One of my longtime (Mailchimp) subscribers teased me thusly about my new newsletter title, Erleichda. A lot of people are asking me about the word. And here’s my explanation.
Titles and names are one of my favorite things to write. When I have a good title, there’s this magic thing where it draws the work out of me with great energy. A name needs to feel right. It needs to speak for the whole work, or at least invite curiosity. Over the years, my newsletter has been through a number of names.
First there was
which was the name of a blog my audience could subscribe to.
Then there was
which was a round-up of all my creative activities that I sent out via email.
Then it became
—an umbrella for all of my creative works and events, which burst into my brain as if pushed there by muses.
Which in turn became
–because Generous Muse had become the name of my arts business.
When I decided to start a Substack, I decided on a bunch of different names that felt right for a week or so, like:
Baumetc.
Yay! It’s Kristen Caven!
Aura, and
I love that name, and so did my brand coach, and had it all set up and ready to launch… but it just didn’t inspire me.
When Erleichda came to me, a magic word coined by Tom Robbins, a favorite irreverent muse of mine (and explained in depth in my first post on this blog), it felt like something that I could grow with.
In fact, it's a word I need to say to myself every day. In big blue letters. Lighten up. Easy there.
This image of ego disappearing in enlightened awareness, by the way, is from my first comic book, The Reason She Left. About which the very reader who busted me about the name once said,
“You know that thing? That special quality that literature brings to making a point? The thing that distinguishes good narrative from essay? Sometimes it makes sense just to come out and say it, make the point; but it’s so much more delicious when a writer can take you for the ride and you can see it coming and absorb it in context. That’s when sincerity meets reason and defines poignant. Now stir in some self-deprecating humor, leave out the purple prose, and illustrate with love. This special greatness that Kristen Baumgardner Caven brings to her work makes it precious, quirky, and cute – but without ever sacrificing meaning.Would Plato have used graphics if he’d had some decent software? I kinda think so.” —Ransom Stephens
Ransom Stephens Ph.D. by the way is a particle physicist, science writer, and novelist who has written hundreds of articles on and also speaks on subjects ranging from neuroscience to quantum physics to parenting teenagers. My favorite book of his is The Sensory Deception.
Final note: Does anyone know Tom Robbins? I would love to send him a gift subscription. (And I bet he’s still hot as hell at 91.) Here’s a link to send one to someone else you know:
And what about you?