Introducing Creatively Yours

a year-long series of offerings by Charles and Amanda Earl

Image description: background is a repeated pattern of Amanda’s logo: a circle with the words “whimsy, creation” and “exploration” in pink, blue and green surrounding her name in black. TEXT: Introducing Creatively Yours. IMAGE: a being with antlers, a black shirt with orange collar, three yellow buttons and a yellow belt and blue pants stands in front of green mountains on a background of magic markers in a plastic bag.

COMING IN SEPTEMBER

Creatively Yours will be a series of limited edition collaborative offerings by Charles and Amanda Earl. Starting September 2025, you will be able to choose from a variety of hybrid works which combine photography, book making, poetry, prose, visual poetry, letters, collage, doodles and more. The work will be imaginative, whimsical, caring and custom-made with those who support the work in mind.

TIME-LIMITED OFFERS

The offerings will be time-limited and delivery will begin in early 2026. The offerings will be available in the following categories and will represent creativity over a specific time period. I will provide more detail closer to the availability date of each offering:

• Festival of the Earth (annual; limited edition of one)

• Seasonal Blues (three months; limited edition of four)

• Getting Lost, an expedition in 19 parts (nineteen offerings over the year; limited edition of one)

• Portals (fourteen days; limited edition of twelve)

• Hauntings (thirty days; limited edition of twelve)

• Moons (one day; limited edition of thirteen)

INSPIRATIONS

The work will be inspired by the ghosts and preoccupations that drive Amanda and Charles’ creative work, such as the music of Hildegard Von Bingen, the outsider art of Henry Darger, the art of Frida Khalo, the blues music of Muddy Waters, Etta James, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf, the films of Agnès Varda, the photographs of Vivian Maier.

DUENDE

The offerings will driven by Lorca’s concept of the duende: the understanding that creativity occurs with the confluence of current, past and future reverberations and in the presence of death, the understanding that to create is an urgent need driven by the knowledge that life may end at any time.

Such urgency makes creativity sing and shine; it gives creativity kinetic movement and velocity, it makes it dance. Please join us in the dance.

THE LONELY OTHERS

I am doodling a series of beings. See the antlered one above. These beings are inspired by characters in literature, art and film who I resonate with. These beings will be included in all of the offerings, and their stories will unfold over the course of the year. Do they find one another and feel less alone? Stay tuned.

A few of my fictional inspirations:

• Shaya Neige in Rumi and the Red Handbag by Shawna LeMay

• Slip in Anomia by Jade Wallace

• Edward Scissorhands

• Coraline

• Red Riding Hood

• Cinderella

• Lilith (Biblical character)

• Beezus Quimby from Beezus and Ramona

• Harriet the Spy

• Maleficent

• Alice

• Bernadette, the main character in Maria Sempel’s book (and the film): Where’d You Go Bernadette

• Anne of Green Gables

• Anne Uumellmahaye inThe Man with Two Brains)

• Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird

• Addie Loggins in Paper Moon

A REQUEST

Please tell me the names of the anti-heroes and misfits you love from novels, films, plays etc. Recommend books and movies to me. What artistic works make you feel less alone? In 2026, as part of these offerings, I will read/watch your selections and these will likely influence these creative efforts. I believe that creativity is an ongoing conversation that only gets better through sharing. I hope you will join us.

WHAT’S NEXT

In September we will start to roll out details about the first offerings and give you a link to the site where you may purchase one of the early offerings. Charles and I are excited to embark on this journey of creativity with you. I have a wild imagination and a strong and engaged background in literature; he has expertise, skill and experience in a variety of areas, not limited to photography, bookmaking, layout and design. We’ve been working on this plan for a few months now and enjoying every minute we spend on it. Creatively Yours will be a joyous and inspiring project that we hope to continue over the years. We will create work so that kindred misfits do not feel alone. It’s been my driving mission for many years now and I’m pleased to get the opportunity to fulfill it without any strictures from institutional sources.

GET READY FOR UNLIMITED CREATIVITY

Anyone who knows me knows that I have about an idea a minute. This gives me a chance to spread my wings, with Charles’ help and with yours.

EARLY ACCESS

Substack paid subscribers will be the first to know about Creatively Yours, and then the posts will be unlocked later for free subscribers. I am forever grateful for all the support and attentiveness I receive from readers and subscribers. Thank you! Once the posts are unlocked, please share these posts with those who you feel might enjoy them.