September Curriculum
This September, I’m trying something new. It’s part TikTok trend, part personal ritual, and part intentional shift in how I want to live and learn. I’m calling it my September Curriculum—a self-designed syllabus of reading, watching, listening, and doing that pulls me out of autopilot and into something richer, deeper, and a little bit more magical.
This is the first time I’ve ever done something like this. I’m treating the month like a portal—an invitation to engage more with the world around me, to get curious again, and to step into a version of myself that’s always learning, observing, and creating. It also lines up with something I’ve been thinking about a lot: my Spectacular Year of 42. This is the beginning of a year-long commitment I’m making to evolve—creatively, spiritually, emotionally. I want this next chapter to feel like a glow-up, a reinvention, a reclamation. The curriculum is one of the first steps.
What I’m Working On
I’ve broken the month into a few self-assigned modules—kind of like themed weeks or areas of focus. Some of them are soft and spiritual, others are creative and practical. Here are a few I’m really excited about:
Embracing Rituals – I’m attending a sound bath in NYC, syncing with the September eclipses, and resetting my sleep rhythm with care.
Cultural Immersion – Watching art films, visiting exhibitions, and reading about artists who embraced spiritualism in their practice (Hilma af Klint is a current obsession).
Romanticizing Structure – Instead of strict routines, I’m playing with gentle structure: journaling, planning, and daily check-ins that feel nourishing rather than punishing.
Fiction + Philosophy – Reading books that stretch my mind and soften my heart. Right now, I’m flipping between Lord of the Rings Trilogy and a whole slew of art books.
Creative Curiosity – Working on my own ideas and concepts, not for content or performance, but to reconnect with joy and experimentation.
Why Now?
Because I don’t want the year to just happen to me. I want to meet it with intention.
Because 42 feels like a hinge in time—an age that holds both clarity and wild possibility.
Because the algorithm led me to people documenting their own “personal curriculums,” and it struck a nerve.
Because I’ve spent so much time working in the business of life that I haven’t made enough space to witness it, reflect on it, and shift course where needed.
What I’m Learning So Far
That slow progress is still progress.
That turning something into a ritual gives it meaning, even if it’s just lighting a candle or going to bed on time.
That inspiration multiplies when you leave space for it.
That I feel most alive when I’m paying attention.
This curriculum may shift, expand, or fall apart entirely, but that’s part of the practice too. I’ll be documenting parts of it on TikTok, Instagram, and here—so if you’re feeling like September could be more than just the start of fall, come join me. Create your own modules. Make up your own syllabus.
Let’s make this season spectacular on purpose.
This is a wonderful idea - I'm going to create one for my own "fall semester."
I enjoyed reading about your syllabus and like your visuals.
I work in higher ed as an educational developer, and I'm really interested in how personal curriculum plans are being organized by curious learners. Do you mind if I include this post in a mini, informal analysis project I'm working on? I'm interested in studying posts about personal curricula to see what the common themes are, the process of development, and so on. All with the goal of sharing back what I learned here on Substack :)