The Heartwood Letter: A creative lifestyle and business newsletter by Katrina Heartwood

Edition #8 — Thursday, February 26, 2026

TL;DR: Solitude is one of the most important gifts you can give yourself. Time alone helps you think better, create better, and stop mistaking noise and comparison for truth.

Solitude is oxygen for me.

Growing up, if I wasn't acting out ancient stories in the woods behind my family's ranch, I was holed away in my small bedroom to read my books or write my novels and poems.

Mainly to get away from family dysfunction and have people leave me alone (probably undiagnosed autism at the time), I loved being by myself.

I've always valued my space. I didn't like people bothering me about shit I didn't think matter.

But something has been bugging me, kinda: why have I always functioned better in complete and utter solitude and isolation from other people?

Shallow conversations always pissed me off and drained my soul. I don't care for social politics and getting people to like me (ooooo, so pick me and edgy).

I DO care for connection but I don't want to talk to 6 people at the same time, I want 1-3 people to engage with who also give me the space to take a step back and not physically talk so it's like I'm listening to a podcast or a show in the background.

I was curious about where this all came from a mythological perspective.

So I've been doing some research and found some beings from thousands of years worth of history who wanted to make themselves be known.

Artemis from Greek mythology is the goddess of the hunt and wilderness. She is the protector of wild places, is often depicted alone in forests, and is associated with independence and autonomy. Artemis represents empowered solitude. She does not exist for other people to consume. (Girl, I love her so much).

Shiva from the Hindu tradition is an ascetic yogi who meditates alone in the Himalayas, withdraws from the world for cosmic balance, and embodies both destruction and stillness. Shiva represents sacred solitude, isolation as spiritual transformation. He steps outside of the world in order to understand it better.

Nyx is the primordial goddess of night. She's older than Zeus; the mother of sleep, death, and fate; and was feared by many gods. Nyx represents solitude as cosmic stillness. She is the quiet that holds everything in place.

Pan is a god of the wild, instinct, and untamed Nature. He lives in the mountains and forests and is associated with primal instinct and natural rhythm. Pan is instinctual freedom, freedom in nature beyond human civilization. (I REALLY vibe with Pan since I'm a Capricorn and love the trees and mountains.)

Solitude and isolation weren't ever scary for these divine beings. It was their natural state of existence.

Rest and solitude are sacred.

Most people need constant company. They're afraid of their own thoughts.

If you can't be alone, you'll accept anyone.

Solitude is where you meet yourself.

It's the log cabin in the hidden valley where peace and clarity exist.

Being in solitude and isolating yourself frees you to divine truths that need space to be heard.

It wants to communicate to you things like, "The art you want to create wants to be created by you." and "Sometimes, it really will be your mindset fucking you up."

It will also help you realize things you couldn't see before. For example, I used to feel jealousy when I saw somebody I knew become successful, whether that's going viral or having their business take off.

Now, I just get it inspired. This is divine proof that if it can happen for them, it can happen for me as well.

Sometimes, you HAVE to give yourself grace by yourself so you can give yourself space to hear what divinity is trying to communicate to you.

Master solitude. THEN choose company.

Final Point

I think everyone underestimates the amount of alone time most creatives and humans in general need in their thoughts.

A true High Priest or Priestess is required to spend most of their time in solitude, away from others.

And get closer to nature, leave the city. The voices will get LOUDER.

Once you realize there’s nothing to prove and nobody to impress, and that you don’t need to be validated by anybody at all, the adventure begins.

🧠 Brain-Picks

• "Emotional tears have a higher protein concentration than the tears you cry chopping onions. That makes them thicker. That makes them fall slower down your face. Your body is making sure someone sees you cry. You are, at the molecular level, a creature that needs to be seen."
• What actually matters when selling something online: don't sell information, sell the RESULT you're trying to give to people. People can get lessons anywhere. But what they really need is relief, clarity, and money.
• The devil doesn't test souls he already has. That's why it seems like the shittiest people always get everything they want.

🫀 Tips for creating and living creatively

• "Creation is a way for me to change the world." - Nadia Acimi
• Take care of your hands, eyes, and back like they’re part of your art supplies. Because they are.
• "The worst creative trap is editing while you create. Don’t. Let the wildness breathe first." - April Kae
• Creativity is so intimate. You’re literally letting us see how your brain works.

With gratitude,

Katrina

PS: Reminder that the Social Media Cash Flow Systems™ blueprint is LIVE. 🎉

This blueprint contains 150 pages of 50 evergreen social media management systems that support your income efforts and save you time, branding information, content pillar creation, and more.

​Get the systems here.​

🍵 Thank you for reading The Heartwood Letter! If you really liked this edition of the newsletter, come explore my other offerings.​

💌 If you loved it, tell your friends to subscribe here.​

​Unsubscribe here for any reason, at any time.