Such serendipity! Creative Mornings invited me to speak and I had no idea what it was. 😂 Have also opened tabs for the granola recipe and clothing swap app. I didn’t realize chore jackets were trendy, but that explains how I finally found my dream Monty Don gardening jacket without paying millions of dollars to ship from across the pond. 🥰
My favorite thing this spring has been playing with a digital compost heap using Obsidian. It’s brought me back to the basics and helped me find the connective tissue between my art process, my research, and this thing we’re all doing where we share things to find connection online. I’d been really overthinking it after going low key viral last year, but I’m finding ease and joy in it all again. 🌱
Oooh, that's so exciting that your CreativeMornings chapter asked you to speak! Are you going to do it?! Lots of my favorite creators like Brad Montague have spoken at their chapters too! I only heard about CreativeMornings last year and now I try to tell every creative human (aka everyone) I know about it — it's such a wonderful, inclusive community.
Congrats on finding your dream Monty Don gardening jacket 😍
I have LOVED seeing your digital compost heap. I've always had a similar practice of collecting the things that inspire me, but never in such an organized way. You inspire me!
We’re still working out timing, but I hope to do a Creative Morning talk in winter. I haven’t done a presentation in ages and it was a completely different context so I need to give some thought about what topic I might speak on. They were very flexible in the invitation.
I packed my chore jacket for my London trip and was quite pleased to find them on all the mannequins in shops. I’m really into this practical / comfortable post COVID clothing trend. I’ll keep wearing my overalls and chore jackets once the trend has swung back to sparkles and spandex. 😂
I adore the squiggly needlepoint so so so much! Though the thing that is most impressive to me by far is that you're started to be able to identify bird call sounds on your own!?!?! That is literally the most in-tune-with-nature thing I've ever heard.
I don't know if it's *that* impressive considering it has taken me four months to recognize the sound of a robin when robins are mostly what we hear 😅 you should really give the Merlin app a try though! It's extremely easy to use!
I wonder if part of the workwear craze is the decline in general clothing quality. True workwear items are made with more durable material, more often American made, and designed to take a beating. A lot of folks reaching for workwear get that sense that it *feels* good, without totally making the material/construction connection. They also have a timeless vibe that's a nice contrast to the exhausting trend cycle (though workwear is now a trend?) I can imagine your chore coat getting more and more worn in and beloved over years!
Also, I am so excited for your creative energy--the new project! How fun!
I, too have found so much delight in creative community volunteering. We don't have Creative Mornings nearby but I'm on the board of our local AIGA chapter, organizing events for Graphic Designers (& related creative industry folks). It is such a joy to do stuff IRL with smart, cool people (who understand my penchant for tiny notebooks and good pens).
Ooo, you're spot on with your workwear analysis. The quality and timeless vibe are definitely what make me go for workwear! I'm a big fan and I'm excited to wear my coat for years and years. <3
THANK YOU! It will likely be a long labor of love, but I'm excited for what's ahead.
Wait, for real? There's not a CM near you?! Hmm, I wonder if you could petition for one to be made... So cool that you're on your local AIGA board though. Amen to the joy of doing IRL stuff with cool humans!!!
Everyone's saying this but I'll say it too: I love your lists!! Not only do I love a list in general, but you make them so engaging and cozy ❤️ ALSO your mullet is looking so good!!! Experimenting with hair can be so fun and I definitely need to do it again soon 👀
So happy you're also a fan of The Creative Independent — I stumbled across their website a few years ago and felt like I found a gem. They're the best and I'm always sending the website to my creative friends 😌
Ooooh and a spring fav: Dance classes (not so much getting randomly sick after as you've heard hahaha). Every time I leave my classes, I feel so embodied and present. It's such a wonderful feeling and I hope I can continue harnessing that once the course is over ✨
Thank you so, so much!! These are my favorite posts to put together :) yes please to experimenting with your hair soon!
I'm so impressed and inspired by you attending dance classes (minus the getting sick part, that's less fun)! Group fitness classes of any kind are so intimidating to me — I tried a few in-person yoga classes this year and... that was enough 🤪
I LOVE your lists! I don’t know if it’s just the stage of life I’m in, but I feel like I go months without trying anything new, much less finding several new things that spark joy, especially when I’m in a state struggling with my mental health. Do you have any tips for prioritizing trying new things? I feel like this creative growth mindset would be so beneficial FOR my mental health!
