Hey Reader,
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Welcome to the August newsletter... and it's been such a juicy time, so this is part 1 of 2!
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Here's this email at a glance:
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🍊 Musings • Aerial disillusionment blues, aerial ick... idk what you call it, but it's a Thing so what do we do?
🍊 Revival Summit 22-24 August • FREE stuff from some Very Cool Coaches
🍊 Online coaching • Flourish is RETURNING this autumn/fall and details drop soon to the interest list!

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What to do about aerial blues?

a short-ish essay i didn't mean to write

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Over the past couple of years, I've had a lot of conversations with aerialists - from international touring performers to coaches to recreational students - about the peculiar sense of deep disillusionment with our art form (or career) that can sometimes descend. And the sense of guilt that can also come along with that - because we're living our dream or pursuing our passion or living our best life, right? Right?! 🫠
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There can be a bazillion reasons behind it (injury, burnout, skill plateaus, monotony), but the result is usually the same: a sense of emptiness, frustration or sadness where our aerial joy used to be. What can we do about it?
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I'm going to say at the outset that I don't necessarily have answers for any of this, but I do have a series of thoughts (in no particular order) which are all essentially about reframing. (The sharpest tool i think we have for so many things.)
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🍁Seasons - I think (because patriarchy and capitalism and toxic positivity) we all get repeatedly swept up in the notion that linearity and growth should be the norm. In aerial this might translate to expectations of continued skill acquisition and consistent (good) feelings about what we do. But we KNOW that in nature (and our own bodies, for those of us with a uterus) so many more things work in cycles; there is senescence and die-back, and the trees (as far as we know) don't feel bad about losing their leaves. It's a necessary part of their process and growth. (OK, my mind is now whirring about whether the trees do in fact feel bad about this; but it still happens and they deal with it very stoically.)
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⏳Longevity - so if we're in it for the long game, i wonder if it's possible to reconceptualise our practice - including what we perceive as 'failures' - as an investment in process, that ultimately creates a richer relationship with our selves, skills, creativity? Can we embrace the back-slides as something to be - bear with me here - celebrated 🤷‍♀️ because it gives us more data to work with in future? (Asking for a friend.) I'm here for hosting a commiseration party.
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​⛰️Reflection - love it or hate it, there's something to be said for developing a deliberate practice of reflection to remind ourselves how far we HAVE come, especially if it feels like we never arrive - and my experience of aerial AND dance is that you can keep moving the goal posts or shifting the summit FOREVERRRRRR. Like climbing up a very steep hill (we have a lot in Wales) - when i was a teenager I'd keep my head down, face the summit and wait to arrive until I turned round for the glorious view. But now I realise I miss so many subtleties in the shifting perspectives at different elevations along the way if I don't turn around many times and take a moment on the walk up.
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​⤴️ Pivots, tangents and off-seasons - IT'S OK TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! whether that's a different aerial discipline, a different circus or movement discipline, or something totally unrelated... I've just spent the best part of 18 months with a fairly light touch aerial practice, learning how to spin (minimal because up til very recently it made me feel soooo 🤢), occasionally checking in with some of THOSE skills that I sweated blood over (c-shaping, anyone?) and being amazed and/or amused at where they are at currently, doing some movement research and revisiting my site-based performance practice. I'm still an aerialist - and increasingly one whose identity isn't so painfully tied up with having to prove i've got skilllz.
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​🫀Community (and coaching/mentorship) - In the past as I was a bit of an introvert lone wolf when it came to my own training - and I do still like focusing hard and uninterrupted. But I've ALSO learned that this only gets me so far (and no aerialist is an island). Nothing lifts me out of the training doldrums more than connecting (and preferably irl) with other aerialists who have a different approach, or who are working around injury frustrations (what a surprise it always seems to hear that other folks are injured, even when it's happening to most - all? - of us 🫠) who can teach me something I didn't even know I wanted to learn. Aerial coaches, mentors and comrades have lifted me up more times than a 4:1 pulley.​
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​🧪Research - one of the the biggest and most helpful re-framing events for me this past couple of years has been to think of my life/my diverse movement practices in terms of RESEARCH. It keeps everything interesting if I frame it as a question... and without having to conclude this infinite essay, this segues nicely to what i've been cooking up recently...

REVIVAL - 22-24 August

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I'm delighted to say that I'm back presenting at the Circus Mobility REVIVAL Summit this summer. As you can tell from the essay-i-didn't-know-i-needed-to-write above, Jessica's summit (now in its second year) consistently addresses a subject close to my heart: how we find ways to revive, renew, reframe our aerial practice.
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Over three days, you’ll hear from over 25 elite aerial and other movement coaches who specialise in helping artists train smarter, move better, and actually enjoy the process again.
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I’m SO honoured to be one of the speakers, and I’ll be talking about... 🥁🥁🥁 movement research for aerial artists 💥💥💥 (yes a departure from my usual skill acquisition theme, though I have TWO nemesis skill masterclasses in the VIP pass goody bag if you've had your eye on those!) - how to train your curiosity muscle, make your apparatus new and strange and find ways to break out of same old movement patterns.
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I could fan-girl about the entire line up but if I have to pick a small fraction, I'm super excited to catch talks from:
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• Lauren Kehl - the OG Aerial Nerd™️ talking about wrap theory and sequencing

• Ana Prada - an aerialist i've admired for her deep somatic approach since i first did a Vayu aerial yoga class

• Nico Stucco - dynamic trapeze legend, because i love learning from other momentum nerds especially from other apparatus/disciplines
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Finally (for now), I'm ALSO delighted to say that my online coaching package Flourish is... RETURNING this fall.
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If you're new here, Flourish is my flagship 1:1 online coaching programme for experienced rope and/or sling artists with bespoke 1:1 online lessons and group masterclasses. It's about coaching for skills, yes! But it's ALSO about mentorship for versatility, creativity and working with the season you find yourself in. And this time it's going to have a range of Pick Your Own 🍓 strands and options so you can build out a package that works for you.
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If you've been curious about working with me 1:1 and you want to be the first to get all the new details as they drop (and exclusive early bird discount), you can join the wait list in 1 click here:

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*joining the wait list does NOT commit you to anything, it simply means you get the info - and early bird discount - first!