What is The NJE Project?

As all of my favorite endeavors do, the idea for Nothing, Just Everything arrived completely unexpectedly. I wasn’t searching for anything to create. I was simply texting my best friend after both of us had endured a pretty rough week, each having our own reasons for feeling a little bit emo.

It went like this:

Jayme: How are you?

Me: Eh, fine. You?

Jayme: Same. This just isn’t my week.

Me: Why, what’s wrong?

Jayme: Nothing, just everything.

The lightbulb instantly went off in my head. Nothing, just everything. That was the perfect description of how I was feeling in that moment, and I was positive that Jayme and I weren’t the only ones who felt that way.

I had just moved to a new country, where I don’t speak the native language, in the middle of a global pandemic, to a secluded home in the forest, away from any element of familiarity. In other words, I was feeling sad and missed my friends. But in my mind, there were much bigger and more important problems to discuss.

Sure, I was feeling a little down, but I would get over it. My feelings didn’t feel like enough to have an entire conversation about, but they were enough for me to refrain from the typical ‘good, you?’ response to let Jayme know that I wasn’t doing my best. Her response of ‘nothing, just everything’ indicated the same, but it struck me so deeply that I felt compelled to develop that gut feeling into something tangible.

So I did what I always do, and got to work writing down a million and one ideas. I’m a big journal girl. I started listing anything and everything that came to mind, the excitement building with every word I wrote.

And now, here we are, in the space that I’ve chosen to create as Nothing, Just Everything’s home. I hope that you’ll feel welcome here, and I hope you’ll considering sharing your story with us. Learn more about how to submit here.