I sat down to write an essay about making an ebook, because it’s been a fun creative adventure. (It’s also not finished — I wanted to write from inside the process.) But as I drafted the essay, it occurred to me that what was supposed to be a simple, practical…
Welcome to The Creative Reconciliation — An Accountant’s Field Notes From the Space Between
Originally published on Substack after updating my publication name there from Debit This, Create That (same as this blog) to The Creative Reconciliation. Although everything is archived here at debitthiscreatethat.com, I renamed my Substack as I began developing a distinguishable voice there. Substack began housing my more reflective, unfolding writing…
Children’s Books That Speak to My Inner Artist
I’m going to be honest with you — I occasionally feel tearful when I read to my kids at bedtime, because some of the books we’ve been gifted are just so darn moving. (I’ve also been known to cry on a dime over a sentimental TV commercial… Call me a…
Magic That Grows When You’re Not Even Looking
My creative flow and corporate structure are often at odds, but both my whimsical and my analytical sides can agree on one thing: a love of signs and synchronicities. Lately, nature has been coming in with some particularly poignant ones. It always has really, but I’ve recently been taking some more time…
Grappling With the Blank Page
The Rapid Log · 06 I’ve been meaning to write a post, but for the first time in years, I really struggled with what I came here to say. Until now, my problem hasn’t been a lack of ideas — it’s been too many things to say, all at once. I’ve been…
I Resisted Substack, But I’m So Glad I Finally Joined
I vividly remember the first time I’d considered writing on Substack. I was walking through a rustic-chic clothing store with a friend, feeling the fabrics as we wandered by (while feigning a pay grade that could accommodate them). It was a little over a year ago, and I had been…
When You Leave the Job, But the Burnout Comes With You
I left accounting to become a writer, but at the time, I didn’t know that’s what I was doing. What I did know was that I was stepping out of an environment that — despite being full of people I loved working with — felt misaligned and fed cyclical burnout, which was…
The Discomfort of Having Time
Less than a year ago, I traded full days in the office of an accounting firm for full days in my creative studio. I assumed that stepping out of a structured work life into an unstructured creative one would be a breeze. The reality was more complex. I loved the…
How I Used a Digital Bullet Journal to Manage Overwhelm at Work
Bullet journals have really kept me afloat during my decade spent as a public accountant. Personal bullet journals have kept me grounded, creatively connected, and generally on top of life. (In fact, here’s why I always recommend bullet journaling for busy creatives.) But implementing one at work — just for…
How to Use Excel as a Simple Digital Bullet Journaling System
Excel is great. It’s simple to use, flexible, and familiar (especially to us bean counters). But can a spreadsheet work as a bullet journal? Sure it can! In fact, it’s the thing that kept me sane at work for most of my career. I love traditional pen-and-paper bullet journal notebooks.…