I took pottery in my 30s because I thought I should be able to use my hands for more than just writing or feeding myself. It turns out I loved handbuilding pots, especially pinch pots. My pots were always covered in little cracks because I cuddled the clay. I came up against that little voice that told me how terrible my pots were, how incompetent I was, how imperfect. My instructor called my work charmingly uneven. I realized that I am charmingly uneven. I learned to embrace this character in myself and my work. I am not smooth or symmetrical or even or perfect. I am charmingly uneven. To celebrate my 48th birthday i made 48 pinch pots and gave them away to friends, asking them to donate to food banks. Friends cherish these little uneven pots to this day. I am 60 now and eczema prevents me from doing pottery but I have pots and plates I made with my own hands. My husband doesn't want to eat off any other plates. His favourite bowl is a thick tiger eye glazed bowl that is heavy and sturdy.
Isn’t it funny the words that stick in our head. I love the idea of being charmingly uneven in a modern and connected world that makes everyone work hard to show up as perfect!❤️
I loved this beautiful osting about creative crossing training – I’m a cookbook author but have been a tango dancer for 27 years as well. Movement to music is the perfect tonic for being in a test kitchen all day or typing up recipes but tango has also allowed me, as a follower (versus a lead) to relax and let go. I can get out of the driver’s seat at tango. And yet? I wrote a whole memoir about tango and at that point, I guess my writing moved into the tango realm and a new ‘dance’ was born. More than cross creative training, tango, like writing, feeds my soul.
Just a little nudge and the idea of starting a creative process in the margins is doable.
I was at a silent retreat and had been cloistered in my room writing ‘one inch frames’ on my laptop. (As per author Anne Lamont.) Taking a break, I wandered by a couple cohorts who were outside with their journals- sketching. I stopped and remarked on each of their immense talents citing ‘journal envy’. “I couldn’t do that,” I said. They both shrugged. Then one turned and gave me a big grin, “practice”, she said. “Start small. It doesn’t have to be good. It just needs to be freeing.” Much like writing one inch frames or starting a creative process in the margins.
Practice.
I’m at an airport, with time to spare. I’m going to see if I can buy a journal and a pencil.
The imagery in this simple sentence reflects a beautiful metaphor for life as it really is. Starting a new endeavor which will emphasize beauty over perfection, allowing others to finish the task when life deals a cruel blow, being upheld by a community of those who you’ve just recently met, nourishing yourself every day with this reminder.
I’m going to carry these words in my heart this week, and I thank you for sharing them. (And secretly I would love to see a picture of the bowl! But I understand if that’s private.)
YES ❤️ I have been taking a color study class. The medium is oil paint. My last one was of spooning sweet potatoes:) I thought it was dreadful when I finished it. However, I came in a few days later and when it dried it looked like a landscape. I sort of love working in a medium where you are experimenting and don’t understand. More room for forgiveness… surprise… discovery… delight
Oh, Suleika. Your posts are always exactly what I need to hear. I’ve been so overwhelmed with work lately that I haven’t been sleeping and my chronic psoriasis is out of control right now. My husband and I are leaving for a week long trip to Paris tomorrow (I’ve never been) and it’s even been hard for me to get excited about the trip due to my stress level. I’m going to make every effort to let some of that stuff go, including trying to embrace my creative side a little more. So grateful for you, friend.
The stress will melt away when you land in Paris and embrace the French way of living. All that walking and drinking in of the scenes and nice slow meals. Have a fabulous time - if you get a chance, the side trip (half a day plus) to the Monet gardens is spectacular. And Sacre Coeur at sunset
Secret Paris tip— the Salvador Dalí museum in Montmartre. It will have much that you might expect, and something very few people even know he did – – beautiful illustrations for Alice in Wonderland. They are an unexpected delight every time. It is a time, unforgettable slice of art heaven in the middle of bustling busy world. It’s never been crowded when I’ve been, but I imagine that like everything in Paris now you might need tickets in advance. https://www.daliparis.com/en/
Bee-keeping tip! Find other local bee-keepers. Bee-come friends. This community is filled with knowledgeable others who not only will support you and your hive with advice but you may be able to borrow equipment and most importantly have others who can check on the bees when you are away or too tired. Likewise, if you are around, you can check on theirs too. Bee keeping communities are essential for hive work! Bees will also travel far - several miles sometimes to find flowers they like. Find out what plants suit your bees and start planting too. Being from Scotland (northern UK country) my species will be very different so I don't know what to suggest.
