Writing, Care, and Celebration: A Business Milestone

Full Circle Writing is now six months old! I made the above collage to celebrate six months of my business. The poem in the middle reads:

Insert a Pause

Enjoying the moment of

Early ideas

First marks

Pulling it all together

When I first began imagining what it might feel like to start a small business supporting writers, I wondered about the pace. Having spent most of my adult life in higher education, my schedule was profoundly shaped by the academic calendar. My body still feels the rhythm of the year in ways others might not.

Every July 4th used to signal a familiar rise in anxiety—it marked the unofficial end of summer for me. What followed was a flurry of syllabi drafting, scheduling fall travel, and preparing for committee work. Likewise, fall holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving often brought on a desperate attempt to find a pace—any pace-that wasn’t frantic and coffee-fueled.

Now, I’m learning a different rhythm. My body and mind are adjusting to the pace of being in business for myself—and more accurately, with myself.

This summer has brought its own challenges: caregiving responsibilities, continued program and funding cuts, and the uncertainties that come with building something new. Still, I don’t regret my decision to leave my position as a tenured associate professor. It was time. And yet, there have been challenges I couldn’t have imagined when I first began envisioning Full Circle Writing as my next chapter.

Now, six months in, I feel the pull to plan for what’s next, and I’ve got several things I’m looking forward to in the fall for sure—but I’m also reminding myself to pause. To celebrate. To reflect.

Here’s what I’ve built and supported so far:

• I launched and ran a 21-Day Spring Writing Program, giving writers space to reconnect through prompts, practices, and reflection.
• I offered a no-cost “Reflect & Reconnect” series, a pause point for writers to consider their summer writing goals through art and self-inquiry.
• I’m currently facilitating a 21-Day Summer Writing Camp, which focuses on navigating writing obstacles through writing prompts, self-compassion practices, and inspiration from art and poetry.
• I’ve supported writers across a wide spectrum, from those completing dissertations to those just beginning new creative projects, always with care for their whole lives.
• I’m creating a video essay for the 2025 Community Literacies Collaborative Symposium: Crafting the Irresistible: Creative-Critical Literacies & Community. My piece will explore Sam Gilliam’s work and how his art inspires new thinking about literacy, pedagogy, and community.
• Thanks to the much-appreciated collaboration with my daughters, who love art and zines, I’ve a writing prompt project that I’ll release soon.
• I’ve also returned to personal writing, particularly my ongoing project on BTS—a series of essays and collages that reflect my journey as both a fan and a parent of a fan, tracing our shared growth since 2018.
• And most meaningfully, I am acknowledging what I’ve accomplished and stopping to celebrate. This is huge for me. In the past, I wouldn’t have paused to recognize six months of progress that didn’t perfectly match my original plans. I’m learning a new pace. One that includes celebration, gratitude, and rest.

Before I dive into what’s coming for the fall — and I’m very excited about the upcoming offerings, especially for caregivers and those seeking seasonal reflection — I want to stay here a moment longer to honor what has already been done, to celebrate what has taken root, and to be grateful.