The Work That Doesn’t Feel Like Work
The Work That Doesn’t Feel Like Work
I missed my newsletter. Twice.
Two weeks ago, I was at the AIGA Design Conference reconnecting with old friends, meeting new people, reminding the community I still exist.
Couldn’t enjoy any of it.
Just guilt. Constant guilt. “You’re failing. People are waiting. What’s wrong with you?”
I was there to support others. To reconnect. To remember why I love this work. And I spent the whole time punishing myself for not being at my desk.
Here’s the thing—I came home from that conference and wrote an article about what community leaders actually need. Not thank-yous. Not more requests. Permission to rest. Recognition for invisible work.
→ Read: Beyond Thank Yous: What Community Leaders Really Need
I wrote about a rooftop gathering in LA where AIGA chapter leaders finally got to just be—not plan, not produce, not perform. Where the most important thing wasn’t the chapter swag or event updates, but the connection.
I was at that conference. Experiencing exactly what I’d later write about. And I couldn’t receive any of it because I was drowning in guilt about the article I hadn’t written yet.
This week’s podcast makes it even worse.
→ Listen: Jenn Visocky O'Grady & Justin Ahrens on 20+ Years of AIGA Leadership
Jenn and Justin spent over 20 years showing up for AIGA leadership retreats. Those relationships became the foundation of their entire careers. Justin’s most meaningful friendship started because Jenn asked a brave question at a retreat.
The retreats weren’t distractions from the work. They were the work.
Jenn became Associate Dean at Cleveland State. Justin built Rule29 into a Certified B Corp and launched Wheels4Water through the agency—an initiative that’s helped bring clean water and sanitation to over 20,000 people. The relationships they built became collaborations, career moves, lifelong friendships.
None of that shows up on a content calendar.
I teach this stuff. I write about it. I produce podcasts exploring it.
And I still can’t quite live it.
I know that being at that conference mattered. That reconnecting with people, having hallway conversations, being present in a room full of designers who get it... that’s community building. That’s the invisible work.
But I couldn’t give myself permission to believe it mattered as much as hitting send on a newsletter.
The newsletter’s here now. But the real work? That happened on the conference floor, in the conversations I almost didn’t let myself enjoy, with the people who reminded me why I started doing this.
I’m trying to show up for myself too.
What’s resonating with you right now? Are you struggling with the same thing—feeling guilty for the very things that sustain you? Hit reply. I'd love to hear where you are with this.
Speaking of creating connection that matters: In my article, I wrote about how digital event producers aren’t just seeking technical skills—they’re looking for community, for spaces where they can be vulnerable and inspired. That’s exactly what we experienced on that rooftop and what Jenn and Justin found at those retreats.
I’m running a Digital Event Strategy Sprint starting November 6th. Four live sessions where you’ll build a webinar strategy that actually creates connection and community—not just content delivery. We’re working alongside other people who are tired of winging it and want the upstream strategy that makes events worth showing up for.
Founding cohort is $500 (regularly $1,000) and includes 3 months in our strategy community. → Learn more and join us.
Until next time,
Rachel
✨ Sparks That Lit Me Up Over the Holiday Weekend ✨
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Listen: Cheers & Tiers Podcast
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Support the work: Together By Design Digital Event Strategy Sprint
PSA: My sparkle emojis have always been sparkle emojis, not AI signifiers. I didn’t get the memo that ✨ got reassigned. Catch up on the cultural shift here: LinkedIn link
Sparkles,
Rachel