Special Event: Survival as a Creative Act

Save the date! April 6, 2024, from 12-1pm ET

Hi friend!

Today is the fourth anniversary of the Isolation Journals, and I’m here with some exciting news! To celebrate this special occasion, I’ll be hosting a Studio Visit for paid subscribers from my painting residency. It’s happening this Saturday, April 6 from 12-1pm ET. I’ll be talking about survival as a creative act.

Studio Visits is a conversation series where I interview extraordinary writers and other artists about the creative process. When I reentered cancer treatment, I had to take a hiatus from hosting virtual events because the reality of living in an unpredictable body made it too difficult to manage. But I’ve really missed being in conversation with this beloved community, and I’m excited to reprise it, though in a slightly different form. Rather than hosting a guest artist, this time my dear pal and the Isolation Journals managing editor Carmen Radley will be interviewing me!

From peak pandemic to the hospital to paradise

As I write this, I’m in the studio. It’s currently drizzling outside—my favorite kind of work day—and I’m surrounded by things that inspire me to create. Seven large canvases, almost my height, lean against the walls. A wooden table is covered in paintbrushes and watercolors, pens and journals and a stack of index cards. Three dog beds are nestled in the corners (because of course). I’m working on two new books, and I’m preparing for “The Alchemy of Blood,” a joint art exhibit with my beloved maman, Anne Francey.

I’m excited to talk about all of this—the liberating act of journaling, learning to follow the paintbrush without knowing where it will lead, the value of creative cross-training, and how it’s all teaching me about surrender, both in my work and in life.

If you’re not yet a paid subscriber and you’d like to join us, upgrade here:

Everything you need to know—

• The event will take place on Zoom. You don’t need to register—we’ll email paid subscribers with the link the day before! (You can save the date to your google calendar by clicking here.)

• If you can’t make it live, don’t worry. We’ll send out a video recording to paid subscribers!

• The conversation will be fueled by your questions, so if you have one, drop it in the comments below!

I couldn’t be more excited about this—I really hope you’ll join us!

Sending love,

Suleika

Paid subscriptions ($6/month) get you access to a number of extra benefits, like:

• creative courses and daily journaling challenges, like our New Year’s series On Rumi & Paradox

• transformative workshops, like Letters from Love with Elizabeth Gilbert and On Joy, Sorrow, & Creative Alchemy with Susan Cain

• the Hatch, our virtual creative hour where we gather for inspiration, connection, and accountability

• my advice column, Dear Susu, where I answer your questions about writing and life and everything in between

• our archive of sixteen Studio Visits with brilliant artists like the iconic poet Marie Howe and the astonishing multi-hyphenate Lena Dunham

• additional writing from me, like My Year of Love photo essay, where I wrote about what I thought was the worst year of my life but in fact was so much more

• most importantly: a way for people who find meaning in this work to support & sustain the Isolation Journals.