Create Cohort Blog

Tag: writing

  • Let’s Get Weird

    Let’s Get Weird

    “So what is it that you do?”

    A question that I have been asked on more occasions than not, often resulting in myself mumbling about being an ‘aspiring digital creator’.

    “Like an influencer?”

    Surprisingly enough, I am not affiliated with Weezer, despite the tattoos on my person (yes, plural). Nor am I paid to post content from any of the coffee shops/bars I frequent (Tocororo aside), so no, I am not an influencer. Though I do try my best to post/recommend local and small businesses that I do regard highly, and encourage others to check out.

    I stated in the very first Create Cohort blog post what my mission in this creative endeavor is, and it’s %99.9 still very true.

    Outfit recap and GRWM reels? Highlights of the books I am reading this year, homemade croutons, Halloween decorations, meticulously curated Spotify playlists, Renaissance festival shenanigans, nerd shit, kissing my partner, Nagi’s inevitable world domination, and of course, editing, editing, editing.

    I didn’t start on this journey in the hopes of running ten different social media accounts for others, nor did I expect to be hired as a digital creator for some giant, conglomerate company. Not that I wouldn’t mind having a gig that would pay off my debt, but, I would need 4-85 years experience, as well as being an expert in EVERY single editing program that exists, as well as sacrificing my first-born.

    No, this will be done organically. I am constantly learning something new, a better way to tackle a problem, discovering some setting on my camera that I never knew existed. Also, I don’t have any children, so, I am left to my own devices. Which sadly involves fighting with Meta Business Suite, and ever-changing , bullshit algorithms. How do I go about doing this? The same way that I always have: documenting my life.

    What better content to use than yourself, your hobbies, your loves, your pet-peeves, etc? No one is a better expert on you than you. Well, that might not always be the case, but, I am a firm believer that it is mostly true. I might have spent the majority of my adult life not knowing what to do with myself, and eating cheeses that I knew would wreck my innards, that doesn’t mean I don’t know how I want to capture an event I enjoyed, how to dress myself comfortably/sexy/as a Gallifreyan, the very specific way I want the kitchen pantry organized-mostly with all of the jars that I have dragon-hoarded. By knowing these aspects of myself, I know how I want to represent myself to the rest of the internet world. I know my voice.

    I blame my meticulous tendencies.

    It’s weird, but, it works in my favor.

    Managing Tocororo’s social media accounts, assisting with events, etc-I have to know Toco’s voice. The owners, the staff, the patrons, the environment, the vibe, all create a voice. There is a story. The regulars know who the twink behind the curtain is, and that is a factor as well.

    How does that all workout? The content shared, the captions/phrasing/puns even, the music picked, the angles of the images in the photos, the lighting, the colors in an advertisement, all are emulating what this physical place is-with my own creativity mingled in the mix.

    Is it hard? Coming up with content for Toco-no. There’s always something going on, and, a plethora of unused content is stashed away on my phone, Google Drive, old Instagram stories, etc. Coming up with content for myself? Kinda. I have had this exact post in draft for like, two weeks. I went from being the friend that did nothing but get high and rearrange everything in their apartment out of pure boredom, to scheduling most everything I do a week or more ahead of time, to make sure there is that in itself, time. I don’t write out blog posts for the sake of needing something to post, or create TikTok’s/Reels just for the trend-unless it actually makes sense and fits me.

    At the end of the day, everything I create has one major requirement: authenticity. That includes having to go back and re-edit blog posts after they have been posted, reading over a misspelled word because I was too hyper-focused on what photos to use is %100 authentic. Spending the last three hours prepping one post for Toco, while noodling out 12+ more with Dave, is also %100 authentic.

    Striving to continuously educate myself-be it over a new feature on Instagram, and learning from my mistakes? You get it.

    In the meantime, I will continue to, and also encourage anyone else trying to learn by experimenting with what you know. I am 10/10 suggesting playing with yourself-don’t make it weird.

    Until next post, xo.

    đź“ŤDetroit, MI.

    Sara Bellum

  • For The Health Of It All

    For The Health Of It All

    Question for the girly-pops: Without being diagnosed as a neurodivergent in your thirties, with anxiety and/or depression, and a spicy tummy, can you really call yourself a millennial?

    It all started with poop.

    I always knew that I was lactose intolerant, though I am one of the lucky few who can get away with low-lactose foods; hard cheeses, goat/sheep dairy, even cream cheese! However, at some point in my early thirties my digestive system became a complete menace.

    Cheese, ice cream, yogurt were no longer the culprits. Every single thing I ate/drank was a betrayal to my digestive track. I did what every logical adult would do: fall down a Reddit rabbit hole. I wasn’t sure if I had Crohn’s, IBS, or something else entirely. I mainlined Imodium, nothing. I made the brilliant decision to just live with it for longer than I should have, because I knew I would have to go to a specialist and my insurance was rudely expensive.

