Rediscover your childlike wonder at the 1st Annual Camp Awe-Gust

Join us for a fun-filled, inspiration-packed 4-week virtual summer camp designed for nostalgic grown-ups who want to feel like a kid again.

Last year, I wrote to you about my August Angst. How the month’s arrival took me by surprise. How I was grasping for it and shoving it away in equal measure. How I hated it for replacing July, resented it for not being September, and was so thoroughly disappointed in it for barely resembling the August I grew up with.

My husband called it the Sunday Scaries of Summer and that pretty much summed it up. August? More like Blah-gust.

This year, though, I saw it coming. I felt the internal tug. The drag on my system. The humid boredom, the winged anxiety, the criss-cross-applesauce trajectory of time.

Except.

There was something else, too…

Anticipation.

I don’t know if you remember, but that essay ended with me standing on an imaginary picnic table, making an impassioned speech that went something like:

“For myself and anyone else craving a lost time, a lost self, anyone who is feeling stuck in the muck, whose humid boredom desperately needs to travel through the wide open landscape of collective imagination:

Let’s reclaim the season!

Let’s capture all that is childlike in and around us, regardless of age or place!

Let’s find and fill our summer with wonder!

From now on, I say these dog days will be known as AweGust.”

And then, I proceeded to hop down, pull out my Field Notebook, and imagine a summer camp for adults who want to feel like a kid again. It would be Mrs. Maisel in the Catskills meets Moonrise Kingdom meets every 80s and 90s summer camp movie ever made and it would be incredible!

Of course, as I mentioned, last August took me by surprise, so there wasn’t enough time for that level of undertaking. But, as I also mentioned, this year I saw it coming.

And, friends…I did it!

I made us a virtual, 4 week summer camp, filled with Wes Anderson-level whimsy and soft-grain nostalgia and grass-stained joy and epic escapades. It’s completely free. All are welcome. You can invite anyone you want. And it’s going to be INCREDIBLE!

The best part, the important part, is– you don’t have to go anywhere. We are going to find magic and fun and inspiration and delight and freedom exactly where we are.

Who’s with me?!?!

…I’m going to assume you are nodding enthusiastically here, so keep scrolling down to the Adventure Desk where we¹ will fill you in on the details, get you registered, and answer all your questions.

It’s very fast and easy. I promise.

Welcome Camper!

First things first, this is how it works:

1. Every week, you’ll receive a Camp Itinerary jam-packed with:

• A collection of (self-guided) Activities, Workshops, and Challenges

  • You choose your own adventure! Ranging from ordinary to epic, indoor to outdoor, independent to group, low time involvement to high time investment.

• A Sweet Summer Movie Night suggestion.

  • We’ll propose a pairing of our favorite summertime films with a movie-themed dessert. It’s like a pre-planned party. All you have to do is host.

• A selection of conversations with Special Guests

  • We’ll round up wise words from experts on topics of creativity, adventure, connection, and wonder

• Curated adventure supplies and nostalgic novelties

  • Add to your experience with a collection of special selections from our Curiosity Canteen

• A postcard prompt

  • A fill-in-the-blank note is the perfect way to tell everyone back home about all the fun you’re having. Or to connect with fellow campers around the Campfire Comments Circle.

2. Earn points for every activity by sharing a photo (or description) of your experience and tagging @tamicarey and #campawegust on Instagram or Substack Notes.

3. Earn badges for every challenge you complete before August 31st

✨ 3 lucky winners will get a prize of their choice from our Curiosity Canteen! ✨

*This will take approximately 1 minute (we timed it)*

STEP 1: SUBSCRIBE

1. If you’re subscribed to Outsourced Optimism, you’re already signed up to receive the Weekly Camp Itinerary. If not, just bop this Subscribe button👇🏻

STEP 2: REGISTER

1. Answer the following questions in the Campfire Comments Circle below

2. In about 24 hours, you’ll receive a link to download your personal Camper Card– just like this one 👇🏻

3. Earn your first 1 pt by sharing your Camper Card to Instagram or Substack Notes and tagging @tamicarey and #campawegust

1: What’s your first name?

