Things of Beauty #70
Small scale art, sick days, and scarves for squirrels
Well hello there! I've got half a draft of an essay about why I'm having a hard time drafting an essay, bobbing around in my head but not making its way out, just yet. So while I work through that, I thought I'd share a few recent glimmers of creative joy below.
If you're also feeling creatively "meh," I think you'll especially like squirrel point* three below.
*Get it, they're bullet points, but squirrels?! (See folks... this is where we are at the moment — weird jokes, yes; longer form creative essays, not so much.)
Things I've squirreled away, lately.
🐿 These miniature paintings from Rachel Spelling that are created on those color charts available in the paint section of hardware stores.
🐿 This digital zine from Erik Winkowski over at
. So cool to see how he tapped into the hand-drawn feel of a zine in a digital newsletter. Eagerly awaiting ZINEMAIL No. 2.🐿 This essay at Shangrilogs about taking a "sick" day when creative inspiration runs dry. I love it because it's always nice to know that someone else has the experience of sitting down to write and just staring at a blank screen (especially when it's someone whose work I admire). I also love that it's not a list of ways to get unstuck, as much as a permission slip to sit with the stuck for a bit, while also not giving up hope.
🐿 Sometimes you read something and think yes! that's exactly how I feel and that was true of Chrissy Hennessy's latest thoughts on logging off social media and living a little (or a lot) less filtered through that lens. Also LOVE the sticker on her laptop pictured in the essay — it came from her friend's work, here.
🐿 Related to being less online, I'm feeling this pull to make something just for fun, with very little attachment to the outcome. I picked crochet back up a while ago but never seem to stick with it long enough to finish a project. Recently I had the appropriately silly idea to make seasonal scarves for this little squirrel that sits on my desk at home. I did some initial research into purchasing super small quantities of yarn. But I honestly think even things like this are more than I need. Perhaps I'll add to the creative challenge by trying to thrift the yarn. Is that even a thing?
What small moments of joy or little glimmers of hope have you found lately? When was the last time you took a "sick" day? Are you craving a life lived less online (or have you figured that out)? Can I thrift tiny bits of yarn to make squirrel scarves (and if I do and don't post them online, did it really happen)?
Be well, find tiny joy—
Mary Chris
It's always such a thrill to see myself on your lists! So glad the post resonated and earned a squirrel. Can't wait to read your future essay about creative blocks!
Always a little spot of joy in my inbox. :)