Re cross-pollinating creativity and your challenge of doing something new. I didn't comment last week. I said "Meh" that human bleat noise of negativity. But, the challenged quietly niggled away. Four days ago, on the spur-of-the-moment I signed up for a poetry course about road trip movies. I don't watch movies. Never have really. I had to start with "Grapes of Wrath". I hated the first half hour. I persisted in pain. By the end I loved it - even though it took me 4 sittings to watch it all. I managed "Easy Rider" in two sittings! The poem I had to read - Walt Whitman's "Song of the Open Road" took me too many attempts to remember. But I managed to read it several times and make sense of it. New stuff is never easy to begin. As the saying goes "No Pain, No Gain" but my pain was short-lived like a bone marrow biopsy, and I am now relishing the next 10 weeks ahead. Thank you Suleika.
Funny thing about the beekeeping - last week me and my husband were talking about his past work projects, one of them was to create illustrations for a local kickstarter campaign to raise enough money for a Czech translation of a book about Abbé Émile Warré - french priest and beekeeper pioneer. He invented a special bee hive, now called after him "Warré Hive". The book is called "L'Apiculture pour tous", so you can read even the original, which is great. I am not a beekeeper myself, but it always fascinated me how so little creatures have so huge impact and how "our world" would be completely lost without them. So, chapeau to the bees! 🐝🐝🐝
Until this morning, I ain't even sure "in the margins" applies to my life. I do make things but I'm not an actual artist. I had to look up margins to remind myself what it even means. SAD (I'm way too old)
Workin the perimeters for me when I'm making the world smile using my tools and hands is typically reflected in accuracy. Square, Plumb, Flush, Level.......................playing on the edges always helps with my next new task.
I love that you are planting a vegetable and herb garden as a creative act! As to bees, may I recommend a book called “The Bee Friendly Garden” by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn? I think I ordered it from Blackwells. It explains about native bees, how important they are, how they are dwindling, and how you can plant a garden to bring more of them to your yard. Honey bees are important, but the native bees need our help to thrive, now that we are a nation of lawns. It changed my flower garden a lot! Best of luck to everyone on their new endeavors!
On January 1, 2024, after reading your newsletter, I decided that instead of committing to a morning journaling practice, I would commit to 30 days of drawing something, even if only for ten minutes. Thank you for the inspiration! I was tired of words and wanted to get back to doing what I loved as a child….just drawing for fun. Those morning “doodles” became a meditation practice, and within six weeks, I was invited to guide a workshop on creating an art journal. This, too, opened up into a world of playful, free-spirited, art making. It is now May 12 and there has hardly been a day this year that I have not drawn, just for fun, just for me, just for joy. The world seems to be full of possibility once again.
First of all Happy Mother’s Day to Anne and all the other mothers. My fine motor skills are such that I cannot draw within the lines or make a symmetric shape no matter how hard I try. Often I set out to draw one thing, but my hand makes another. I find coloring in coloring books very frustrating because I can never get my coloring to stay within the lines. Over the years I have gotten better at embracing the fact that I will never be a precise artist and just allow myself to see what will come up.. For this prompt I took out my bag of colored pencils and pulled out whichever color came first. I made little asymmetrical squares around today’s journal page for ten minutes. Each time I was finished with a color I pulled out another without looking at it first. The result was a lovely colorful group of “squares” that look like blocks falling on top of each other. I was reminded of something I used to enjoy as a child and even as an adult. I would take an clean sheet of paper and a pencil and would just allow my hand to draw a big design with lots of little parts. I would then spend a hour or so filling in the little shapes with crayons or colored pencils. I found it very satisfying and therapeutic. I might not have very good fine motor skills, but my sense of color is very good so my creations were very colorful and pleasing to me.
First, to all of the mothers out there-male,female-Happy Mother’s Day! I appreciate you every day!
In my diary creating outside of the margins guides me with spontaneity, no judgements, kicking ego to the curb and allows my creativity to show me talents I never knew I had. Carmen, Holly, Suleika thank you for this beautiful prompt and may we have the wisdom to mother ourselves
Dear Anne, I want respond to your post today, about adults struggling with their ability to draw, to create.
