Friends, it's time for some changes around here.

Living in the van, getting some time and space from my life, and finally getting to put some proper time into the business side of Ink and Feet has left me with one big realization:

I'm not who I used to be.

See, in the past four years, I've been trying to run Ink and Feet like I did the four years before that - exploring and engaging fully,  travelling and writing about what I found.

But the truth is that I'm in a relationship, and that's changed things in ways I haven't honestly come to grips with.

Being in a commited partnership means that I take some of my time, a big chunk of my available emotional labor, and a bit of my autonomy, and I put it into our partnership.

Before meeting my partner Edna, *all* of that stuff - all of me - went into Ink & Feet.   I replied to every single email.  Traveled where and when it felt right for me to travel.  Didn't have any of the costs or responsibilities that come with a more settled life.

For nearly four years, I've been living two lives, both halfway.  One's my old life, where I'm still traveling and writing and doing the things that bring me to life.   One's where I'm settled, committed to my partner, fixing the house and showing up for conversations. Where I'm putting in the work to figure out how to take our pretty different personalities and lives, and fit them together. 

But there's not enough me to do both of those things well, and it's shown.

After coming back from a few months in van, it was clear to both of us that living two lives wasn't working.  We were doing alright, but with its pre-relationship structure, Ink and Feet as a business was failing.   Edna and I sat, talked.  We both were committed to finding ways for both of us to live our authentic, true lives. Both committed to figuring out how to make whatever that was work.

And we realized that I needed to make some fundamental changes here at Ink and Feet, to make it the company and creature that fits *with* who I am in my partnership, instead of pretending things haven't changed.

It means re-centering on living authentically.  It means finding ways to engage fully with all of you that don't need me to have more emotional energy than I actually have available.   And it means finally actually talking about my partnership, the struggles, the victories, the ways we're carving our own weird, authentic path in the world.

So, it's time to do that.  :)

Over the next couple months, you'll see some changes around here to just about everything - the website, the letters, the patreon, the courses and the videos.   There are new ideas in the pipeline that I'm super excited to work on, and get into everyone's hands. 

To do it properly, I'm also going to take a month off of the letters in June.  It's [*Matariki*]() here in New Zealand, and I can't think of a better time to recenter, restart, and rebuild what I'm doing.

I've been so fortunate over the years to have you and folks like you reading each week, coming along on the journey, sharing your journeys with me.   Thanks so much for coming along, and for joining me in the next chapter.

I can't wait. :)

-Steven





I'll be taking a month off in June, *Matariki* here in New Zealand, to reflect, rebuild, and restart things.  And I'll come back on the first of July, re-centered in who I am now, what this life is, and what we can all explore together.