When you feel led somewhere new

Making sense of the shifts in creativity, career, and what comes next

Author

Jennifer Spoelma
February 23, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

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Hi, friend!

Last week, I shared a shift in how I think about creative careers—that for many of us, career strategy isn’t the foundation to achieving our goals. Creative investment is.

But this idea was always bubbling under the surface.

When I started Creative Foresight (previously Rekindle), I knew that creativity wasn’t just an outlet—it was central to staying engaged in life, avoiding burnout and feeling like ourselves. But back then, I wasn’t trying to build a framework around that idea. I was just following a personal need: to create and to share.

Over time, that need evolved and became something more.

Through my own experience, through conversations with other creative generalists, and through the choices I’ve seen clients wrestle with, this idea—that investing in creativity gives us more stability, purpose and power—has only felt truer.

And yet, making sense of that idea, putting it into words in a way that’s useful to others, has been a challenge.

That’s where I’ve felt unsteady. And sometimes embarrassed by how all over the place I have been with this newsletter.

I am confident in the path, but it’s dang tricky figuring out how to translate it into something more concrete—something that isn’t just an evolving thought process in my own head, but a resource that others can rely on.

And that’s what I’m stepping into now.

Over the next few weeks, I’m making some intentional shifts—not to change the heart of this newsletter, but to bring more clarity and cohesion to it.

The Bookmarks

What’s Changing (and What’s Not)

I want this newsletter to become more clear. I want it to be something that’s easy to share—something you can describe in a sentence when you tell a friend, “Oh, you should read Jennifer’s newsletter. It’s great for ________.”

I want it to be a space that helps creative generalists like you:

  • Make decisions when the path ahead feels uncertain

  • Build creative careers that don’t depend on job titles, gatekeepers, or algorithms

  • See opportunity in places others overlook

Because growth matters in this line of work. It matters for impact, for opportunities and yes—it matters from a financial standpoint.

So here’s what that means in practice:

First, I’d love your feedback. This week, I’m sending you the same emails that new subscribers now receive when they sign up. If you have a few minutes, I’d love to hear—what resonates? What feels off? Does anything feel different from what you expected?

Second, I’m launching a paid version of Creative Foresight. This will be where I share deep dives, behind-the-scenes insights, and practical tools for creative generalists who want to go further. If that’s not for you, no worries—the free version of this newsletter will still be here.

What I Worry About

I worry about losing you in this shift and that that says something about me missing the mark.

Last year, my newsletter had an extremely high average open rate (80.9%) and clickthrough rate (12.8%). This year, those numbers have dropped—to 68.7% and 7.77% respectively.

That’s hard data for me to swallow, but it’s not surprising.

I took a sabbatical. I’ve experimented with the format. I haven’t been as consistent. And while I can see the impact of that in the numbers, I also know that I’ve truly been doing my best with the bandwidth I have.

Burnout is the very thing I write about resisting. If I had pushed harder just to keep those numbers high, I wouldn’t be here now—finding clarity, refining my focus, and building something I want to sustain.

So, yes, I feel the sting of seeing engagement dip. But I also know that if I do this right—if I make this newsletter more cohesive, more referable, more useful—then the right people will stay, and the right people will find it.

Psst: You are always welcome to unsubscribe if you feel like this isn’t the newsletter for you. 

Keep your eyes out for more emails this week

Truly, your feedback on this recent work would mean so much. Just hit reply at any time with your thoughts. I’ll also include some polls to easily gauge your reactions.

3 Daily Habits

I’m proud that I have been able to prioritize my physical health despite a chaotic and changing schedule. Not only in my physical activity, but in my diet. I’m finding that taking care of my physical health builds a lot of self-trust, and that pays off in my overall well-being. I am getting better at trusting that I am doing my best, and grateful for what I am able to do rather than always wishing I did more/better.

4 Weekly Habits

These weekly habits are real stretches for me!

Poll & Prompt: How are you feeling about this shift?

I’d love to hear how this evolution of the newsletter lands with you! Pick the option that best reflects how you feel:

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Journal Prompt:
What do you see more clearly now than you did a year ago?
How has your relationship to creativity shifted?

Warmly,
Jennifer

❤️ 

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