I work with adults through community organizations using a process called Writing Out Loud (by Deborah Morgan), an approach to literacy development that encourages personal growth. I look for organizations where there may be literacy struggles, goodness knows enough people have a hard time with this and very few come to our literacy programs. Anyway, people sign up for my one hour a week, for 6 weeks writing class. Some are forced to come because eg. they are in a recovery program, here it’s Discovery House for men with addictions. We come up with guidelines together but I start with: you can pass on any
activity, be non-judgemental and respectful, what we share in this room stays in this room. Spelling and grammar don’t matter right now, no one sees your work but you. Then we freewrite, and read what we’ve written to the group. It’s a brilliant process because the guidelines start to build trust, then people take small risks, build confidence, then another small risk, then more confidence. We laugh together and we sometimes cry together. People go from hating writing to saying, “I didn’t even know I was a writer! ! !” We have a draw at the end of each session for a nice pair of socks (I’m not above bribery). I have so much more to say, about your wonderful work with children and adults, schools and murals. And so many questions but this is long enough. Happy Mother’s Day dear maman!
Now I’m off to scribble in some margins and see what happens!
i use 'writing out loud' also, but with adults for whom english is not their first language. it is the greatest thing to hear "i never thought i could write!" another powerful exercise is Visual Thinking Strategies, which is usually done orally in groups, but i also extend it to a writing practice. any little act of self-discovery, like with Anne's prompt, is magical!
May 12·edited May 12Liked by Suleika Jaouad, Carmen Radley
the prompt reminded me of a story daniel pink told about talking to a class of 1st graders and asking them "who here is an artist?" and everyone's hand shot up. then he asked the same question to a class of 5th graders and only a couple of kids raised their hand. so there it is...what happens to kids -- to all of us -- in just a few years in our youth?
Every child should have memories, and better yet photos that would reassure them their ability to at any age engage in "complete abandon" as Julia said below!
I took pottery in my 30s because I thought I should be able to use my hands for more than just writing or feeding myself. It turns out I loved handbuilding pots, especially pinch pots. My pots were always covered in little cracks because I cuddled the clay. I came up against that little voice that told me how terrible my pots were, how incompetent I was, how imperfect. My instructor called my work charmingly uneven. I realized that I am charmingly uneven. I learned to embrace this character in myself and my work. I am not smooth or symmetrical or even or perfect. I am charmingly uneven. To celebrate my 48th birthday i made 48 pinch pots and gave them away to friends, asking them to donate to food banks. Friends cherish these little uneven pots to this day. I am 60 now and eczema prevents me from doing pottery but I have pots and plates I made with my own hands. My husband doesn't want to eat off any other plates. His favourite bowl is a thick tiger eye glazed bowl that is heavy and sturdy.
What a powerful insight you came to through such a simple practice! So so powerful!
Isn’t it funny the words that stick in our head. I love the idea of being charmingly uneven in a modern and connected world that makes everyone work hard to show up as perfect!❤️
Wabi sabi describes well you being charmingly uneven. I feel you sister.
Beautiful lesson! Thank you for sharing💜
I loved this beautiful osting about creative crossing training – I’m a cookbook author but have been a tango dancer for 27 years as well. Movement to music is the perfect tonic for being in a test kitchen all day or typing up recipes but tango has also allowed me, as a follower (versus a lead) to relax and let go. I can get out of the driver’s seat at tango. And yet? I wrote a whole memoir about tango and at that point, I guess my writing moved into the tango realm and a new ‘dance’ was born. More than cross creative training, tango, like writing, feeds my soul.
Just a little nudge and the idea of starting a creative process in the margins is doable.
I was at a silent retreat and had been cloistered in my room writing ‘one inch frames’ on my laptop. (As per author Anne Lamont.) Taking a break, I wandered by a couple cohorts who were outside with their journals- sketching. I stopped and remarked on each of their immense talents citing ‘journal envy’. “I couldn’t do that,” I said. They both shrugged. Then one turned and gave me a big grin, “practice”, she said. “Start small. It doesn’t have to be good. It just needs to be freeing.” Much like writing one inch frames or starting a creative process in the margins.
Practice.
I’m at an airport, with time to spare. I’m going to see if I can buy a journal and a pencil.
"It doesn’t have to be good. It just needs to be freeing.” Yes, yes, yes. ❤️
“I eat from the bowl with everyone’s name on it”.
The imagery in this simple sentence reflects a beautiful metaphor for life as it really is. Starting a new endeavor which will emphasize beauty over perfection, allowing others to finish the task when life deals a cruel blow, being upheld by a community of those who you’ve just recently met, nourishing yourself every day with this reminder.