    In 2022 I ended up in the emergency room twice within a month, both times staying several days. I knew that I would hit my Mount Everest sized deductible, so I told the doctors about my…shitty situation.

    After eventually getting setup with a G.I. doctor, and lots of testing, I was diagnosed with Microscopic Colitis, an auto-immune disease. I was also put on the best steroid for MC, and after about a month, it really helped.

    After being on the steroid for about two years, I started to notice some strange swelling around my ankles/legs/abdomen, and hands. I stopped taking the steroid (bad idea), went back to the G.I. doctor, and since I am on the lowest dose possible, I will most likely be on it for life. The swelling, Cushing’s Syndrome, is a very not awesome side-effect.

    I have a standing desk at my 40 hour/week day-job, and although I do move around a lot when I am at Tocororo, I often have to sit or stand to do all of the editing, posting, file organizing, etc. I probably spend an additional 15+ hours per week with my face buried in a laptop.

    So what’s a swollen kid to do? Move. Movement is the best way to circulate blood and reduce swelling. Dave and I now are Fitbit wielding, nerdy gym-rats. And as much as I really loathe the gym, the swelling improved a lot after a week or so. That and consuming more water, and stretching. When I remember.

    My dislike for going to the gym can mostly be summed up into one category: time. As mentioned, I work a lot. When I am not working, the life things that people do need to be done: cleaning, laundry, taking care of pets, grocery shopping, etc. People also have needs like rest, socializing, hobbies/hyper fixations. I wasn’t sure how to fit it all in.

    I also tended to neglect the latter. Stupid priorities, and bills (rude). If I rarely have the alone time to recharge, or read a book, or see my friends on the regular, sacrificing even more time wasn’t ideal. Except, I didn’t have to.

    Once the weather became warm, Dave and I opted to take walks outside instead of at the gym, which ended up being a great way to recap our days, and noodle out ideas. Because we do have days where our work leads to opposite shifts, I often started going on walks alone. Blasting music while charging down the Dequindre Cut, or along the Detroit River Walk became therapeutic. And, probably why I haven’t slain any of my coworkers.

    One of my biggest hobbies is reading, and despite my clumsiness, I am pretty good at walking and reading. My day-job is two miles away from Tocororo so I often will walk there after work, reading along the way. I now bribe myself to go to hit the treadmill, because I can most likely knock out a couple of chapters. I read like, six books that way. Awkward high school years spent avoiding people while wandering the halls reading comin in clutch.

    Some weeks are better than others, and I have had a few where I set a goal of 20k steps per day and managed to hit it. I do love my newfound alone time, but I have also had friends join me on walks a couple of times this summer and it has been an enjoyable and therapeutic way to catch up. Bonus: cute selfies to hold accountability.

    I have always been a decent walker, but if you told me circa 2007-2016 when I thought that my 3-5 mile walks per day were a lot, that I now can occasionally breeze through 7-10 miles? Crazy pants.

    I guess there is something to physical movement, staying hydrated, and eating healthy (when Dave is around, because when I am left to my own devices it’s chicken nugget city). So with that being said, I will continue going on my stupid walks for my stupid mental health. And swollen body parts.

    Until next post, xo.

    đź“ŤDetroit, MI.

    Sara Bellum

  • Curious Cohort: ADITL 7-2-25

    Curious Cohort: ADITL 7-2-25

    When I first began tinkering with ideas for the Create Cohort Blog, I wanted to include some elements of my old blog, Cat Ears & Coffee. Giving personalized recounts detailing local places and events with my own photos for visuals had, and continues to, set the format for my style of blogging. What else might I want to include in this new blog? Dave and I really liked the idea of revisiting some old haunts, parks, festivals, venues, etc. with the intention of a “Then vs Now” sort of approach.

    As I continue tedious task of reviewing every. single. post. on the old blog, I have a stash of ideas brewing for said future posts. However, I didn’t want to just compare how X event/place physically/environmentally is now compared to however many moons ago, I really wanted to poke a little at the Blogger behind those earlier posts, and see what might have changed in my own person since then.

    I decided to start with this post from March, 2016: A Day in the Life. A post dedicated to being fascinated by the habits, favorites, routines, etc. that aide in creating the character of a person. Here we are in July of 2025, documenting a day in the life of a Digital Creator, fabricating what is currently the digital creation you are currently reading. *Insert meta pun here.

    It has taken me awhile to get a handle on a morning routine that my ADHD brain can function with, but also aides in getting my pokey-ass to work on time. It has been a struggle bus this past year, but over the last few weeks I have finally gotten the hang of it. As we all know, accomplishing such a feat absolutely results in the obvious: a little treat.

