July Newsletter

NO. 24 | July 2023

I find myself snowballing into July and this email. I’m writing this while stuffed full of treats from my favorite bakery; every day something reminds me of all the lovely little things I’ll be leaving behind soon enough. My mind is scattered! Stretched into a lot of different places. So join me as we make a couple varied stops across this newsletter.

Chicago has been cloaked in smoke for almost two weeks (from Canadian wildfires). The intensity has varied, and so have the negative effects, but what has remained constant is the grayness. I could talk about the unfortunate implications of this new reality, but really, the apocalyptic feeling to walking outside speaks for itself. So, instead, I’m going to talk about color. If you live anywhere around here, you might know that the worst part of the winter season is the gray skies—never ending, matte, untextured, gray. The best part then, of the summer season, is the reversal of that—blue skies, striking sunsets and rises (and temperature, okay ya-da-ya-da). I have never lived through a gray June until now, and I must say that it has brought blue skies top-of-mind for me. More than summer sun and heat, I am missing and craving that cerulean in the sky. What’s a park blanket picnic without leaning back and taking in the colors (leafy greens on a baby blue canvas)? What’s the chlorine blue of a pool without a sky to reflect in it (artificial electric blue, softened by sky blue)? What’s a puddle after a summer storm, a pocket of sky on the ground as the clouds clear (heavy asphalt cupping wavering cornflower)?

Color has a more powerful hold on me than I even realized until recently. I have always felt that I at least appreciated neutrals or limited palettes, even though I gravitate towards full and bright schemes. But, I think I have to admit that that appreciation is quite distant. I don’t reach for neutral toned clothing (an early sewing & fabric-buying lesson); I squeeze in pinks and purples, even when a painting would be easier without them. Color makes me feel like me! When the world looks different, I feel different, even if it’s just one hue fading to gray.

The next two newsletters are going to be all about my residency! I’m leaving in less than two weeks. On that same note, the August Newsletter will be out on 8/15 (instead of 8/1). I hope to come back to you with my brain patted back into a creative little lump.

Consider: Excerpts of Delight

I keep a journal of delights on & off. I’ve certainly mentioned it somewhere around here before. In the difficulty of June, I found myself coming back to it and reading old entries for small reminders. Here are a few I’m sharing with you.

This month was often too full for making (:/), but I have some updates. First, my tiny garden is doing better than it did last year! It has many limitations (that I work to accept), but it’s producing flowers, and that’s pretty cool. In addition to this safflower (my first ever!), I’ve gotten tango cosmos, coreopsis, a black magic bachelor’s button, and my indigo is still kicking.

I also batch prepped 12 sewing projects. Sewing has a ton of prep: picking and printing a pattern, figuring out sizing, cutting the paper pattern, and cutting the fabric pieces. Usually I think, “That stuff’s boring; it can’t take that long! I’ll do it right before I start sewing.” Then I spend a miserable couple hours doing that stuff, which does take that long, and then I’m grumpy by the time I finally get to sew. Instead, I picked a big batch of patterns and fabrics from my stash, spent a couple weeks prepping all of them, and now they’re each individually ready to sew. It made the process way more enjoyable not to rush it, and it gave me time to incorporate some more out-of-the-box ideas, like the weaving (pictured). You may or may not see it on a garment (not all out-of-the-box ideas are successful).

I’ve recently been working on (at least plotting) some illustrations for my middle grade novel. Working in a variety of styles is something I take a lot of joy in, so thinking about the look of a new project is so exciting. Along those lines, I’ve been continuously awed by the work of Zuzana Čupová. Her character design is what I often find myself most enthralled with, but she also uses ink beautifully and renders subject matter with incredible narrative and action. Her sketching process is also dynamic and amazing.

☆ Shivers vs Shivers (thanks Claire)
☆ It’s my birthday month! As a gift to me, share this newsletter with someone who might like it! Your recommendations help me keep growing and writing.
☆ In love with this floral pattern
☆ New season of I Think You Should Leave dropped
☆ If you need something more accessible