I’m going to carry these words in my heart this week, and I thank you for sharing them. (And secretly I would love to see a picture of the bowl! But I understand if that’s private.)
YES ❤️ I have been taking a color study class. The medium is oil paint. My last one was of spooning sweet potatoes:) I thought it was dreadful when I finished it. However, I came in a few days later and when it dried it looked like a landscape. I sort of love working in a medium where you are experimenting and don’t understand. More room for forgiveness… surprise… discovery… delight
So beautifully put, Maura. ❤️
We are hoping to see your show in August🫶
Oh, Suleika. Your posts are always exactly what I need to hear. I’ve been so overwhelmed with work lately that I haven’t been sleeping and my chronic psoriasis is out of control right now. My husband and I are leaving for a week long trip to Paris tomorrow (I’ve never been) and it’s even been hard for me to get excited about the trip due to my stress level. I’m going to make every effort to let some of that stuff go, including trying to embrace my creative side a little more. So grateful for you, friend.
The stress will melt away when you land in Paris and embrace the French way of living. All that walking and drinking in of the scenes and nice slow meals. Have a fabulous time - if you get a chance, the side trip (half a day plus) to the Monet gardens is spectacular. And Sacre Coeur at sunset
Heading to Versailles tomorrow. And you’re right! The stress is melting away!
I'm sorry you've been so overwhelmed lately, but it sounds like you know what you need to do. I hope your trip is wonderful. ❤️
Secret Paris tip— the Salvador Dalí museum in Montmartre. It will have much that you might expect, and something very few people even know he did – – beautiful illustrations for Alice in Wonderland. They are an unexpected delight every time. It is a time, unforgettable slice of art heaven in the middle of bustling busy world. It’s never been crowded when I’ve been, but I imagine that like everything in Paris now you might need tickets in advance. https://www.daliparis.com/en/
Bon voyage!
Thank you so much! ❤️
Bee-keeping tip! Find other local bee-keepers. Bee-come friends. This community is filled with knowledgeable others who not only will support you and your hive with advice but you may be able to borrow equipment and most importantly have others who can check on the bees when you are away or too tired. Likewise, if you are around, you can check on theirs too. Bee keeping communities are essential for hive work! Bees will also travel far - several miles sometimes to find flowers they like. Find out what plants suit your bees and start planting too. Being from Scotland (northern UK country) my species will be very different so I don't know what to suggest.
Re cross-pollinating creativity and your challenge of doing something new. I didn't comment last week. I said "Meh" that human bleat noise of negativity. But, the challenged quietly niggled away. Four days ago, on the spur-of-the-moment I signed up for a poetry course about road trip movies. I don't watch movies. Never have really. I had to start with "Grapes of Wrath". I hated the first half hour. I persisted in pain. By the end I loved it - even though it took me 4 sittings to watch it all. I managed "Easy Rider" in two sittings! The poem I had to read - Walt Whitman's "Song of the Open Road" took me too many attempts to remember. But I managed to read it several times and make sense of it. New stuff is never easy to begin. As the saying goes "No Pain, No Gain" but my pain was short-lived like a bone marrow biopsy, and I am now relishing the next 10 weeks ahead. Thank you Suleika.
Wow! Such a cool topic, so glad you're persisting! Now, off to read some Whitman... :)
Thank you for the advice, and for sharing so openly about what you found difficult this week. I'm sure you've inspired many here, myself included!
Funny thing about the beekeeping - last week me and my husband were talking about his past work projects, one of them was to create illustrations for a local kickstarter campaign to raise enough money for a Czech translation of a book about Abbé Émile Warré - french priest and beekeeper pioneer. He invented a special bee hive, now called after him "Warré Hive". The book is called "L'Apiculture pour tous", so you can read even the original, which is great. I am not a beekeeper myself, but it always fascinated me how so little creatures have so huge impact and how "our world" would be completely lost without them. So, chapeau to the bees! 🐝🐝🐝
I'll look it up!
Until this morning, I ain't even sure "in the margins" applies to my life. I do make things but I'm not an actual artist. I had to look up margins to remind myself what it even means. SAD (I'm way too old)
Workin the perimeters for me when I'm making the world smile using my tools and hands is typically reflected in accuracy. Square, Plumb, Flush, Level.......................playing on the edges always helps with my next new task.