    We reside in Islandview, Detroit, and our favorite morning coffee spot is The Red Hook on Agnes. It is also apparently everyone’s favorite in West and Indian Village, as it is always bustling. Dave is on a first-name basis with all of the baristas, and I, tend to forget every single person’s name I have ever met within five seconds of being introduced. I nevertheless partake in the friendly banter that almost always ends up ensuing. I don’t have a typical order perse, but I have been on an cold brew + oatmilk kick with lavender simple syrup (they make their own!) these days.

    I then trucked off to work, where I am still greeted with truck-butts in the morning. Yes, I still work for the same company, however, I was moved upstairs to the Purchasing department a couple of years ago. I don’t think it is physically possible for me to not decorate any space that I have to spend copious amounts of time in, and my corner of the office is decked out in all sorts of decor. I married a chef, so, my lunches are pretty fantastic, and I tend to eat while I work, then take a lunch to practice either French or Spanish) crushing that Duolingo Owl is %100 a daily priority).

    I then ventured out to the gym. It is funny, because I stopped going for years, and then I had a few weird flare-up issues that prompted me to try to be healthier. I like to bribe myself to go to the gym by bringing a book, and walking on a treadmill while reading is something my uncoordinated ass never thought were possible, but I haven’t broken anything…yet. I am currently reading The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst as part of a summer-fantasy-book-read with a few other friends, my very first (informal) reading/book group thing!

    I am learning how to navigate around the city on my own, so I stopped taking the freeway to and from Pfit. I am very proud to say that yesterday was the first time I made it both to the gym and home without relying on GPS, and, I managed to get a few red-light photos.

    I then ventured up to Tocororo to work on some Spanish, transfer all of these completely unedited photos to WordPress, bribe Dave into making me food with the bag of salad mix I stashed in my purse, and to read some more.

    We ended the evening with a little late-night walk around the block with Bella, as it cooled off enough for her, and that was the day!

    It is apparent that I still love Romanizing the Mundane, as I have created many Tik-Toks and Reels over the last few years doing just that. I don’t think I will ever change in that sense, there is an importance in making the boring bits of the day have recognition as part of life. Driving to work, scream-singing Remi Wolfe is a million times more enjoyable than the feeling of impending doom of being a desk-jockey for eight plus hours. At least I like to think that it is.

    What are some of the things you like to romanticize that could be seen as mundane or boring? I might steal an idea or five.

    Home, post-gym: laundry (we just installed the dryer last week), and a few scritches for some of our current menagerie. I made it a point to use my Sony ZV-1F for all of the photos for this post, as I mainly only use it for video. Bella, and Elvis Catsello were feeling particularly modelesque. Trying out some of the lens filters and editing software that came in the camera kit is not a want, but a need that I have yet to accomplish. But when I do, coffee reward!

    Until next post, xo.

    đź“ŤIslandview , MI.

    Sara Bellum

  • Whistle Stop Diner

    Whistle Stop Diner

    I am very often a person who wears their Stubborn flag high; I routinely pack a metric ton into my schedule, ignoring the fact that I will never accomplish all of it. I am incapable of not attempting to bring in all of the groceries in one trip, accidental jars of pickles deaths be damned (RIP), and don’t even think about suggesting that I go to sleep earlier. I am convinced that not only do I have time to work 40 hours at my day-job, have some sort of gym/health routine, can 180 my career by myself, spend 5-8 hours per week editing photos/videos/reels/etc. that I obviously have time to learn both French and Spanish. I may only have about 30 minutes per day to dedicate myself to the school of Duolingo, and therefore am not actually retaining anything, I do have a 93 day learning streak so that unhinged green owl can go kick dirt.

    The thing with us Stubbornists, is we start to know when we have taken on too much, but instead of accepting defeat, we fight it. Kicking and screaming. Or, until we pass out from utter exhaustion. Which has lead to deciding to take care of my health and see my PCP on the regular. This last visit resulted in sending me in for a test to double-check that things were fine, and they were, until the only appointment I could get for said test was at 6:45 am on a weekday.

    “I hate early, must kill early” – Lorelei Gilmore

    Me, being me, I whined. A lot. I also have the love and support from my husband/partner, who never needs sleep and doesn’t mind getting up early. Ew, David.

    We arrived on time for my appointment, only to be told that I was early. By 24 hours. We decided this mishap could be corrected: with breakfast.

    As a former Ferndale-rat, I have frequented many of the breakfast/brunch establishments both during and after my residency in the area, and although this particular one is technically in Pleasant Ridge, The Whistle Stop is a favorite.

