While reading Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge’s “Poemcrazy” today (which I highly recommend for anyone interested in writing poetry, by the way), I came across a sentence that made me pause: Read more
Now Accepting Commissions for February 2019
In December, a friend asked if I would do a painting for her—so she could gift it to her dad for the holidays. It was of their family dog, Buddy, who had recently passed. Here’s the final painting: Read more
DIY: Easy Paper Envelopes Using Wall Calendars
Do you have any old wall calendars that have images too beautiful to toss into the paper recycling bin? Turn them into colorful envelopes that will delight any recipient! Read more
2018 Year-end Reflection + 2019 Focuses
A Look Back at 2018
The end of the year felt vastly different from the start. Here are the four main areas where I wanted to turn my focus to in January of 2018. Read more
Pocket Poetry Squash Book: Take This as Your Sign
Five years ago, when teaching English in Korea, I stumbled upon a blog post that showed how to make a cool folded squash book. I loved it so much that I built it into the core of my mystery/detective summer English camp; we added a new page and elements each day. Read more
2018: The Year in Books
I read 57 books this year; my Goodreads goal was 50. I guess in the past I’ve typed out the title (and author) of each book here, but you can view all that on Goodreads so I’ll save myself the time. It’s a pretty neat infographic they put together—here’s what the top looks like: Read more
Creatives I’ve Supported in 2018
As I did last year, I’ve put together a little round up of some of the creatives I’ve supported this year. My reasons for doing so are to celebrate these people, to share their work with you, and to show some concrete examples of what support can look like. I believe that if we encourage and help the people who are bringing more kindness, creativity, and truth into the world, their impact will expand exponentially. Read more
Behind the Scenes: Creating My 2018 Holiday Letter
For a few years now I’ve been sending out a holiday letter to friends and family in December. In 2015 my letter was half-paged, typed, and double-sided. The next year I made a one-page (single-sided) letter, but abandoned the keyboard and wrote it by hand with pen. Last year I made a handwritten letter again, but it ended up being four pages long!
I definitely wanted to handwrite my letter again this year, as I love the look and enjoy the process. After some mind maps and scribbles in my everything-journal near the end of November, I sat down one day in December and used post-its to try out different elements. Read more
Space for the Questions: A Reflection on Deep Cleaning My Childhood Bedroom
While in Texas at the end of November I noticed my Google Drive was above 85% full, so I began a digital spring winter cleaning. I organized documents and files in My Drive, deleted all my old work emails from university, and whittled my 100+ Feedly subscriptions down to just 23.
Many emails were easy to delete, while others made me pause. What if you’re writing a piece or a memoir one day and need to know who said what at this period in time?, I asked myself. If you delete these emails, you’re erasing the past irreversibly. Read more
My RMYC Chapter in Six Blog Posts
I’m not back to my computer yet, which has been sitting in my bedroom in Wisconsin since May, but we’ll be reunited in less than two weeks. So as I prepare to transition back into a regular blogging routine, and to give you a taste of what the past six months with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps were like for me, here are a few posts written by myself and fellow corps members: Read more