Summer Pause was fully in effect, we celebrated a family wedding, I got sick, then recovered just in time for Back-to-School in Cologne.
August is Late Summer
Here in Cologne, Germany it felt like summer finally really arrived in August, with mostly hot days and some storms. Wonderful!
I was so grateful to be able to thaw out, dress scantily and lounge in the warmth of the sun, as well as retreat to the air conditioning of the dance studio to move.
The first part of the month was packed, then summer holidays began proper and in classic educator style, I immediately came down with a nasty cold, which I would fight for the rest of the break. At the end of the month, returned to teaching almost everywhere.
Well enough during the break though to witness the marriage ceremony of my girlfriend’s sister and their gorgeous reception, including excellent food and drink, merrymaking, and participation my first Kurdish wedding dances.
Whenever we could over the course of the month, we got outside, for walks, to picnic in the park, breathe in the rose garden, even just to sit on the windowsill and watch the neighborhood go by, with Rufio sniffing and exploring and rolling in the dirt on her leash.
World events swirled and I also submitted my German tax returns with Ela’s help, always a relief and adulting accomplishment!
Bullet Journaling & Planning
In August I continued to update my Monthly, Weekly, and Daily logs and Annual Collections and set up my September pages. It was a delight to be in my purple spreads all month, with lavish lavender, rich velvety eggplant, lively lilac and all my favorite colors as decoration, suitable to an elegant and regal tone.
The above YouTube Video is a flip-through of the month in my Seasonal Book, with my goals, glows, media favorites, and events of August.
Teaching & Coaching
The beginning of August was chock full with end-of-schoolyear teaching, jumping in to guest teach for colleagues, and wrapping up one semester to prepare for the next. Then true holidays began and my body demanded complete rest by getting sick, but thankfully I could take the time to recover before returning to studios and schools.
Regular Mindful Movement classes in Balletlicious Ballet Barre+ and Yummy Gentle Yoga continued throughout, studio classes in Ballet and Barre a Terre took a two-week break before resuming. School began again and I introduced new elective offerings, also scheming about the Back-to-School into Fall season and the remainder of the year.
I currently have a couple of coaching slots available and will keep you posted on further offerings as they come together!
Writing & Publishing Articles
In August I published three articles to the blog:
- Jolly July – 2024 Month 7 Review covers everything from the jubilant to just-ok in my life that month
- Summer Fun in or out of the Sun: a Bucket List of Hot-Weather Hits is a collection of my favorite activities and traditions of the season, without which I won’t be ready to move on to Autumn.
- Seaside, Oceanic & Watery Inspirations – Dance, Yoga, Music, Poetry & Creativity is a refreshing and creative way to explore the element of water in dance and life.
Filming & Sharing Videos
I published five videos to the A Blythe Coach YouTube Channel in August:
Connecting: Email & Social Media
I sent four weekly Email Newsletters in August, full of value-packed resources for fellow creatives. Took a bit of a break in posting to social media during staycation/sickness, then returned to sharing updates and inspiration to Instagram and Facebook, though I haven’t been back on TikTok since the Alphabet Superset.
The best way to keep up-to-date on everything I’m coaching, teaching, creating and sharing about as well as my favorite work from other creators is to subscribe to my weekly email newsletter.
Would truly love to be connected to you there, here, on social media, online or in-person!
Creative Challenges
Having completed my Alphabet Superset and Camp NaNoWriMo in July, in August I focused on rest and recovery, reading and writing, planning for upcoming challenges and behind-the-scenes development.
Twenty-Four 24s in 2024
On August 23rd I published my twenty-fourth YouTube video of 2024, bringing my total of “completed” 24s to 13, with Blog Articles likely being next… Of course I’ll continuing sharing videos and the rest, this metric is just a playful way to track my creative priorities, inspired by Jess/JashiiCorrin on YouTube.
Media Musings
Assorted August entertainments:
Books & Reading
A new article I published in August, Summer Fun in or out of the Sun, features some of my all-time favorite hot-weather reads and I’ve found a couple new discoveries this year to add to the list.
Books Read
I completed one novel in August, continued reading other works of fiction alone and with Ela, as well as working on my current nonfiction picks:
- Roomies by Christina Lauren was another solid rom-com by this writing pair and I particularly liked the musical theatre / Broadway setting, the gay uncles, and growth of creative voice in the main character
Listening Highlights
Favorite things heard over the course of the month go here, such as concerts, songs, pieces of music, playlists, podcasts and more.
Music: Songs & Albums
Sweet Summer jams, some old, some new:
- “Red Wine Supernova” by Chappell Roan
- “Thunder Summer Storm” by Melissa Czarnik
- “Ichi” instrumental piece by Daigo Hanada
Playlists
- Balletlicious Summertime Dance had it’s last hurrah for the year in August
- 2024 Summer Jams is like a little time capsule of what I was hearing in summer this year
- ABC Choreo Music Ideas continued to be a receptacle of diverse inspirations
Viewing Highlights
Here’s some of what I saw last month.
Films
August Movies watched:
- “Deadpool and Wolverine” was the perfect silly summer film to see at the cinema (with a large popcorn), especially the Backstreet Boys dance fight scene
- “Wicked Little Letters” we watched at home, based on a true story and is a cute and wild tale of inappropriate correspondence and false accusations
Series
Series on streaming services and so forth:
- “Poker Face” Comedy-Drama Series continued to be one of my favorite fictional shows of the year, with great acting, plot, music, direction…
- “The Umbrella Academy” is certainly a dark and twisted, but action packed series
- “Young Rock,” a fictional future bio series about Dwayne Johnson as a presidential candidate telling stories from his youth, is light entertainment
Questions for Reflection
- What summer (or last season) memories are you preserving?
- How are you planning for a productive fall (or next season) and end-of-year?
- What will you pursue, and what will you let go?
- How can I support you in taking flight this year?
Resources for Further Exploration
- Quarter One Fun Bullet Journal Reflection Video
- Quantum Leaping in 2024 Word / Intention of the Year
- Blogging My Purpose – the “Why” behind A Blythe Coach
- Why Bother Distinguishing Your Why?
- Care & Actualization of the Self
- Analog Journals for Creativity
Special offerings for Back-to-School, Autumnal Inspirations, and more coming up soon!
Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst
she/her or they/them
Creator of A Blythe Coach @ablythecoach
helping multi-passionate creatives dance through their difficulties,
taking leaps of faith into fulfillment through coaching, yoga & dance education