Shannon Hilson
@shannonhilson.bsky.social
Pro copywriter, blogger, and illustrator. Storyteller. Seamwalker. I like beautiful but meaningful things.
https://linktr.ee/shannonhilson
https://linktr.ee/shannonhilson
Pinned
Shannon Hilson
@shannonhilson.bsky.social
· Oct 17
All the Things We Almost Made
Dispatches from the archives of what could’ve been
shannonhilson.substack.com
The Department of Lost Ideas called. They’re full again. Please stop saying “someday.”
I used to believe the point of life was forward motion. Now I think it’s occasional stillness and maybe a good sandwich. The self-help industry calls it “mindfulness,” but really it’s just learning to sit still long enough to remember that the world existed before content.
December 9, 2025 at 2:14 AM
I used to believe the point of life was forward motion. Now I think it’s occasional stillness and maybe a good sandwich. The self-help industry calls it “mindfulness,” but really it’s just learning to sit still long enough to remember that the world existed before content.
You ever skim your own work and think, “Why do I keep doing that?” Same. So I wrote about it.
If You Want to Grow Creatively, Start Noticing What You Repeat: shannonhilson.substack.com/p/if-you-wan...
If You Want to Grow Creatively, Start Noticing What You Repeat: shannonhilson.substack.com/p/if-you-wan...
December 9, 2025 at 12:53 AM
You ever skim your own work and think, “Why do I keep doing that?” Same. So I wrote about it.
If You Want to Grow Creatively, Start Noticing What You Repeat: shannonhilson.substack.com/p/if-you-wan...
If You Want to Grow Creatively, Start Noticing What You Repeat: shannonhilson.substack.com/p/if-you-wan...
Daily Challenge: Paper Wings
"This class of beings appears whenever the heavens revise themselves. They stand quietly, listening for edits drifting down from above."
— Atlas of False Heavens: Notes on the Archivist’s Offspring
🪽 Midjourney V7
"This class of beings appears whenever the heavens revise themselves. They stand quietly, listening for edits drifting down from above."
— Atlas of False Heavens: Notes on the Archivist’s Offspring
🪽 Midjourney V7
December 8, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Daily Challenge: Paper Wings
"This class of beings appears whenever the heavens revise themselves. They stand quietly, listening for edits drifting down from above."
— Atlas of False Heavens: Notes on the Archivist’s Offspring
🪽 Midjourney V7
"This class of beings appears whenever the heavens revise themselves. They stand quietly, listening for edits drifting down from above."
— Atlas of False Heavens: Notes on the Archivist’s Offspring
🪽 Midjourney V7
"If the air thins and your heartbeat feels suddenly borrowed, lift your eyes. Something vast may be opening above you, curious about the shape of your persistence."
— Manual for the Loving Ghost: Observation Protocol (Radiant Entities at Altitude)
👁️ Midjourney V7
— Manual for the Loving Ghost: Observation Protocol (Radiant Entities at Altitude)
👁️ Midjourney V7
December 8, 2025 at 6:39 PM
"If the air thins and your heartbeat feels suddenly borrowed, lift your eyes. Something vast may be opening above you, curious about the shape of your persistence."
— Manual for the Loving Ghost: Observation Protocol (Radiant Entities at Altitude)
👁️ Midjourney V7
— Manual for the Loving Ghost: Observation Protocol (Radiant Entities at Altitude)
👁️ Midjourney V7
"Follow the lanterns to find the way out. Follow the bells only if you wish to find him.”
— The Book of Exits: The Bells Are Not for You
Krampusnacht is upon us, guys. Be careful out there.
🔔 Midjourney V7
— The Book of Exits: The Bells Are Not for You
Krampusnacht is upon us, guys. Be careful out there.
🔔 Midjourney V7
December 5, 2025 at 7:06 PM
"Follow the lanterns to find the way out. Follow the bells only if you wish to find him.”
— The Book of Exits: The Bells Are Not for You
Krampusnacht is upon us, guys. Be careful out there.
