Hi! I’m Jordan, and this is Shade Cactus.
Shade Cactus is where being a cozy homebody and always planning your next travel adventure come to meet.
Here, you’ll marvel the mundane and wish for your wild, while reveling in rest. (We also really appreciate alliteration around here.)
You’ll learn about how to support your habitual travel adventures alongside your happy home base (even the one inside your own head). I’ll attempt to make you laugh, and who knows, maybe sometimes you will!
Awhile back, I polled some writer friends of mine, asking what they thought I wrote about. Here were some of their (super thoughtful!) responses:
“Irreverent humor!!”
“I love the word “zest” to describe your work!!”
“I LOVE ‘irreverent humor’ as a descriptor/theme for your work (!) and would add (habitual) travel, aesthetic, creative fuel, and intentionality/authenticity”
“Useful advice for adulting”
“humor, zest, appreciating the ordinary, advice for living creatively, wit, wonder (too many to choose!)”
“Fucking delightful”
Essays you’ll discover here are spurred by what I call “prickly thoughts.”
Prickly Thought (noun); a made-up phrase (because aren’t they all made up?) to describe the thought that catches on the folds of your brain matter the way a cactus pricks your hiking flannel, asking you to hold, stop, stay, and pay attention for just a moment longer. It makes you mull, chew, ruminate, and won’t let you move forward until you’ve taken the time necessary to free yourself — carefully, thoughtfully, and with creative movements.
Whether you sign up for free or upgrade to a paid subscription, I hope you’ll join me on this wild adventure (or cozy tea time at home) — it’s all a part of the ride.
Free subscribers have access to
Allll my love for you!
Two “prickly thought” essays per month, like this one:
Comment section to reflect with other like-minded, curious souls on free essays
Short readings in my Notes section (a cactus only needs so much water)
Paid subscribers have access to
All free content (like, duh!)
Earnest Moments: a special subscriber chat to share what you’re feeling really earnest about (books, art, your dog’s new haircut, new bedspread, latest hiking adventure, anything lighting you up)
Monthly Scroll: a generous, thorough roundup of books I’m reading, videos I’m watching, and other aesthetic activities and art that are feeding my soul that month
Habitual Travel Itineraries: where to eat, drink, hike, play, explore, and live a habitual travel life (if there is a month without a travel itinerary, there will be an additional essay that month)
Your free and paid subscription supports me as a writer. Truly, I appreciate you!
Shade Cactus is a travel blog / poetry newsletter / attempt to understand my inner world a bit better each day. As a Leo Rising and Enneagram 7, I live for fun adventures and trying new things (and being wildly, even annoyingly, enthusiastic about everything).
I collect hobbies like a cactus collects water… sporadically and as much as I want! So I’ll also share everything else I get up to in the beautiful life I’m fortunate enough to live and experience.
A few other random things about me:
Leo Rising + Scorpio Sun & Moon
Pronouns are she/her/hers
Creative Manager in my day job
Paging Adventure travel content creator
WSET Level 2 wine certification (I’m a huge wine geek)
Married to my best friend for 12 years
My dog, Penelope, is the love of my life
Thank you SO much for being here! I hope this is a space where you’ll feel uplifted, your curiosity thoughtfully encouraged, and your laughter loud.
Cheers,
Jordan
