Studio Sunday (no. 10)

Hello. It’s Spring break week for us and we’re taking a little family trip with the girls and my sister and nephew. I don’t know what it is, but airplanes (with no wifi) are the best creative idea factory energy I get all year. I’m bringing a blank journal and hopefully it will return home full.

I just started Lost Lambs and it’s SO good. It’s going to be my poolside book for the week. I’m also listening to the audiobook of Great Circle and I am obsessed (although I have to admit I’m loving one of the timelines more than the other, but that often happens to me and I’m sure I will love them both equally by the end).

I saw a video on IG this week where Ray Bradbury says to read one poem every night and it really resonated with me like, “HELL YES, I CAN DO THIS.” So I stuck a poetry book next to my bed and one in my suitcase and I’m so excited to stuff my brain with beautiful things every night before bed. One poem each night right before bed feels SO doable.

Note: He actually said a poem, short story and essay I think but that is too much for me, so I’m just doingt the poem for now!

I’m officially in my second month of querying my historical fiction novel and have started writing an unhinged, low-stakes novel that I’ve had in my drawer for a while. It feels like the biggest gift to myself to do a project for pure pleasure right now. Who knows, maybe I’ll be the kind of writer who needs a silly little palette cleanser between projects. There’s so much I’m still trying to figure out in that department, but most importantly I’m trying to maintain a healthy mindset and protect the joy and magic of writing.

“What if it was easy?” My friend Katie Day always says this and now I do too. It’s such a good guiding mantra because I will notoriously overcomplicate every little thing. I love imagining the easiest path and rerouting. (It works for everything!)

For the past few years I’ve been collecting gold rings. They’re a mixture of vintage finds, small shops and Etsy finds. I love that they can be endlessly mixed and matched and I love wearing too many at once (at least two per finger!).

I love collecting vintage photographs like this one: Trips To Mars.

Like most parents we struggle with screens and recently my husband and I have been talking about ways to encourage a creative childhood. It’s my biggest goal as a parent, and some seasons are more creative than others. Somehow this past week when he and I had the talk about whether we eliminate iPads (again) the kids started building forts and reading their kindle again (they need a kindle because they have low vision and need an oversized font that is almost never available in paper books). It felt like a small miracle and a huge win.

If you have any tips or ideas for fostering creativity with your kids I’d LOVE to hear them. I’m already getting a little nervous with summer approaching.

I’m leaning on my comforts right now. Sufjan Stevens, The Twilight Movies, Little Women 2019 and making homemade popcorn are hight on my list. What things bring you comfort? Especially books. I’d love a comfort read.

Life Changing Mindset Shifts on the podcast last week. I’ve been really excited about the topics we’ve been covering recently.

The most asked about collection in my library are these Everyman’s Pocket Poets books. I collected all of mine from eBay and Thrift books and will definitely keep adding to them over time because I love the spins and they are the perfect tiny books to travel with.