Thank you so much!! Girl, I very much get you. I actually tried multiple times over the past few months to make a list like this of things bringing me joy, but I never finished them because it felt like I was forcing it. I should have titled the posts "10 things I think are bringing me joy but I'm actually not sure because I feel dead inside." :))) Maybe I should have posted them anyway, but then also be honest about how I really felt!
BUT! When it comes to trying new things! I obviously have the added ease of not having kids so I'm able to make time to try new things pretty easily. But even besides that, I've found that it helps to try new things that have a relatively low bar to entry. I think needlepoint ended up being so successful for me because it's something I can just pick up whenever and work on a little here and there. A lot of it I did while watching a show at night with Freddy, but other times I worked on it for 10 minutes here and there when I needed a break from work etc. Freddy and I also tried air dry ceramics over the past few months, but we haven't spent nearly as much time on it since it's so much more involved to bring everything out, get messy, clean up, let dry, paint, glaze, etc. Not the case with needlepoint!
One other thing: I heard on a podcast recently the concept of saying yes to yourself. If you feel a little flutter inside to try something new? Don't push it down or ignore it! SAY YES TO YOURSELF. And I think the more you say yes to yourself, the more you're able to start trusting yourself to find joy in little things again. It's kind of like a muscle, you know? Sending so much love. <3
Love this list! I’ll have to try watching that show. Some of my favorites this spring have been: family bike rides, visiting the tulip festival, Albanese brand sour gummy worms, PB protein energy bites, spring cleaning/decluttering, listening to Harry Potter audio books, and also starting a new hobby! btw, I recently started a private email newsletter (may or may not have been inspired by you to just do it 😉) and this will have to be my next post 😆
Ooo, love your list. A big yes to spring cleaning/decluttering! It's so satisfying! And you are the queen of minimalism. :) Okay, that makes me so happy that I inspired you to start a newsletter!! Please share!
So excited to hear about your new side project!! Love that you do CreativeMornings!! Love hearing about all your hobbies!! Love the mullet!! I’m always so inspired by you!!!
My favorite of your list is your completed needlepoint! I'm hoping you do a design of your own soon!🥰
Such serendipity! Creative Mornings invited me to speak and I had no idea what it was. 😂 Have also opened tabs for the granola recipe and clothing swap app. I didn’t realize chore jackets were trendy, but that explains how I finally found my dream Monty Don gardening jacket without paying millions of dollars to ship from across the pond. 🥰
My favorite thing this spring has been playing with a digital compost heap using Obsidian. It’s brought me back to the basics and helped me find the connective tissue between my art process, my research, and this thing we’re all doing where we share things to find connection online. I’d been really overthinking it after going low key viral last year, but I’m finding ease and joy in it all again. 🌱
Oooh, that's so exciting that your CreativeMornings chapter asked you to speak! Are you going to do it?! Lots of my favorite creators like Brad Montague have spoken at their chapters too! I only heard about CreativeMornings last year and now I try to tell every creative human (aka everyone) I know about it — it's such a wonderful, inclusive community.
Congrats on finding your dream Monty Don gardening jacket 😍
I have LOVED seeing your digital compost heap. I've always had a similar practice of collecting the things that inspire me, but never in such an organized way. You inspire me!
We’re still working out timing, but I hope to do a Creative Morning talk in winter. I haven’t done a presentation in ages and it was a completely different context so I need to give some thought about what topic I might speak on. They were very flexible in the invitation.
I packed my chore jacket for my London trip and was quite pleased to find them on all the mannequins in shops. I’m really into this practical / comfortable post COVID clothing trend. I’ll keep wearing my overalls and chore jackets once the trend has swung back to sparkles and spandex. 😂
This is your compost heap! I love it. 🌱🐞🐝
Love your favorite things lists and YAY for the CreativeMornings RVA mention!!
Everyone needs to know about Creative Mornings!!!!
I adore the squiggly needlepoint so so so much! Though the thing that is most impressive to me by far is that you're started to be able to identify bird call sounds on your own!?!?! That is literally the most in-tune-with-nature thing I've ever heard.
I don't know if it's *that* impressive considering it has taken me four months to recognize the sound of a robin when robins are mostly what we hear 😅 you should really give the Merlin app a try though! It's extremely easy to use!
I wonder if part of the workwear craze is the decline in general clothing quality. True workwear items are made with more durable material, more often American made, and designed to take a beating. A lot of folks reaching for workwear get that sense that it *feels* good, without totally making the material/construction connection. They also have a timeless vibe that's a nice contrast to the exhausting trend cycle (though workwear is now a trend?) I can imagine your chore coat getting more and more worn in and beloved over years!
