It’s been a whole year since Jeff and I have brought you FIELD GUIDE. It’s grown and changed over its last 37 publications and I couldn’t be more excited to see who, and what is presented this year.
We’ve brought you many professions, hobbies, and passions. To start 2023 and our next season of FIELD GUIDE off, let’s remember some amazing contributors that have graced your Substack app and inbox so far.
Cara Baute kicked off FIELD GUIDE last January. She’s now working 5 days a week compared to the 2 she was working last school year. She continues to find joy in lesson planning and sharing crafts that the kids have done. I am so thankful to have had her join us, and even more thankful that teachers like her exist.
Keri Garcia tickled our morbid curiosity and took us on her journey to working with the deceased. Keri is waiting for the green light on a job that will bring her that much closer to achieving her goals! All of my fingers and toes are crossed for her success.
Jared Shane Sneden gave us a glimpse at what it’s like being a singer/songwriter in Nashville trying to make it big. He laid out his process and how songs come to life from start to finish, with a bit of real life responsibility in between.
Vanessa Haight Smith of the Smithsonian Institute (I’m still in awe) showed us how important preserving our books and in turn our history is.
My friend, Jenna, stopped by and shared her journey in sobriety. Jenna spent her holidays with her little family and baking all the goodies. She is still working for an amazing company that supports her professional growth as well as personal growth.
We were also joined by subscribers of our own, as well as, fellow Substack writers. Our community is so interwoven and it was a great pleasure to bring them to your inboxes for you to get to know them a little better.
Another sincere thank you to:
Sarah Miller of Can we read? for entertaining my questions and providing such an informative and encouraging publication with us.
Katerina Pavlakis, The Intuitive Cook and our frequent guest writer for sharing her kitty cat companion, Psipsina, with us and reminding us that sometimes we’re chosen for love, even by animals and even when we’re not ready.
Josh Thomson for sharing the complexities of technical writing. Not only that, thank you for sharing with us the importance of delving into our hobbies, new and old, in our down time to keep us feeling fulfilled when our 9 to 5 isn’t always what keeps us going.
Valorie Clark of Unruly Figures and Collected Rejections for reminding us that there are other ways to share knowledge, find success, and create a platform for learning and community outside of teaching.
Amie McGraham, now carrying on her mother’s legacy with Cook & Tell, for getting vulnerable and letting us in on how you found yourself and what’s to come for you.
I am left feeling a great sense of gratitude for the things that have been shared with us and am incredibly excited about the year to come. Thank you for being here, and thank you for being a part of FIELD GUIDE and its growth.
I leave you on this fine Friday asking you to take time this weekend to look at how far you’ve come from where you’ve been. We climb the mountain together. Just at our own pace. You’re always right on time.
-Skyler
What a great retrospective!