Welcome to a look back at my life last month. Having passed the midpoint of the year, it was a natural time to process the first six months. Things that run on a school year schedule also reach the transition into summer vacation, which means frantic activity, then leisure as well as planning for the next cycle.
(Mostly) Jovial July
July was joyous as well as jammed for me this year, with lots of teaching (my own and covering for colleagues), creating (Alphabet Superset, Camp NaNo, One Book July oh my!), family news both “good” and “bad,” queerness (CSD, the Trocks), political developments (as a US Citizen living in Germany, recent events such as one presidential candidate being shot at, one stepping down, a third stepping up are wild to see!), and summer outdoorsiness between storms.
Highlights in my personal life were witnessing the live performance of a world-famous company I have always admired and the 3-Day celebration that was Cologne Pride / Christopher Street Day. Grateful to be well for all of that, lowlights of the month included dicey health news from my parents, with whom I gratefully in close contact.
Bullet Journaling & Planning
In July I continued to update my Monthly, Weekly, and Daily logs and Annual Collections and set up my July and August pages.
The below YouTube Video is a flip-through of July in my Seasonal Book, a new one, and my own goals, glows, media favorites, and events.
Teaching & Coaching
July was action-packed in the area of teaching dance, as I held regular Mindful Movement classes in Balletlicious Ballet Barre+ and Yummy Gentle Yoga, studio classes in Ballet and Barre a Terre, and substitute taught for colleagues. As the month came to a close, things mellowed for 2-week summer pause at Tanzschule Tanzraum. My A Blythe Coach live online classes will continue to meet, with all locations returning at the end of August.
Writing & Publishing Articles
In July I published two (big, meaty) articles to the blog:
- Juicy June & Quarter Two Flew – 2024 Month 6 Review, Q2 & First-Half Wrap-Up contains my results and reflections on the first half of this year.
- Alphabet Superset Creative Challenge Recap 2023-2024: Learning from Filming 26 Micro Video Choreos on TikTok A-Z is a collection of the work I created and lessons I learned participating in this epic artistic challenge.
Filming & Sharing Videos
I published four videos to the A Blythe Coach YouTube Channel in July:
Connecting through Email & Social Media
I sent four weekly Email Newsletters in July, full of value-packed resources for fellow creatives. Not so active on Instagram and Facebook this month, or TikTok after posting my Alphabet Superset micro video choreos. But I did post about a few major events, including Nonbinary People’s Day/Week.
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 love to be connected to you there, here, on social media, online or in-person!
Creative Challenges
Lots opportunities for artistic action in July!
Alphabet Superset
The first week in July I completed my Alphabet Superset Challenge!
Campbell Walker, aka Struthless, launched the creative challenge in 2023, and in order to cover one per week with 26 letters in the English Alphabet, it has continued well into 2024. For many of the participants of whom I am aware, including Walker himself, the challenge is still in progress and I’m cheering them on! Search #alphabetsuperset to see many brilliant contributions from talented people the world over.
Overall a valuable and interesting project, there are a number of lessons learned that I shared in my Alphabet Superset Creative Challenge Recap 2023-2024: Learning from Filming 26 Micro Video Choreos on TikTok A-Z, which also has links to each of my micro choreo videos.
So, in July I posted one final micro video choreos to TikTok to finish this challenge:
- “Z” Zig-zagging Zen by the Zug
Camp NaNoWriMo
I came up with a few more Memoir story ideas and a new draft, exceeding my 1,000 goal for Camp this year. Appreciate the opportunity to take another look at the area of creative writing in my life regularly during “Camp” and NaNoWriMo in November, whether I take on a formal challenge or not. Lots of motivating free resources and community, if you write or want to, I highly recommend it!
One Book July
July in the planning community means #onebookjuly an annual challenge hosted by a few creators whose original concept is to attempt to cut back to one book and one pen for the month for all their writing/notetaking/planning/journaling purposes.
Although I don’t aspire to just one book (notebook, journal, planner), as my system is already simple enough for me, this challenge can be a good one for folks for whom complexity has become an issue. This year’s theme, “Mind the Gap” really appealed to me, as I do my best to fill my books completely, fully utilizing the paper and space the way I seek to use my other creative materials.
Memory-keeping, photos, quotes, poems (mine and other authors), ephemera, decorations, lists and brainstorming, I came up with lots of ways to fill my own gaps, some examples of which you can see in the following video:
Twenty-Four 24s in 2024
In July I sent my 24th Email, bringing me to fully half, 12, of my “Twenty-Four 24s” completed and counting!
As introduced in the Twenty-Four 24s in 2024 article and with a First Half update in the video above under “Filming and Sharing Videos.” For each of the 24 chosen metrics I intend to make at least 24 contributions, in this way consistently supporting my major goals and most valued priorities.
Media Musings
Jovial July entertainments:
Books & Reading
Books Read
I only completed reading one novel in July and plan to continue sharing other reading favorites, such as blogs, email newsletters and so forth in real time in my almost-weekly email newsletter and quarterly here on the blog:
- Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor: despite it being very potentially triggering, with gritty, difficult themes–it’s an epic tale of a gangster family and people whose lives they change forever that takes place in India–I found it brilliantly written with compelling and complex characters. Definitely a top fiction read of the year.
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:
- “Shimmer Shimmer” song by Moxxy, “your new glow up soundtrack!”
- “Vacation” song by Priya Ragu, who I saw live in Cologne last year and then heard on the radio in Hawai’i in May
- “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyonce
- “Rush” song by Troye Sivan
- “Lunch” song by Billie Eilish
- “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan
Playlists
- Balletlicious Summertime Dance
- 2024 Summer Jams
- Alphabet Superset
- ABC Choreo Music Ideas
- Delectable Dance Conditioning
Viewing Highlights
Here are my Performances, Films & Series, and so forth seen last month.
Live Performances & Exhibitions
- “Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo” Dance Concert, Koelner Philharmonie, a surprise birthday gift from my girlfriend’s mother, which she and Ela’s aunt attended with us. A world-famous all-male ballet parody troupe with legitimate dancing and comedy chops. They lived up to my high expectations, I wept with laughter and clapped my hands off with appreciation for their brilliance.
Sports Events
- Euro Men’s Football/Soccer Cup: since it was England vs. Spain, we weren’t very invested in who won, but it was an exciting game to watch with friends nonetheless.
- Paris Summer Olympics Opening Festivities: this event had as much to do with music, dance, and history as with sport and I was dazzled. Had to fast-forward through the hours of the countries filing through on boats along the Seine, majestic though it was, and was annoyed by the commentary interrupting the performances (try to find a version to watch without it if you can), but the many musical and dance performance features were an absolute spectacle, showcasing artistic excellence of so many diverse and interacting kinds.
Films
July Movies watched:
- “The Lobster” film was every bit as bizarre as I had heard, darkly humorous
- “Dungeons and Dragons” film was actually very cute and entertaining
Series
Series on Netflix, etc.:
- “Poker Face” Comedy-Drama Series might turn out to be my favorite fictional show of the year. Great acting, plot, music, direction…
- “The Boyfriend” series is a gay Japanese dating reality show, interesting to watch and such a completely different experience from
- “Princess Charming” series, a lesbian German dating reality show. This one we honestly don’t watch in full, rather the reactions of Annika, who humorously summarizes the action and selects relevant clips.
Questions for Reflection
- What remains on my Summer bucket list?
- Which projects am I choosing to focus on in the second half of the year?
- What plans are coming together for the coming month, quarter, season?
- 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 events for Summer Fun, Back-to-School 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