Three months of Magic, Noted
Reflections on where we've been and where we're going
Whew — can you believe it’s been three months already? I can and I also can’t. This lil’ magical corner of the internet has been a source of effervescent joy but also something that can very much drain me — creatively, mentally, and physically — at the end of the day.
I knew that if I made it (lol) to three months of consistently writing and publishing posts, I’d want to honor that journey by bringing y’all behind the curtain to reflect on everything that has been and all that’s still to come. So, here we are! Let’s begin.
What I’m most proud of
As a neurodivergent gal who struggles balancing interests and navigating the waters of executive (dis)functioning, I’m so proud of my commitment to showing up. If all of this (wildly gestures at Magic, Noted) looks easy, I can assure you that it isn’t. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not good or worth it! This project has taught me discipline and given me a greater awareness of the complexities and nuances of a passion project, especially when the days are hard and readers are relying on you to create something of value. I’m still working through this, but I have so much more clarity and direction on this topic than I did three months ago. I’ll definitely follow up and touch on this more in a future reflection post.
I’m so proud of diving head first into the waters of a topic I love. It might not be everyone’s interest, but that’s okay. As far as I know, I’m the only one writing about it on Substack. That presents it’s own challenges but also, how cool is that? Few things are better than being a sponge to a subject that matters to you and soaking up all the knowledge and lessons and goodness that it can provide.
My favorite posts thus far
Magic Badges
I’m biased, but I just love these stinkin’ stickers. They’re a fun, creative outlet for me and hopefully something that brings a lil’ color and pizazz to your day. My favorite stickers are still to come and I cannot wait to share them with y’all! Do you have a favorite design so far?
Goals for the next three months
After keeping a close eye on my readership stats, I learned that the majority of my audience is coming from within Substack. That’s a pretty interesting nugget of information! So, I really want to try to be more active on Substack itself; push my work! Connect with people! Stop feeling weird about it!
With that said, I’d love to double the amount of subscribers I have. I want to grow Magic, Noted and that really can’t happen without maintaining the support it currently has and bringing new subscribers on board. So, feel free to share this publication with others! I’m also exploring the idea of implementing referral rewards, so be on the look out for that.
Remove myself from the mindset that I need to write an essay for each post. Sure, this is Substack but a wall of text each week isn’t always necessary, especially when we consider the highly-visual nature of the subject matter. Shake it up!
Depending on the content of posts that are in production, I might set out to publish two or three posts per month. If I’m working on two research-heavy or wordy posts, they might be the only posts for that month. I’m trying to be more realistic about my capacity while also ensuring that I’m able to provide value to my readers. It’s a delicate balance, and I think the last few months have made that clear to me.
I know this won’t be for everyone, but I’d like to start including audio recordings with essays. This is an awesome feature from Substack that gives folks the option of listening to a post that’s been recorded by the author, sort of like a podcast but without the ads and frill. My ever-supportive husband surprised me with a microphone after I mentioned this idea, so I’m ready to go!
I’d really like to explore ways to build a more engaged community. I love watching livestreams of productivity and reading sprints, so that’s an idea. Maybe a bookclub, movie night, or something along those lines? There’s lots to explore so if something in particular interests you, leave a comment and let me know!
Things I’m looking forward to
Keeping a close watch on D23 this weekend, which is Disney’s “ultimate fan event” held in Anaheim every year. It’s a highly sought-after ticketed event where one can watch the corporate and Imagineering bigwigs release information on what’s to come from Disney. This year, lots of folks are hoping for greater detail surrounding the proposed Magic Kingdom expansion, along with the Latin American-themed land that’s replacing Dinoland U.S.A. in Animal Kingdom. Expect to see a D23 wrap-up post next week!
Planning a return trip to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco next year. Since my trip to California last month, I’ve been itchin’ to head back to the Bay Area and this wonderful, smartly-curated museum. I paid homage to it in an Instagram post a couple months ago, and I cannot wait to return. This is something I’d love to vlog for y’all!
Maybe (and this is a big maybe) selling some Disney and Magic, Noted-inspired stickers. I’ve got a handful of really fun designs ready to go, but I’m indecisive on just where to sell them; Etsy, a Shopify store, etc. I’m leaning toward the former but…we’ll see!
That’s all, folks! If you’ve subscribed and interacted with my posts over the last few months, 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, 1.) if you’d be interested in any specific community things (i.e. livestream sprints, bookclub, movie night, or something else) and 2.) if you’ve got a topic you’d love to see featured here!
As always, I appreciate y’all. Thanks so much for reading!
See ya real soon,
PS. July’s Magic Mail was dropped off yesterday, and I’ll be previewing August’s Magic Badge on Friday in the chat.
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DCOM MOVIE NIGHT‼️