amazing and you've done such an amazing job as well. Love your writing and everything you've chosen to write about has been very interesting to me, so I'm wide-open for whatever you care to bring us in the future. Everything on your poll sounded good to me!