    Decked out in mid-century diner decor, the place is pretty damn charming. Each table, as well as the seats at the bar/counter include the cutest salt and pepper shakers that are changed out seasonally. Prints of Woodward from days of yonder hanging from the ceiling, a hand-drawn menu board, and a sticker wall give the place that slightly-cluttered environment that us neurodivergent kids thrive in, its cozy.

    Operating during the hours of 7:30am to 3pm, they serve both breakfast and lunch. One side of the menu has omelets, griddles, hot cakes, avocado toast, etc. and the other sandwiches, soups salads, quesadillas, and other lunch fare. They also have specials, and if you are not a sucker with work obligations, Spanish coffee and mimosas are available.

    I had a Kurtzy omelet, with a side salad, rye toast with house-made mixed berry jam, and loads of coffee (stupid early appointment and all). Dave also had an omelet, and although I can’t remember which one he ordered, everything was delicious and I ended up taking half of it with me for lunch later.

    Their menu is available via their website.

    After taking enough photos to make myself look like the worst influencer in the Detroit area, a lovely dog-walking individual offered to take a photo of us. Behold us looking like we are tourists on vacation next to the city I grew up in: C’est la vie/AsĂ­ es la vid.

    Until next post, xo.

    đź“ŤPleasant Ridge, MI

    Sara Bellum

  • Hits different

    Hits different

    What is this, 2010?

    Hi, my name is Sara Bellum. Welcome to the Create Cohort Blog!

    With TikTok, Instagram, (insert your favorite social media platform here), why attempt to bring back a complete relic of digital word vomit? I am gonna blame nostalgia. I am a geriatric Millennial, after all. 

    Although I do have accounts across many social media platforms that I utilize for sharing many of the things that I used to write about on my previous blog, Cat Ears and Coffee, I tend to “show” rather than “tell”. It took me a long time to get on the Reels bandwagon, but now not only do I enjoy creating them, I treat them as a vessel for showing the viewer the experience. For example: If I am going to create a Reel on an event such as Eastern Market After Dark (surprise, I did), I try my best to emulate what the environment is via a mix of detailed shots, visuals of the size of the event, a bit of candid footage, as well as capturing fun moments of smiles, waves, and general nonsense. I also include a bit of blurb of what the event is, and try my best to choose a song that fits the experience. I lean away from voiceovers for that reason, even my Day In The Life Reels. Why you ask? Because although I do enjoy other creators voice over videos, they just don’t fit me. 

    Blogging just hits different.  

    Cat Ears & Coffee; my OG blog was a lifestyle blog focusing on personal style, daily life, adventures, recipes, and bit of DIY. Why didn’t I just continue posting on that blog? Cat Ears & Coffee can’t come to the phone right now, why? Because she’s dead. Actually, she is not. I am in the works of painstakingly re-reading every post to check for any personal facts that I might not feel as open to having out there, checking to make sure links work/need to be updated/removed, etc. before re-publishing them. My want to use Blogger for that platform, however, has died. RIP.

    Blogging was the gateway drug to all of my creative endeavors: I wrote stream of conscious posts, I played around with an old junky digital camera until I got my hands on a DSLR. I started getting creative with my living spaces: painting, organizing, decorating-documenting all of it. I wrote poems, I freelanced myself out to take high school Senior portraits. Over the past year I have taken workshops in Eastern Market, and was taught by local entrepreneurs how to create a brand by telling the story, how to accomplish food photography, and to utilize my content for more than one post. Now, after completing a very involved Digital Marketing Science program at Grand Valley State, I am pushing myself to keep on this path of learning how to create digital content that I am proud of, with a back-to-basics blog in tow.  

    That being said, what will the Create Cohort Blog bring to the Ikea-hack table? Recaps of places and events, with a focus on things local to Detroit and its surrounding areas, some introspection on projects, and life updates, with the occasional throwback outfit pic included. I also have a few other ideas that I am noodling out, however, that is for a future post. 

    As a self-proclaimed Digital Creator and Community Advocate, Create Cohort was forged from my love for romanticizing the mundane, uplifting communities, supporting local and small businesses, and living life in general in the hamlet that is Detroit.  And run-on sentences, apparently. Currently hailing from Dreamtroit, and spending ample amounts of  time in Eastern Market, Island View, Midtown, and Hamtramck, I aim to capture, document, and provide insight in my own authentic voice. Creating for both my cohorts, and myself. 

    Welcome to my new little corner of the world. 

    đź“ŤEastern Market, Detroit

    Sara Bellum

    Create Cohort Blog

    One response to “Hits different”

    1. Let’s Get Weird – Create Cohort Blog Avatar
      Let’s Get Weird – Create Cohort Blog

      […] stated in the very first Create Cohort blog post what my mission in this creative endeavor is, and it’s %99.9 still very […]

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