Jacinta Marshall-Crouse

02/03/2026

Spot the kitty? If anyone knows me, you’ll appreciate my love of all animals, but I enjoy seeing the big cats at the zoo.
Giraffe photos coming! A great day visiting

01/19/2026

𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.

If you’re a Houston-based creative or business owner who wants clearer direction, steadier momentum, and support that actually fits how you work, I have limited availability opening up for the year ahead.

This includes:
• LinkedIn support that feels aligned, not performative
• Creative Business Coaching that helps you build something sustainable, without burning out

No noise. No forcing yourself into someone else’s system.
Just thoughtful strategy, honest conversations, and space to do good work.

If this feels like the year you want things to make more sense, my DMs are open.

Houston-based, or Houston-hours welcome.

01/19/2026

12/03/2025

Shift Notes Snippet: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐖𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞

There are the bags we carry home.
And then there are the weights.

Some are easy to see.
A long day. A hard conversation. A too full schedule.

But the heaviest ones are often invisible.
The comment you brushed off but still felt.
The thing you wanted to say but could not.
The quiet ache that follows you from room to room.

Shift Notes was born from those moments.
The ones we never speak about, yet carry like stones in our pockets.

Episode Two, The Weight We Carry Home, sits in that quiet place. It explores what happens after the day ends. After we take off our work mask. After we are finally alone with the truth of how we feel.

𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.
𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆.

Something I love about the Shift Notes project is the reminder that the smallest things can be heavy and still valid. You do not need a dramatic story for your feelings to matter. Sometimes resilience is found in the softest acceptance.

You are not alone in the weight you carry.
You never were.

12/02/2025

We are heading into that strange, stretchy time of year where half of us are sprinting, and the other half are crawling toward the finish line. If you are a creative, you might be doing both at once.

And because of that, I want to share something... I have two spots open before Christmas for creatives (or maybe those that aren't creatives, too!), who want clarity, direction, and a solid LinkedIn presence ready for 2026.

Here is the truth.
o Growing on LinkedIn does not have to look like shouting into the void.
o It does not require constant posting.
o It does not need to drain your creative energy.

What you need is alignment.
o A message that feels like you.
o A strategy that feels like a natural extension of your creative identity, not a costume you put on.

In these LinkedIn packages, we work together to build:
o A profile that reflects your voice
o Content pillars that match your creative work
o A posting rhythm you can actually sustain
o Visibility that grows without pressure or burnout

And we do it gently. With intention. With clarity.

o If your creative work deserves more eyes on it.
o If you want to step into the new year with confidence instead of confusion.
o If you're ready to stop hiding the brilliant parts of yourself.

Then one of these spots might be exactly what you need.

Send me a message if you want details.
This is not a hard sell. Just an open door.

Your voice deserves to be seen.

12/01/2025

People love to tell creatives that we are chaotic. That we are all over the place. That we are impulsive or distracted, or led by feelings instead of logic.

But every creative I know has something much deeper at play. We experience the world in layers. We see truth in patterns. We sense shifts before anyone else notices. And while the outside world may view that as chaos, I've learned that what they're actually seeing is a compass.

o Creativity points us somewhere.
o It always has a direction.
o It always knows what comes next, even when we do not.

When you learn to read your creative compass, everything begins to make sense.
o Your decisions gain clarity.
o Your business path becomes easier to navigate.
o Your voice becomes stronger because it is finally anchored in something real.

I know what it feels like when your creativity takes you down an unexpected path. I also know that this path is usually the one that leads you to the work you were always meant to do.

o You don't need more discipline.
o You don't need to force a system that was not built for you.
You simply need to learn to translate the language of your creativity into a structure that supports you.

This is the heart of the work I do with creatives and businesses. Turning chaos into clarity. Seeing creativity as a strategy. Helping you lean into the way you naturally think.

Creative strategy that feels like Magic.
Always.

11/11/2025

𝓡𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓓𝓪𝔂 2025

At the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, we pause.

We pause to remember the courage, sacrifice, and quiet strength of all who have served.
We honour those who never returned, and those who came home carrying memories too heavy to speak aloud.

Today, we stand in gratitude.
We remember their service.
We remember their sacrifice.
We remember them.

Lest we forget.

11/10/2025

This story is deeply personal.

It is inspired by the incredible love story and resilient legacy of my great-grandparents, Dyson and Annie Merrington.

In my latest short story, "A Veteran’s Garden," we meet Eric, a serviceman searching for a place to land. He finds belonging, routine, and healing on a quiet farm, discovering the quiet dignity found in working the land, much like my Grandpa Merrington did.

This piece is part of my November short story challenge and is a tribute to that legacy.

Read the full story and watch Eric find his footing (and maybe build a chicken coop) via the link in below: https://open.substack.com/pub/jacintacrousewrites/p/a-veterans-garden?r=4d056d&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

11/07/2025

𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐦

Imagine dropping a pebble in a still pond. Ripples spread outward. Soft. Steady. Calming.

Start with one circle. Then another. Let them grow and expand across your page. Add little patterns or decorations if you feel like it.

Your doodle today is a ripple effect of calm.

Did your circles stay neat, or wobble a little? Either way, they’re yours.

Your mindful moment, one doodle at a time.

11/06/2025

🎨 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚, “𝑪𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆?”

That question might be your first step toward becoming an accidental artist.

Episode 10 of Doodles in the Margins is for the creatives who never set out to start a business — but found themselves in demand because of something they love to make.

In this episode, I discuss what it means to turn your passion into profit without losing the heart of what makes it special.

Here’s a little preview:
🟣Notice the pull, not the push
🟣Test small before you aim for perfect
🟣Translate your joy into value for others
🟣Shift your language from “just a hobby” to “a service”

Your creativity is not extra. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥.

🎧 Listen to Episode 10: The Accidental Artist: Turning Your Passion into Profit — now on Substack and all podcast platforms.

Substack Link: https://open.substack.com/pub/jacintacrousewrites/p/doodles-in-the-margin-episode-10?r=4d056d&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true