🔔 Midjourney V7
— The Book of Exits: The Bells Are Not for You
Krampusnacht is upon us, guys. Be careful out there.
🔔 Midjourney V7
You don’t need a healthy family tree to build spiritual roots. Sometimes the line starts with you.
Ancestor Veneration for the Estranged and Undersupported
How to approach spiritual connection, discernment, and ritual when your biological family isn’t your foundation
thebonegarden.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:12 AM
You don’t need a healthy family tree to build spiritual roots. Sometimes the line starts with you.
"Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been."
— David Bowie
Some Bowie portraits I did a little while ago and forgot to post, as I do.
⭐ Midjourney V7
— David Bowie
Some Bowie portraits I did a little while ago and forgot to post, as I do.
⭐ Midjourney V7
December 4, 2025 at 6:26 PM
"Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been."
— David Bowie
Some Bowie portraits I did a little while ago and forgot to post, as I do.
⭐ Midjourney V7
— David Bowie
Some Bowie portraits I did a little while ago and forgot to post, as I do.
⭐ Midjourney V7
I have stopped fearing darkness. I am the darkness now, but with better skincare. 🦇
December 3, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I have stopped fearing darkness. I am the darkness now, but with better skincare. 🦇
Today’s essay is about micro-bravery, the little choices that somehow keep our creative lives from collapsing. Exhibit A: That one time I submitted UFO art on a whim and watched it get picked up like a cow in a green tractor beam.
The Real Secret to Creative Momentum? Tiny Courage, Repeated
An unglamorous but surprisingly effective look at micro-bravery
shannonhilson.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Today’s essay is about micro-bravery, the little choices that somehow keep our creative lives from collapsing. Exhibit A: That one time I submitted UFO art on a whim and watched it get picked up like a cow in a green tractor beam.
Daily Challenge: Silent Choir
"I am the thing behind the window. Don't come closer unless you mean it."
— The Atlas of False Heavens: The Glass Frontier
🕯️ Midjourney V7
"I am the thing behind the window. Don't come closer unless you mean it."
— The Atlas of False Heavens: The Glass Frontier
🕯️ Midjourney V7
December 1, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Daily Challenge: Silent Choir
"I am the thing behind the window. Don't come closer unless you mean it."
— The Atlas of False Heavens: The Glass Frontier
🕯️ Midjourney V7
"I am the thing behind the window. Don't come closer unless you mean it."
— The Atlas of False Heavens: The Glass Frontier
🕯️ Midjourney V7
Shadow work isn’t meant to break you. It’s meant to bring the scattered pieces of you back to the same table. I’ve been writing about the difference.
The Difference Between Shadow Work and Masochism
An instructional ramble from someone who’s done both — one on purpose, one by accident
thebonegarden.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Shadow work isn’t meant to break you. It’s meant to bring the scattered pieces of you back to the same table. I’ve been writing about the difference.
Quick food-themed experiment from last night. I was trying to get the food to arrange itself in a Fibonacci spiral just to see if I could. Not sure how successful I was, but I did make myself hungry, so there's that.
🥪 Midjourney V7
🥪 Midjourney V7
November 26, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Quick food-themed experiment from last night. I was trying to get the food to arrange itself in a Fibonacci spiral just to see if I could. Not sure how successful I was, but I did make myself hungry, so there's that.
🥪 Midjourney V7
🥪 Midjourney V7
I no longer fear rejection. I fear enthusiasm that fades after three business days.
November 26, 2025 at 5:36 AM
I no longer fear rejection. I fear enthusiasm that fades after three business days.
"Thirty white horses on a red hill. First they champ, Then they stamp, Then they stand still."
🦷 Midjourney V7
🦷 Midjourney V7
November 25, 2025 at 5:14 AM
"Thirty white horses on a red hill. First they champ, Then they stamp, Then they stand still."
🦷 Midjourney V7
🦷 Midjourney V7
It’s Thanksgiving week here in the U.S., which feels like the right time to thank my younger self for trying so hard. She had no idea she’d make it this far.
