Hi there! I’m Olwen.
A Fun Mess is full of stories, tips and techniques that may help you see the world in different ways.
This newsletter goes out a few times a month when I’ve got something beneficial to share with you.
A Fun Mess is a place to explore my identity as a biracial, Black woman, a wife, a mother, and a creative living with a chronic illness, rheumatoid arthritis, that encourages you to see yourself.
I’m an active participant in examining the pain, anger, disappointment, and frustration that comes with feeling invisible. I’m also an avid seeker of joy, creativity, wisdom, and beauty. A Fun Mess is where I’m crafting stories that help me examine and make sense of the nuance and contradictions surrounding me. I break my experiences down into simple and useful ways. The stories I share with you are tools to help you better understand and relate to yourself and others. It can be easier for you to look at your own fun and messy lives when keeping my slant of curiosity, vulnerability, honesty and humour in mind.
A Fun Mess is where and how I reclaim my negative narratives as inner strengths that fuel me because I’m filled with too much functional rage and enthusiasm to just shut up and die.
I began using the phrase “a fun mess” when talking about my visual journaling practice. I use it to describe both the creative process and the finished piece of art or writing that I’ve made. The emphasis on fun first, then mess, is deliberate. It reminds me to hunt for joy in whatever I’m doing. Joy is an emotional high that satisfies me, and I’m always greedy for more.
This newsletter is also where I react to new obsessions, share issues that are bouncing around in my brain, and spotlight people who delight me. It’s an intimate space to foster connection and raise awareness, so change can begin. Transformation is inevitable.
"Olwen inspires me to be more present because in life we are so often pulled into the pain of the past or fear for the future. Learning how to be present and in joy is a proud priceless gift." - Staci Jordan Shelton
These are just a few topics you’ll find in A Fun Mess:
Creativity & curiosity
Enjoying the present moment
Practical self & community care
Living with an autoimmune disease
Joy
Process over perfection
Vulnerability
Self-trust
Exploring what’s true for you
A Fun Mess is stuffed full of creativity, joy, wisdom and beauty.
My hope is that you take something that you read in my notes and use it in ways that work best for you.
Check out the archive to see what I mean.
"In a world crowded with so much talking and an industry full of people telling you what to do, Olwen won’t. Olwen isn’t going to say "I have the answers", but honestly, she often does. She supports you finding those answers while walking with you down that path. She is honest, firm, and authoritatively compassionate.
She is measured in what she says and listens fully so that she can give you her absolute attention. She isn’t listening to impress you with her knowledge, she is listening to hear what you have to say, and to respond with the same care she would give her own inquiry. She’s unafraid of mess, but can still laugh and find the humour in the complexity of being a human. She is someone deeply committed to learning, living, and experiencing." - Anna Toonk
And don’t forget to subscribe…
"Olwen helped me clarify something that seemed SO straightforward to me—and I was SO wrong about it. She’s super helpful and one of my go-to people when I’m in a transition or have a decision to make." - Dyana Valentine
Why subscribe?
Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website. Never miss an update.
Currently, this newsletter is mostly free for everyone. When I feel it necessary to honour myself and protect my heart, I will restrict access to some of my writing to paid subscribers only.
If you choose to become a paid subscriber… THANK YOU! I’ll do a happy dance in your honour each time I write something new. And your financial gifts will also help me buy more art supplies, purple shoes, cover the adoption fee of another cat and feed my kid. All of which help me keep sending you these notes full of stories you’ll actually enjoy reading, and useful tips that help you make your life better.
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About Olwen Wilson
My first name is pronounced All-wen, and I’ll love you forever if you say it correctly.
I believe that:
Learning never ends
Integrity is everything
Joy and creativity are necessities
I’m often reminded that I’m a work in progress and whole all at the same time.
So are you.
I make plenty of mistakes because I’m a beautiful, messy human.
So are you.
I look for joy while I’m striving to do better and I share what I learn along the way in case it inspires you on your own journey.
I live with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease, that adds complexity to my life that I never would have signed up for voluntarily. And yet, it’s been a great gift that helps me focus on what’s truly important.
Diving deeper into writing and visual journaling helped me learn to trust myself again, grieve an unexpected future, and motivate me to keep going. It also continually helps me stop wasting time worrying about what other people think so I can go after what I want.
I’m well versed in working within the time, space, capacity, and abilities that I may have at any given moment.
No matter what’s going on in your life, how you identify, your abilities, your age, or who you strive to be… you are enough.
More than enough.
And I want to hear, see, and celebrate your unique stories while we make fun messes together.
More importantly, I encourage you to explore your heart and your mind to remember the wisdom that you already possess.
I’m a big fan of clear communication, choice and taking responsibility for yourself. I’m not a fan of bullshit.
Just ask my family unit that’s made up of my menfolk (aka my husband and kid) and our two cats, Lady Dianna (who uses me to make her true loves, my menfolk, jealous) and Miss Violet (who shares my birthday and is as obsessed with me as I am with her). Actually, don’t ask them… I’m fiercely protective of their privacy so I’ll only ever share what they’ve consented to and we all prefer when you deal with me directly.
