Goodbye Lisa Sophia, hello Miscellaneous Sophia
As some of you may know, I started writing on this platform using my mother’s name and my own because I was inspired by her eye for design, and also in order to practice some anonymity. That call to anonymity is a prevalent recurring motif in my life, though after 8 months of writing on this platform, I’ve felt my preference change. Now I want to present as myself.
I’ve updated my About page accordingly. Check it out if you’d like :)
Goodbye Design Journals, hello new topics
I called the primary publication (the monthly magazine) a design journal because this monthly journal tracked the design elements, themes, motifs, and inspiration points that I came into contact with month by month. They marked time, but they also contained themes and concepts which act as a through-line connecting this publication: discipline, calm, wellness, patience, spirit, and heart.
With these changes, I’ll be introducing additional themes as well as new topics on this platform. Each post will include tags according to the following topics.
Domestic Bliss : Domestic bliss is my categorization for all things related to domestic life and seeking bliss, happiness, calm, etcetera. In this section, I’ll include the occasional recipe, spiritual realization, reflections on meditative practice, and pretty much everything else that was ever a topic in any of the past design journals.
FYI - All design journals and other former posts will be archived under the ‘domestic bliss’ category.
Magical Realism short stories : These short stories will be a new endeavor of mine to share my fictional short stories, which contain elements of magical realism.
Magical Realism is a genre of literary fiction which depicts a realistic view of the world while employing some magical elements. Primary examples I have read include Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Here is a nice Vox article on magical realism which provides more explanation and examples.
Book Talks and Location talks : I don’t want to spoil every surprise! I will send out a post under one of these topics very soon and you’ll see what I mean without definition. I hope you’ll derive enjoyment and inspiration from this sort of playful idea that came to me.
Looking at where we started
In September 2022, I posted my first Lisa Sophia Design Journal. Since then, I’ve written a monthly design journal and occasionally published additional posts.
My favorite posts include the Valentine’s Love Letters, 2023 Vision Boards, the March Design Journal and podcast posts: A Meditation for when you feel threatened and How to be the Queen of April Fool’s.
Looking to the path ahead
My experience with writing on substack has been very rewarding, especially in the sense that I have had some practice with publishing my writing online, grown more comfortable with that practice, and have followed my evolving interests. Over the last few months, I’ve been planning some shifts and pivots in the format of this writing, along with a desire to experiment with a further variety of subjects.
Aware that I am also balancing my writing on this platform with my job and young-professional life at this stage, I probably won’t commit to a regular publishing schedule at the outset. However, I will be publishing more frequently.
Follow along for these exciting changes and feel free to share with a friend!
Thanks.
Thank you, reader, so much for your support and for being with me on this journey. I’m honored to have a spot in your inbox.
sincerely,