Learning about George Elliston is awesome. And I love the beautiful illustrated text in this post. Reminds me of SARK's books, which are big favorites of mine.
I love Big Magic & have Rick Rubén’s book on my TBR for this year, hopefully. I love how so many creatives think of ideas just waiting for someone to bring them to life!
THANK YOU so much for this post! Like your Zoom call, it has changed my headspace.
I've had a lot of very non-creative issues to deal with the past eighteen months, and I'm struggling to get back into the studio. Related to this: when it came time to produce my newsletter for January 1st, it was last-minute in the extreme and I ended up painting/drawing/writing the entire thing with brush and ink the day before I planned to post it. This wasn't optimum, but after it was out I felt a stirring of "hmmm, something tells me I need to bring more of this energy into my posts on a regular basis".
Soon after *that*, I discovered your newsletter and was bolstered by the way you approach it and lay it out. This new post of yours adds fuel to the fire. I'm an artist but I also love writing and producing my newsletter... I feel I'm ever closer to combining the two in a more organic fashion. (My January post, in case you want to see: https://balampman.substack.com/p/no-72-a-tentative-hello-to-2024)
Ooh, I LOVE your combined art + hand-lettered organic last-minute post! Substack is a journey of its own! I've been intrigued by how people use it and how I find myself responding to the format and its limitations and possibilities. Thanks for commenting, so glad to connect!
I loved everything about this newsletter, Kelsey! I am having an off day and had climbed in bed to hide from it all when I read this and it felt like medicine.
I am a member of a writing group - there are 5 of us - and we are all writing as secondary careers. During our very first Zoom session we kept talking about how writing comes up for us and kept saying - oh, Liz Gilbert says that in Big Magic. By the end of the call we decided to call ourselves The Big Magic Writing Group. Our next call is on Thursday and your newsletter got me extra excited for it.
OMG how wonderful! The Big Magic Writing Group! I love it! And I'm so glad this post found its way to you even though you were hiding from your day. 😁 Greetings to your writing group!
Thank you, Myq! But now I'm worried about that other post I was working on! Was there a battle between the ideas? Did the other idea have to find another human? Will it still be there for my next post? Tune in next time... 😁
did you watch The Good Place? i love it. there's an episode where some of the characters find like four clues that another one left them, and they were all proud like "we found your four clues!" and then he was like "that's great! also, i left you like 12,000 clues!"
and i think ideas are like that. i mean, i had a few ideas between waking and getting up and over to a place where i could jot them down or record them in any way, and maybe they're gone forever or maybe they'll be back, but i'm very confident that there are 12,000 more ideas floating around and i'll receive one the next time i'm open to it. like now.
so, i hope your other idea finds you again or still or someone else if that's the way, AND ALSO i'm very confident that others will continue to find us, AND ALSO the idea that you shared definitely was the one to share when you did, because it is what happened.
also, do you know the garth brooks song "unanswered prayers"? lyrics: "sometimes i thank god for unanswered prayers." sometimes maybe an unheeded idea makes room for the next, bigger, better, more immediate heeded one!
Gosh I don't watch The Good Place or know the Garth Brooks song, but I totally get your point and love all of this nonetheless! I agree that there are at least 12,000 ideas floating around me and you right now like lightning bugs, and we might capture one or two and put them in a jar with holes in the lid and share our magical glowing jars and then release them back into the world and await the next one or the next. And yes, maybe we'll let some pass by like unanswered prayers that we shouldn't have been praying for in the first place, and now my metaphors are all awry!
Anyway it did feel notable in the context of the urgency I felt with this post idea that my idea to write about George Elliston (mentioned in the newsy part of my post) found me again twenty years later!
I imagine the energy from that kind of community is pretty amazing. I'm glad you went. But I'm here to say I LOVE the art for the George Elliston piece in the Cincinnati Review. The portraits (and palette) are stunning!
Thank you! I got a box of 8 Posco acrylic markers that only have primary/bright colors (plus black and white)--not my usual palette--and I wasn't sure what to do with them, but it was fun trying to find a way to make them work for me.
Ooh that's an idea...listening to it so it seeps into your unconscious! (Or maybe bc it's your only free brainspace moment of the day?) Anyway, thanks, Maddy!
Fine--I'll finish the graphic essay I'm working on! The universe can be so persistent. Seriously, I loved this post and it felt like kismet that I read it this morning as I'm setting my priorities and trying to convince myself to not do the illustrations I had in mind for a piece for my Substack. Your beautiful work is inspiring me to say Yes!
Learning about George Elliston is awesome. And I love the beautiful illustrated text in this post. Reminds me of SARK's books, which are big favorites of mine.
Oh wow, I somehow had never heard of SARK?!?! Thank you for sharing that! And yes, George Elliston is so cool!
Oh please read SARK, I think you'll love her work. I am a huge fan of her book about naps. And also Eat Mangoes Naked and Succulent Wild Woman.
For sure I will! Thanks for suggesting titles--it looks like there are a lot!
She's very prolific which is awesome since she also encourages taking naps, resting, playing, daydreaming. Both things are possible.
I love Big Magic & have Rick Rubén’s book on my TBR for this year, hopefully. I love how so many creatives think of ideas just waiting for someone to bring them to life!
I just got my copy of Rubin's book this week and am excited to dive in after my friend talked about it!
OMG Kelcey love this!
I have a copy of BIG MAGIC in my CLOSET, unread but everyone says to read it so I will! thanks, have an AMAZING AWP - TH
Thanks, Tom! Yes I loved and appreciated BIG MAGIC even more this time around! Will miss you at AWP!!!
The audiobook is excellent!
THANK YOU so much for this post! Like your Zoom call, it has changed my headspace.
