My loves,
It’s important for me as a creative to make sure I’m consuming good quality creations… not just a mindless scroll of blabbering. Here’s my scrapbook of all the things that have fed my eyes, heart, brain & soul lately. I usually collect all the things that inspire me in my art journal… consider this my digital version!
Filled with things I’ve read, things I’ve beauty, things I’ve watched…
Get yourself a big ole cup of tea… this is a long one!
You can find all the other posts where I’ve shared my digital scrapbook here.
This comic by Sarah Mirk on the grief of losing her dog hit me right in the heart.
There’s something so compelling about Jane Davies’ collages.
This one by Grant Snider made me take a deep breath.
Woodblock scenic wallpapers! Fascinating!
Rebecca Green’s posts and illustrations are ultimate coziness.
This comic on travelling without babies (and then subjecting everyone in sight to photos of your babies) is very me-coded. My babies are now 15 and 11, and I feel that way even if I’m just up the street without them. I HAVE BABIES! THEY ARE VERY CUTE! NO YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW CUTE THEY ARE! I MUST SHOW YOU!
- This whole post of words, photos and art from My Giant Strawberry was lovely.
- Mary Ann Moss‘ missives are always delightful.
- I remember telling a friend this twenty years ago. AM I UNKNOWN??????
- It makes my heart flutter to see inside other people’s notebooks.
- I don’t know if you saw that whole celebrity gossip debacle of Ariana Grande hooking up with her married co-star. The now ex-wife (and clinical psychologist) Lily Jay wrote a gripping piece on what it’s like to suddenly become famous for a devastating reason.
- If you find reading/watching the news daily is crushing your spirit (especially right now), you can use News Not Noise to stay informed without having a panic attack.
- The comments on this post are the warmest ray of hope.
- Shannon Watts had helpful advice on dealing with the American election (I think much of the advice is still useful now too)
- This list of diverse romance novels is wonderful – got some great recommendations from them!
- Why blogging isn’t dead.
- This one had me taking deep breaths.
- An Amazon influencer sued another influencer for stealing her vibes, basically. Weirdly intriguing.
- The many lives of my Zillow alter ego. I’m the same but with roadtrips… I’m constantly looking at other people’s houses and imagining myself living there.
- This feels important: Your knowledge gap about Autism is about genius.
- This feels important too: prioritising powerful over perfection in activism.
- This quote probably sums up why I’m not really interested in AI.
- The tao of Cal. I find this dude’s brain fascinating!
- A beautiful moment captured in words.
- Talking while walking the Camino.
- Words from Karen Maezen Miller always exude a certain kind of peace onto my soul. All her books are wonderful, Momma Zen was especially a balm when I was a new mama. And more goodness from some of her latest posts:
From “Not A Place For Staying Long“:
My mother died many years ago. She was sick with a disease that had mutilated her body. Her death was not a shock or surprise. It was a clear and merciful blessing. What shocked me was not the finality of her death on that day, it was the presence of my life. Life flowing, life ongoing. It seems like a sacrilege to go to the supermarket on the day your mother dies, but there was no other alternative. There was nothing other than that for me to do.
- From Karen’s Goodness & Mercy:
I learned the Lutheran liturgy by rote: the confession, the absolution, the creeds. But not a bit of it penetrated my heart until I heard the parting words from the pastor at the end of the service. He would stand on the altar, facing us, and raise his arms wide enough to include all of us, everyone, everywhere, saying the most comforting words I had ever heard in my life then or now—the truth that we are never apart, that we are loved beyond measure, and that we are held safe and blessed by grace.
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you,
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.I’ve never forgotten these words and why would I want to? When my hope dims, the benediction resounds. And now, illuminated by my Buddhist practice, I see it not as the invocation of a distant god, but as an expression of a mysterious and universal truth—that your miraculous life is a blessing and a haven, an ever-bright jewel…
This gave me the most beautiful chills… I don’t know if John Batiste identifies as Neurodivergent, but he definitely sets off my ND joy!
You probably already saw this one… but golly this music video with Dick Van Dyke is so so heartwarming.
My husband found this video for me and I was fascinated by it… studio tours of some gloriously kooky creative spaces!
I loved looking in Jane Davies‘ wild sketchbook. So loose and wonderful!
My current favourite internet creator is Jack Henry Robbins – the son of Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. His videos are a delightful kind of unhinged.
I’m a long term fan of Gavin and Stacey. I still think the pilot episode is the greatest single TV episode I’ve ever seen. It’s just perfection on a stick – both sweet and confoundingly ridiculous. And as a mark of an excellent TV show, I still quote from it on the regular.
“Sepia, see-pia. I don’t know how you say it. Got a feeling it’s faulty. Just makes everything go brown.”
Anyways, I could go on for decades about my Gavin and Stacey love.
So of COURSE I’m going to say I adored the Christmas special finally finishing the series after 17 years. Thank you James Corden & Ruth Jones for one of the most delicious TV creations I ever did see.
A Man On The Inside with Ted Danson was the most hilarious, heartfelt watch. I think I cried in every single episode. Completely wonderful in the best of ways.
Obviously, Season 3 of Ted Lasso was wonderful once I finally got around to watching it. I feel like the whole show taught me so much about empathy and friendship. A truly kind watch. I wish more TV like this was made.
I thought Last One Laughing Australia that came out a few years ago was some of the most bonkers, hilarious TV I’ve ever seen. So I was THRILLED to see a UK edition came out this year with some of my favourite comedians. Freaklishly funny!
This one is a real left field choice for me. I usually dislike all crime shows, but my husband and I tried out Ludwig just because we are David Mitchell fans. And then we got deeeeeep kind of obsessed. It’s a wonderful kind of puzzle, it reminds me of the last crime show I liked – Monk. Maybe I just like murder mysteries when the main character is neurodivergent? Anyways, I had a MOST enjoyable little rabbit hole of watching Ludwig while completing Murdle puzzles. 10/10 a lovely lil Autistic activity.
Go forth and make!
We need your art, your voice, your offerings in the world!
Big love,
P.S. Quick reminder my brand new program is starting in just a few days. I know it’s going to be incredibly powerful, and I don’t want you to miss out!