This summer, my freelance friend Alexa used the phrase “caterpillar soup” in her newsletter, and it has really stuck with me.
As caterpillars go through metamorphosis, their bodies essentially liquify inside the protective chrysalis they build around them. New body parts form from this goo, and the caterpillar eventually emerges as a butterfly.
It’s evocative and slightly gross, but "caterpillar soup” perfectly describes that clumsy stage between “before” and “after.” It’s uncomfortable. It feels gross. But it’s not skippable, and there are no shortcuts.
I’m in a caterpillar soup season right now. I think I’ve been fighting it, actually, reluctant to turn into metaphorical goo (ew) but knowing that I can’t stay a caterpillar forever.
Okay, let’s leave the metaphor for a minute 😂
I’ve been experiencing some low-level, career-related malaise for…awhile. I partially blame it on AI, but maybe not for the reasons you think. Companies and agencies are still hiring me to write for them, but it’s just… not like it used to be. Expectations are different. Briefs are different (i.e., worse). And I am different.
I’m tired of having AI slop shoved in my face everywhere I turn. I miss being able to interact with the world without an ever-vigilant “Is this AI?” filter. I’m also just more jaded about marketing in general. Companies use AI to write content that they hope will show up in AI answers. It’s a cycle of slop. It’s LLM lasagna and AI all the way down.
AI isn’t stealing my job, but it’s kind of stealing my joy.
Wishful Working has been my beacon in the fog of this unease about the state of gestures broadly. It’s my favorite thing to write each week. It anchors me to creativity and craft and connection. Sure, not every week is a smash-hit, but I’m unbelievably proud of how I keep showing up and reaching out. And I’m so grateful for you, my reader-friends.
But I recently realized that Wishful Working needs its own caterpillar soup moment:
I just did a cheeky little brand refresh in January, but I want to change some things (again).
I’ve decided to move from Beehiiv to another platform (TBD) within the next month or so.
I loved doing Snail Mail Summer, and want to do another mail/zine/sticker club.
I’m building Wishful Working Press, a stationery shop slash tiny indie publisher (surprise!)
So, I’m taking an indefinite (but not permanent) hiatus. Wishful Working is not going away, but I’m not entirely sure what it will look like after this metamorphosis.
I hope you stick around to find out!
See you later,
Kara
Out of Office
What I do when I’m not at my desk
Reading: My local book club met today to discuss Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. It was a heavy read with a very unique narrative structure and a story that spanned centuries and continents. Our next book is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which I’ve actually already read.
Watching: Not much this past week, but I have a long list of things I want to watch soon: the new Spider-man movie, East of Eden on Netflix, the Sheep Detectives.
Doing: My husband finished harvest yesterday!! Woohoo! Now he can get to my long list of things I want done around the house (just kidding) (but not really). No, but we’ll get to hang out a lot more and catch up on movies and shows (see above).
Kara Detwiller is a writer and artist based in small-town Saskatchewan. She specializes in long-form content writing for enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and manufacturing clients. She is also working on her first novel, among other creative pursuits. To connect, reply to this email or find Kara on LinkedIn.