Also, I am so excited for your creative energy--the new project! How fun!
I, too have found so much delight in creative community volunteering. We don't have Creative Mornings nearby but I'm on the board of our local AIGA chapter, organizing events for Graphic Designers (& related creative industry folks). It is such a joy to do stuff IRL with smart, cool people (who understand my penchant for tiny notebooks and good pens).
Ooo, you're spot on with your workwear analysis. The quality and timeless vibe are definitely what make me go for workwear! I'm a big fan and I'm excited to wear my coat for years and years. <3
THANK YOU! It will likely be a long labor of love, but I'm excited for what's ahead.
Wait, for real? There's not a CM near you?! Hmm, I wonder if you could petition for one to be made... So cool that you're on your local AIGA board though. Amen to the joy of doing IRL stuff with cool humans!!!
Everyone's saying this but I'll say it too: I love your lists!! Not only do I love a list in general, but you make them so engaging and cozy ❤️ ALSO your mullet is looking so good!!! Experimenting with hair can be so fun and I definitely need to do it again soon 👀
So happy you're also a fan of The Creative Independent — I stumbled across their website a few years ago and felt like I found a gem. They're the best and I'm always sending the website to my creative friends 😌
Ooooh and a spring fav: Dance classes (not so much getting randomly sick after as you've heard hahaha). Every time I leave my classes, I feel so embodied and present. It's such a wonderful feeling and I hope I can continue harnessing that once the course is over ✨
Thank you so, so much!! These are my favorite posts to put together :) yes please to experimenting with your hair soon!
I'm so impressed and inspired by you attending dance classes (minus the getting sick part, that's less fun)! Group fitness classes of any kind are so intimidating to me — I tried a few in-person yoga classes this year and... that was enough 🤪
I LOVE your lists! I don’t know if it’s just the stage of life I’m in, but I feel like I go months without trying anything new, much less finding several new things that spark joy, especially when I’m in a state struggling with my mental health. Do you have any tips for prioritizing trying new things? I feel like this creative growth mindset would be so beneficial FOR my mental health!
Thank you so much!! Girl, I very much get you. I actually tried multiple times over the past few months to make a list like this of things bringing me joy, but I never finished them because it felt like I was forcing it. I should have titled the posts "10 things I think are bringing me joy but I'm actually not sure because I feel dead inside." :))) Maybe I should have posted them anyway, but then also be honest about how I really felt!
BUT! When it comes to trying new things! I obviously have the added ease of not having kids so I'm able to make time to try new things pretty easily. But even besides that, I've found that it helps to try new things that have a relatively low bar to entry. I think needlepoint ended up being so successful for me because it's something I can just pick up whenever and work on a little here and there. A lot of it I did while watching a show at night with Freddy, but other times I worked on it for 10 minutes here and there when I needed a break from work etc. Freddy and I also tried air dry ceramics over the past few months, but we haven't spent nearly as much time on it since it's so much more involved to bring everything out, get messy, clean up, let dry, paint, glaze, etc. Not the case with needlepoint!
One other thing: I heard on a podcast recently the concept of saying yes to yourself. If you feel a little flutter inside to try something new? Don't push it down or ignore it! SAY YES TO YOURSELF. And I think the more you say yes to yourself, the more you're able to start trusting yourself to find joy in little things again. It's kind of like a muscle, you know? Sending so much love. <3
Love this list! I’ll have to try watching that show. Some of my favorites this spring have been: family bike rides, visiting the tulip festival, Albanese brand sour gummy worms, PB protein energy bites, spring cleaning/decluttering, listening to Harry Potter audio books, and also starting a new hobby! btw, I recently started a private email newsletter (may or may not have been inspired by you to just do it 😉) and this will have to be my next post 😆
Ooo, love your list. A big yes to spring cleaning/decluttering! It's so satisfying! And you are the queen of minimalism. :) Okay, that makes me so happy that I inspired you to start a newsletter!! Please share!
You are too sweet! Also I forgot to say that your pixie mullet is on point.
This is my newsletter link: https://madewithmichelle.myflodesk.com/
Ooh, thank you! Join me! Pixie Mullet Club!
Very curious to know about your experience with Flodesk — Substack is becoming more and more like social media and I'm not loving it:(
So excited to hear about your new side project!! Love that you do CreativeMornings!! Love hearing about all your hobbies!! Love the mullet!! I’m always so inspired by you!!!
ahhhh thank you you're the best!! GIRL IN THE MIRROR IS HERE!!