Heroes Move While Others Watch.

Inside: new art, a creative lesson from Wonder Woman, a farm update (hi, Odin!), new movie recs, and everything you need to know to pre-order One Red Arrow, Part I and enter to win $500 in art.

Author

Caitlyn Grabenstein
July 23, 2025

Hi Friends,

This week’s newsletter is all about courage—the kind it takes to move forward when no one else does. I’m sharing a creative lesson inspired by my favorite scene in Wonder Woman and an update from life on the farm. You’ll also find two new movie recommendations—Jules and Sing Sing—plus a look at one of my personal favorite art pieces, “Yeehaw.” And with less than a month to go until the release of One Red Arrow, Part I, I’m linking my UFO story that inspired a scene in the book, a behind-the-scenes tour of my writing space, and everything you need to know about how to pre-order and win $500 in art.

Let’s get into it!

♡ Caitlyn

🎨 Title: Yeehaw

This might be one of my personal favorites. As soon as I saw the image of the cowboy, I knew—he had to be lassoing a xenomorph. Some art just hits you like that—fully formed, like the idea was a gift from something greater than you.

I made the piece monochromatic to give it the feel of a vintage photograph, like a picture unearthed from a forgotten archive of impossible history.

This one surprised me. Jules (2023) is a quiet, charming sci-fi film that feels like a warm blanket on a weird, rainy weekend. It’s unassuming, heartfelt, and unexpectedly moving.

And it features one of my favorite combinations: aliens and cats. If you're in the mood for something sweet and strange, this one's worth a watch.

This isn’t sci-fi or horror like my usual recs—it’s something else entirely. Sing Sing (2023) is a stunning, emotional film about suffering, acceptance, and redemption.

It follows a man imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit who finds unexpected purpose in a prison theater program. Much of the cast are actual inmates from Sing Sing, and their performances are raw, honest, and unforgettable.

This one had me in tears. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of art, even in the darkest places.

Creative Lesson: Heroes move while others watch.

It’s no secret I’m a big Wonder Woman fan and the No Man’s Land scene linked above is one I return to again and again.

When I need a reminder of what courage looks like, I watch that clip. Sometimes in life—and in art—you have to hype yourself up. You have to move when no one else will.

It’s hard to put yourself out there. It’s hard to stand for something when everyone else stays seated. And it’s really hard to walk towards the fight—towards something big and scary—alone.

Lately, that’s exactly how I’ve felt releasing my debut novel, One Red Arrow, Part I. I’ve been navigating this whole self-publishing journey without a map, without a mentor, and without a safety net. It’s vulnerable and isolating to share something this personal with the world. I always feel this way about my art and social media, but publishing a book is a challenge that I have never tackled before.

Still, here’s the truth I keep coming back to: I will never stop fighting for what I believe in.

Creatively or otherwise—I move. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when it’s quiet. Even when it’s just me.

Heroes aren’t always loud. They’re not always flashy. Sometimes being a hero means taking one small step toward your dream. Sometimes it means standing up for someone else. Sometimes it’s just being kind in a world that’s not.

You don’t have to be Wonder Woman to be remarkable. But you do have to move.

Big news from the farm—we got a rooster (maybe)! Over the weekend, we brought home an 8-week-old chicken who’s already acting like he runs the place. Technically, you can’t know for sure if they’re a rooster or a hen until they’re fully grown… but we’ve been told it’s a boy.

His name is Odin (thank you to everyone who voted in my Instagram poll!). I’ll keep you posted on whether he starts crowing or laying eggs...

In other exciting news, we made real progress on my new office/studio and farm shed! We added a front window and some siding to give the shed entrance a bit more charm. Up next: the roof, floor, trim, and stain.

It’s coming together!.

Odin the rooster (??)

Office/Shed update

My debut novel One Red Arrow, Part I comes out in less than a month—August 21st! I can’t wait to share this story with you.

My dream is to make this book a New York Times bestseller.
It’s a big goal, but with your support, I believe it’s possible.

Below, I’ve linked two special behind-the-scenes reels:
🛸 My personal UFO story that inspired a major scene in the book
🏹 A tour of my office, where I wrote this novel over the last few years

You can pre-order One Red Arrow, Part I now—and when you do, you’ll be entered to win $500 in Cult Class art prints. All the details are at the button below.

To keep up with demand (and keep things manageable on my end), I’ve made a change to how print drops work.

From now on, I’ll be releasing one featured piece every few days—just 5 prints per size. Once they sell out, they’re gone.

My latest piece "Calm Before the Storm" is available now.