15 Writing Tips I’d Give My Younger Self (Now That I’m Old Enough to Ignore It with Confidence)
For anyone who’s ever called their rough draft a “garbage fire” and meant it lovingly
shannonhilson.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:11 PM
It’s Thanksgiving week here in the U.S., which feels like the right time to thank my younger self for trying so hard. She had no idea she’d make it this far.
A single star circles the void, giggling every 88 years. Astronomers think it’s a pulsar. Poets know it’s the universe remembering a joke about itself.
- The Atlas of False Heavens: The Orbit of the Laughing Star
🪐 Midjourney V7
- The Atlas of False Heavens: The Orbit of the Laughing Star
🪐 Midjourney V7
November 23, 2025 at 11:59 AM
A single star circles the void, giggling every 88 years. Astronomers think it’s a pulsar. Poets know it’s the universe remembering a joke about itself.
- The Atlas of False Heavens: The Orbit of the Laughing Star
🪐 Midjourney V7
- The Atlas of False Heavens: The Orbit of the Laughing Star
🪐 Midjourney V7
I don’t spiral. I descend gracefully, like a haunted Slinky. 👻
November 22, 2025 at 7:04 PM
I don’t spiral. I descend gracefully, like a haunted Slinky. 👻
Wisdom is basically all the mistakes that didn’t kill you, stitched together like a quilt you pretend you made on purpose. 🪡
November 22, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Wisdom is basically all the mistakes that didn’t kill you, stitched together like a quilt you pretend you made on purpose. 🪡
Sometimes I reread something I wrote and think, “wow, I’m a genius.” Other times I think, “wow, I need a nap and a priest.” There is no in-between.
November 22, 2025 at 5:43 AM
Sometimes I reread something I wrote and think, “wow, I’m a genius.” Other times I think, “wow, I need a nap and a priest.” There is no in-between.
"As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world."
- Virginia Woolf
📖 Midjourney V7
- Virginia Woolf
📖 Midjourney V7
November 22, 2025 at 2:20 AM
"As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world."
- Virginia Woolf
📖 Midjourney V7
- Virginia Woolf
📖 Midjourney V7
Just published a field guide for anyone who’s ever been haunted by the choices they almost made. Welcome to the ecology of regret.
A Field Guide to Sentient Regret
A cautionary guide for anyone who overthinks at 2 AM
thebonegarden.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Just published a field guide for anyone who’s ever been haunted by the choices they almost made. Welcome to the ecology of regret.
I’m either too much or not enough depending on who you ask. Which is why I’ve stopped asking.
November 19, 2025 at 8:15 PM
I’m either too much or not enough depending on who you ask. Which is why I’ve stopped asking.
This is the season where I start to believe my life has background music. And honestly? The score is pretty good.
November 19, 2025 at 6:59 AM
This is the season where I start to believe my life has background music. And honestly? The score is pretty good.
"If you find a prophet wandering without followers, give him a sandwich and directions to the nearest library."
Manual for the Living Ghost: Coordinates for Lost Prophets
👁️ Midjourney V7
Manual for the Living Ghost: Coordinates for Lost Prophets
👁️ Midjourney V7
November 19, 2025 at 6:27 AM
"If you find a prophet wandering without followers, give him a sandwich and directions to the nearest library."
Manual for the Living Ghost: Coordinates for Lost Prophets
👁️ Midjourney V7
Manual for the Living Ghost: Coordinates for Lost Prophets
👁️ Midjourney V7
"When snow falls where it doesn’t belong, the world feels briefly out of step with itself. It is a quiet insistence that the season has plans you weren’t told about."
- The Book of Storms: Snow Arriving Out of Season
❄️ Midjourney V7
- The Book of Storms: Snow Arriving Out of Season
❄️ Midjourney V7
November 18, 2025 at 6:54 PM
"When snow falls where it doesn’t belong, the world feels briefly out of step with itself. It is a quiet insistence that the season has plans you weren’t told about."
- The Book of Storms: Snow Arriving Out of Season
❄️ Midjourney V7
- The Book of Storms: Snow Arriving Out of Season
❄️ Midjourney V7