now

“It’s always a mistake to equate productivity and creativity. They are not the same. In fact, they’re frequently at odds with each other: You’re often most creative when you’re the least productive.”

- Austin Kleon, page 150 of Keep Going

Love this strip so much.

"when something taps at the window of grief, even faintly, you don’t ignore it. You go look. You become a little unhinged about it."

I was teary all the way through What to Do When the Signs Stop by Megan Falley.

I deeply enjoyed this episode of Creative Pep Talk: Consume and Create Art to Get Your Brain Back with Scientist Daisy Fancourt

via chloe almeda

"I did not want my life story to include my husband dying [...] when we were both pretty young... It's scary to go into pain that intense and not know how you're gonna get back out."

• Mara Glatzel, who guides me in being a functioning human and keeps me afloat
• Austin Kleon
  Kening Zhu
  & Chloe Almeda
  (all three of whom keep me rooted in the belief that a creative life is possible + sustainable)
• Denise DT - a deeply genuine human with an enormous heart, always reminding me of the good that financial resources can do
• Julie Parker - my coaching mentor. special mention to this instagram post
• Amber Karnes - she has so much wisdom to share with the world & i wish i could absorb all of it through osmosis. also! amber was the first person i came across who blogged on wordpress (back in, like, 2006?) - so literally shaped my entire life in that regard.

“I know there are things I haven’t survived
I know there are people in this world who have had to work really hard to survive me, I don’t ever want to take that lightly
But I want the heavy to anchor me brave, to anchor me loving, to anchor me in something
that will absolutely hold me to my word
When I tell Cupid I intend to keep walking out to the tip of his arrow,
to bend it back towards myself,
to aim for my goodness; ’til the muscle in my chest tears from the stretch of becoming.”

-andrea gibson 

cosmo was extra needy tonight, so i offered him this spot on my desk. i'd set these baskets aside earlier - they used to be cloth diaper storage, and they've just been hanging out in my closet since those days ended. came in handy to offer this clingy kitty some comfort.

It's our last non-school night of summer.

I spent it in the studio - the photo above is my work table in the midst of mixed media-ifying a board book and watching youtube.

I bought this cute vintage box at a local shop (the rusticator's emporium) earlier.