2: Name your bunkhouse:

3: What (or who) is your spirit animal?

4: As a young camper, were you most likely to stay up all night…(choose one)
a. Reading
b. Talking (and trading secrets) with your bunkmates
c. Sneaking out
d. Playing truth or dare (which may or may not have also involved sneaking out)
e. N/A- you knew sleep was very important, even as a kid

5: What were you most likely to sneak in? (choose one)
a. Candy
b. Board games
c. A flask
d. Scary movies
e. Bunny slippers
f. Booby traps
g. Other: ___ (fill-in-the-blank)___

6: The reason I’m here is: ___ (fill-in-the-blank)___

STEP 3: INVITE YOUR PALS (optional)

Every cabin has four bunks, which means you can invite up to 3 friends to join you. Just share this post and make sure they use your your bunk name when they register.

Recommended if:

• you could use more quality time in your current friendships

• you don’t like doing things by yourself

• you’re excited for camp, but you need some accountability

Earn 1 pt per friend who registers

WAYFINDING

If you have any questions, keep scrolling to the FAQ section below. If you’re ready to get this party started, these sign posts will point you in the right direction:

🪧 Orientation: Get the lay of the land and meet your fellow campers
🪧 Time Machine: Visit Week 1, Week 2

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1. Does virtual mean we’ll meet on Zoom?

   Nope. Camp AweGust is completely self-guided and at your own pace, so there won’t be any scheduled or live events this year.

2. Does that mean there will be live events next year?

   I like where your head is at. We’ll just have to wait and see…

3. How much does Camp cost?

   Camp AweGust is completely free. You may choose to buy supplies and some activity suggestions are paid, but all of that is completely optional and not required to have a full and fun experience.

4. Can I still join after August 8th?

   Yes! You can hop in anytime before the end of camp on August 31st. The sooner you join, the more time you have for activities, but don’t let that stop you.

5. Do the weekly activities have to be completed within that week?

   Nope. You can go in any order you choose, at your own pace. All itineraries will be available in the archive. All points and badges can be earned right up until the end of Camp.

6. Can I still earn points and badges if I’m not on social media?

   Of course! Email your activity photos to outsourcedoptimism@substack.com or write about your experience in the Campfire Comments Circle.

7. What is the Campfire Comments Circle? …And where is it?

   That’s just our clever way of saying ‘Comments Section’, which you can always find at the bottom of these posts.

8. How does the point system work?

   A point value will be assigned to each activity in the Weekly Itinerary. To keep it simple, most things will be worth 1 or 2 points. (Psst- There are up to 4 points available in this email- did you spot them?)

9. How do I win a prize?

   For every point you earn, your name will be added into a pot. At the end of Camp, we’ll draw three names. We’re not statistical experts, but it stands to reason that more points = more entries = the higher your chances.

10. Is the pot an actual pot?

    That hasn’t been determined yet. But probably.

11. Is the Curiosity Canteen a real shop?

    For now, it’s imaginary. I’ll just be gathering links to fun things I find at other peoples’ shops.

12. Can I invite more than 3 friends?

    Absolutely. The more the merrier.

13. Why are you doing this?

    I’m one of those people who likes to do things with (and create things for) other people. I used to own a shop and one of my favorite things about that was having a place to host my hare-brained ideas, so I could invite others to participate in them with me. I want Outsourced Optimism to become something more like that. I don’t know if that’s possible in a digital space, but I hope so. This is me, trying.

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe set up a life you don't need to escape from.”

Seth Godin

1. We = Me (Tami) and my co-Camp Counselor, Buckwheat*

*Yes, Buckwheat is a dog. These are the dog days of summer, after all. (That’s what he told me to say)

*I should probably mention that Camp Awe-Gust is pet-friendly and kid-friendly.