SGE Behind the Scenes
Part 4: The Development of a Digital Journal
Welcome Back to Soft Girl Era: Behind the Scenes!
In this series, I recount the efforts and emotions that went into bringing my passion project to life. If you’re just joining us, check out my earlier posts in this series here to get a feel for what Soft Girl Era is all about.
Also, if you haven’t already, head to my website to purchase your copy of Soft Girl Era: Mindmaps to the Heart.
In coming months, I look forward to hosting events aligned with the phases of my book to add an element of community to a journey that can often feel so lonesome.
As I emerged from my healing cocoon, the world looked brighter, the air felt more breathable; I’d done it. That far away light I’d been trekking towards was finally mine to bask in. With it came a sense of clarity that I hadn’t felt since childhood. Vividly, I remembered the very moment when I tucked my Soft Girl away, promising her that someday she would have the room to bloom.
“I’ve been a Soft Girl all my life.”
I can only describe it as a personal epiphany - one moment of coming home to Self that made everything make sense.
Sidebar: If you’re into Human Design, my friend Nick has suggested this may have been a “splenic response”. Check out his work to learn more!
I’d never rushed to a keyboard so fast! The words spilled out:
“I’ve Been A Soft Girl All My Life.
I’m Proud To Say That Now.
I mourn however, decades- lost to the embittered construction of a false paradigm within my mind, a fraudulent fortress of protection around my heart.
The charade lasted a long time, and I became masterful at shoving pain aside in the name of spite. “Tell me I can’t” became an obsessive thought for many years, inviting pain, just to prove my strength.
My soft girl took these blows in silence as I raced to tend wounds in others that looked just like my own... but don’t call me resilient.”
-Soft Girl Era: Mindmaps to the Heart
With each line my Soft Girl grew nearer, gaining the courage to shine in her full radiance.
As these pieces of myself found home on the page, I realized something else: I wasn’t just writing this for myself. These words were a depiction of the places I’d been, deep within my mind and heart; places I know exist in others, too. I saw then, the full scope of what this project could become.
The vision both expanded and refined when I turned to Canva. Its features allowed me to portray the healing journey exactly as I experienced it, validating my own story while clearing a path for my future readers.
Soft Girl Era went through many rounds of development before reaching her final form, but three important elements shaped what she became:
Companionship + Gentle Guidance: I often think back to a short film that changed something in me. It helped me come to understand that we can’t always “fix” things for others, but we can meet them in their feelings. And this, perhaps, is the greatest kindness we can offer.
You can enjoy that short film here!
It was important to me that my presence was felt on each page. I wanted to go beyond the limits I experienced with other journals… stats, studies and objective findings painting my picture for me. This is a journey of coming home to Self, so it needed to be self-led and heart-centered. My role throughout the book is a mere facilitator.
Interactivity: So much of my own journey was spent inside my own head. Keeping track of what I was experiencing and learning was a challenge in itself. I wanted to eliminate that extra weight for my readers, so an interactive space to reflect was a must.
Each healing principle in Soft Girl Era: Mindmaps to the Heart is paired with a visualization exercise that encourages the exploration of your own emotional terrain.
And most importantly,
Privacy: This book has the capacity to hold our deepest thoughts and emotions. In my experience, there was a significant divide between what I was working through internally and what I was ready to share with others.
Soft Girl Era is ONLY available on digital devices, giving you the power to protect your writings in a way that supports your Soft Girl’s safety.
Soft Girl Era: Mindmaps to the Heart is a piece of my life’s work and a longtime dream come true, but she isn’t mine to keep. May she find the hearts who need her as I release her to the spring breeze.
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