Consistency vs. collapse
This week I got stuck in a broken process at work. Two coworkers stepped in; we untangled just enough to keep things moving. It made me stare down how I’m running projects — on the clock and in my business.
I can’t just walk away and I don’t have extra hours to go hunt clients. There is no off button. And the kicker is, the same pattern is showing up at home, too.
Renter reality: every shower makes my eyes itch. I’m 99% sure there’s mold living behind the access panel over my tub.
I can’t open the wall; I’m stuck treating symptoms. That hidden creep behind tile is what the stress feels like — quiet, everywhere, and nibbling until it owns the room. House-of-Usher energy. If the mold is the physical version, the head noise is the mental one.
Imposter static? Loud.
Some days this newsletter feels like a vanity project — even when fellow creator-journalists tell me to keep going.
And then there’s the dumb human stuff: you wear a fire outfit and no one notices. It stings. I want to be a person who doesn’t need outside validation and I’m a person who makes things for other people to see. Those two truths can sit next to each other. Which leaves me with the only lever I actually control: how I show up.
Consistency (when you’re falling apart)
Everyone preaches it; nobody mentions the weeks held together by dry shampoo and three open tabs of life. Sometimes consistent just isn’t possible. On those weeks, the smallest honest thing I can ship still counts. Collapse days don’t void the work. So I’m naming the mess, lowering the bar to something real, and moving anyway.
🍞Stories worth supporting
That’s why I’m still asking — week 3, slow progress, not much to point at — and doing it anyway, because motion beats waiting to feel ready.
That’s on me; I’m moving slower than I want. The only way any of this works is to keep going, even when I don’t want to. Proof of work over perfect timing.
When I can’t fix what’s behind my own walls, I look outward for signal — what’s happening in Dallas this fall, and the color notes I’m stealing for mood boards.
Crumbs I’m Following…
AIA Dallas Tour of Homes (Oct 25–26).
Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse Dallas (Nov 7–23). Plan your visit!
Mortgage rates just dropped again. Freddie Mac’s weekly survey shows the 30-yr fixed at 6.26% — lowest since early October last year.
Remodeling outlook cut. Trade press revised forecasts downward on slower housing turnover and softer prices—useful context for the sudden “value” pitch everywhere.
Disaster repairs are a bigger slice of the market. Harvard JCHS notes disaster-related repair spend has grown sharply in recent years (with fresh figures).
Rebates status, in plain English. Handy fact sheet on where DOE Home Energy Rebates (HOMES/HEAR) actually stand; some states live, others lagging.
The Last Slice
I can’t fix what’s behind every wall. I can name it, ask sooner, and keep making something small when the big thing isn’t possible. Doubt and fear can ride shotgun, but they don’t get the map.
If you want to be part of something fixing and addressing some big things in small (but mighty) ways, check out my fellow creators publishing and pushing against the mainstream by participating in the Back Indie Media Drive. Check out their work and see if you can find a new ‘channel’ worth paying for.
🍽️Thanks for being at the table.
If this made you feel seen, send it to a friend juggling a day job and a build. Want the deeper, messy middle? Hit reply and say “upgrade details.” Or, tell me what’s on your plate.
Warmly,
Amanda
Helping folks feel at home.