I've had a lot of very non-creative issues to deal with the past eighteen months, and I'm struggling to get back into the studio. Related to this: when it came time to produce my newsletter for January 1st, it was last-minute in the extreme and I ended up painting/drawing/writing the entire thing with brush and ink the day before I planned to post it. This wasn't optimum, but after it was out I felt a stirring of "hmmm, something tells me I need to bring more of this energy into my posts on a regular basis".
Soon after *that*, I discovered your newsletter and was bolstered by the way you approach it and lay it out. This new post of yours adds fuel to the fire. I'm an artist but I also love writing and producing my newsletter... I feel I'm ever closer to combining the two in a more organic fashion. (My January post, in case you want to see: https://balampman.substack.com/p/no-72-a-tentative-hello-to-2024)
Ooh, I LOVE your combined art + hand-lettered organic last-minute post! Substack is a journey of its own! I've been intrigued by how people use it and how I find myself responding to the format and its limitations and possibilities. Thanks for commenting, so glad to connect!
Substack is a journey of its own, indeed. Thank you for subscribing!
This post is magic! Such a wonderful format!!!! I'm inspired now.
Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear it!
Great post.
Thanks, Barb!
Thank you so much for writing this post - it was exactly what I needed to read today! BTW, your art work is so beautiful :)
Oh I'm so glad to hear it! Thank you!
You are on FIRE! Thank you for reminding me to say YES to the next (likely improbable-seeming) thing!
The more improbable-seeming, the better! Those are the ideas that have to find a very special someone like you! ❤️
Fabulous, as usual, thanks for the ride and the views, Kelcey. Yes! To all this, plus have a great time at AWP. JB
Thank you, Jay! ❤️
It was so great to catch up with you and Alverne! Love this post and our entire Tin House group! ❤️
I loved it so much! ❤️❤️❤️
I love this post, and your graphic essay (thanks for the link!) on George Elliston. Enjoy the AWP and Kansas City.
Thank you for reading! I'm excited for KC!
I loved everything about this newsletter, Kelsey! I am having an off day and had climbed in bed to hide from it all when I read this and it felt like medicine.
I am a member of a writing group - there are 5 of us - and we are all writing as secondary careers. During our very first Zoom session we kept talking about how writing comes up for us and kept saying - oh, Liz Gilbert says that in Big Magic. By the end of the call we decided to call ourselves The Big Magic Writing Group. Our next call is on Thursday and your newsletter got me extra excited for it.
OMG how wonderful! The Big Magic Writing Group! I love it! And I'm so glad this post found its way to you even though you were hiding from your day. 😁 Greetings to your writing group!
dear kelcey,
thank you for sharing all of these ideas that have found a home in your human form (or someone else's)!
much love
myq
Thank you, Myq! But now I'm worried about that other post I was working on! Was there a battle between the ideas? Did the other idea have to find another human? Will it still be there for my next post? Tune in next time... 😁
haha
did you watch The Good Place? i love it. there's an episode where some of the characters find like four clues that another one left them, and they were all proud like "we found your four clues!" and then he was like "that's great! also, i left you like 12,000 clues!"
and i think ideas are like that. i mean, i had a few ideas between waking and getting up and over to a place where i could jot them down or record them in any way, and maybe they're gone forever or maybe they'll be back, but i'm very confident that there are 12,000 more ideas floating around and i'll receive one the next time i'm open to it. like now.
so, i hope your other idea finds you again or still or someone else if that's the way, AND ALSO i'm very confident that others will continue to find us, AND ALSO the idea that you shared definitely was the one to share when you did, because it is what happened.
also, do you know the garth brooks song "unanswered prayers"? lyrics: "sometimes i thank god for unanswered prayers." sometimes maybe an unheeded idea makes room for the next, bigger, better, more immediate heeded one!
also, i don't know! i'll stay tuned in!
thanks kelcey!
Gosh I don't watch The Good Place or know the Garth Brooks song, but I totally get your point and love all of this nonetheless! I agree that there are at least 12,000 ideas floating around me and you right now like lightning bugs, and we might capture one or two and put them in a jar with holes in the lid and share our magical glowing jars and then release them back into the world and await the next one or the next. And yes, maybe we'll let some pass by like unanswered prayers that we shouldn't have been praying for in the first place, and now my metaphors are all awry!
Anyway it did feel notable in the context of the urgency I felt with this post idea that my idea to write about George Elliston (mentioned in the newsy part of my post) found me again twenty years later!
Thank you for these fun thoughts!
thank YOU for THESE!
I imagine the energy from that kind of community is pretty amazing. I'm glad you went. But I'm here to say I LOVE the art for the George Elliston piece in the Cincinnati Review. The portraits (and palette) are stunning!
Thank you! I got a box of 8 Posco acrylic markers that only have primary/bright colors (plus black and white)--not my usual palette--and I wasn't sure what to do with them, but it was fun trying to find a way to make them work for me.
Oh fascinating....I assumed these were painted. Totally love what you did with them.!
Well I did sometimes blend the wet overlapping colors with a brush to creates some shading! Anyway, thank you so much!
!!! I listen to Big Magic to fall sleep sometimes —- every time I remember some new tidbit that is helpful! This is such a beautiful post!
Ooh that's an idea...listening to it so it seeps into your unconscious! (Or maybe bc it's your only free brainspace moment of the day?) Anyway, thanks, Maddy!
Fine--I'll finish the graphic essay I'm working on! The universe can be so persistent. Seriously, I loved this post and it felt like kismet that I read it this morning as I'm setting my priorities and trying to convince myself to not do the illustrations I had in mind for a piece for my Substack. Your beautiful work is inspiring me to say Yes!