Building something new is always a balance of vision and reality. This week marked phase 2 of development for the newsletter project, and with it came some adjustments and reflections on the process of creating it.

Pivoting the product

In the first week, I was focused on brainstorming and mapping out the structure of the newsletter. By week 2, I realized that the project needed a revamping – a template wasn’t viable because it’s not something that can exsist. While I envisioned a static template more focused on other types of newsletter platforms, the reality of a CSA-style newsletter (with weekly changes in crops, notes, and recipes) meant a format that could be easily applied without losing farm brand consistency, was needed.

Another pivot came in design: illustrations, seasonal icons, and lots of decorative elements to add to farm and CSA newsletters. But quickly realized that this slowed down production. So, I trimmed this back to refocus on content, kept the seasonal element while simplifying the layout for faster weekly updates for the audience.

Progress so far

I was able to create a logo, banner image, Substack website, and back-filled free content for my existing audience members.

It was interesting looking up recipes to add them to the repetoire, I wasn’t expecting to do that. By doing this, it will help to retain traction for the newsletter, giving the audience a reason to link the recipes in their own newsletters and getting more people to my page.

Avoiding burnout

I decided on a “good enough now, perfect later” approach. Instead of perfecting every graphic in Canva, I created a solid text-based format to start with. I utilized photos in the royalty free library in Substack, and took notes on what implement in future editions. This allowed me to keep my creative momentum, while creating a solid foundation for the paid product I’ll be offering at a higher quality. Afterall, it IS a newsletter, and there will be more content to come.

Moving forward

As I move into phase 3, the foundation of my digital product feels stronger. The newsletter now has:

• A flexible, customizable structure for weekly updates.
• A minimalistic feel, with room for more artistic development.
• A clear workflow that won’t burn me out as this newsletter goes on.

The next step? Gathering reader feedback and testing engagement—because at the end of the day, this newsletter is about connection, not just communication.