I love that you are planting a vegetable and herb garden as a creative act! As to bees, may I recommend a book called “The Bee Friendly Garden” by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn? I think I ordered it from Blackwells. It explains about native bees, how important they are, how they are dwindling, and how you can plant a garden to bring more of them to your yard. Honey bees are important, but the native bees need our help to thrive, now that we are a nation of lawns. It changed my flower garden a lot! Best of luck to everyone on their new endeavors!
Thank you for this recommendation!
Just ordered it through my library. Thanks!!
On January 1, 2024, after reading your newsletter, I decided that instead of committing to a morning journaling practice, I would commit to 30 days of drawing something, even if only for ten minutes. Thank you for the inspiration! I was tired of words and wanted to get back to doing what I loved as a child….just drawing for fun. Those morning “doodles” became a meditation practice, and within six weeks, I was invited to guide a workshop on creating an art journal. This, too, opened up into a world of playful, free-spirited, art making. It is now May 12 and there has hardly been a day this year that I have not drawn, just for fun, just for me, just for joy. The world seems to be full of possibility once again.
Marlene! How wonderful to read your story. Thank you. ❤️
Thank you, Suleika! The way you live your life and tell about it is so inspiring. I wish you all good things!
Wow! How inspiring!
Thank you. I’m glad you see it that way. So good to pay attention to what interested us most as a child.
First of all Happy Mother’s Day to Anne and all the other mothers. My fine motor skills are such that I cannot draw within the lines or make a symmetric shape no matter how hard I try. Often I set out to draw one thing, but my hand makes another. I find coloring in coloring books very frustrating because I can never get my coloring to stay within the lines. Over the years I have gotten better at embracing the fact that I will never be a precise artist and just allow myself to see what will come up.. For this prompt I took out my bag of colored pencils and pulled out whichever color came first. I made little asymmetrical squares around today’s journal page for ten minutes. Each time I was finished with a color I pulled out another without looking at it first. The result was a lovely colorful group of “squares” that look like blocks falling on top of each other. I was reminded of something I used to enjoy as a child and even as an adult. I would take an clean sheet of paper and a pencil and would just allow my hand to draw a big design with lots of little parts. I would then spend a hour or so filling in the little shapes with crayons or colored pencils. I found it very satisfying and therapeutic. I might not have very good fine motor skills, but my sense of color is very good so my creations were very colorful and pleasing to me.
First, to all of the mothers out there-male,female-Happy Mother’s Day! I appreciate you every day!
In my diary creating outside of the margins guides me with spontaneity, no judgements, kicking ego to the curb and allows my creativity to show me talents I never knew I had. Carmen, Holly, Suleika thank you for this beautiful prompt and may we have the wisdom to mother ourselves
Dear Anne, I want respond to your post today, about adults struggling with their ability to draw, to create.
I work with adults through community organizations using a process called Writing Out Loud (by Deborah Morgan), an approach to literacy development that encourages personal growth. I look for organizations where there may be literacy struggles, goodness knows enough people have a hard time with this and very few come to our literacy programs. Anyway, people sign up for my one hour a week, for 6 weeks writing class. Some are forced to come because eg. they are in a recovery program, here it’s Discovery House for men with addictions. We come up with guidelines together but I start with: you can pass on any
activity, be non-judgemental and respectful, what we share in this room stays in this room. Spelling and grammar don’t matter right now, no one sees your work but you. Then we freewrite, and read what we’ve written to the group. It’s a brilliant process because the guidelines start to build trust, then people take small risks, build confidence, then another small risk, then more confidence. We laugh together and we sometimes cry together. People go from hating writing to saying, “I didn’t even know I was a writer! ! !” We have a draw at the end of each session for a nice pair of socks (I’m not above bribery). I have so much more to say, about your wonderful work with children and adults, schools and murals. And so many questions but this is long enough. Happy Mother’s Day dear maman!
Now I’m off to scribble in some margins and see what happens!
i use 'writing out loud' also, but with adults for whom english is not their first language. it is the greatest thing to hear "i never thought i could write!" another powerful exercise is Visual Thinking Strategies, which is usually done orally in groups, but i also extend it to a writing practice. any little act of self-discovery, like with Anne's prompt, is magical!
the prompt reminded me of a story daniel pink told about talking to a class of 1st graders and asking them "who here is an artist?" and everyone's hand shot up. then he asked the same question to a class of 5th graders and only a couple of kids raised their hand. so there it is...what happens to kids -- to all of us -- in just a few years in our youth?
Every child should have memories, and better yet photos that would reassure them their ability to at any age engage in "complete abandon" as Julia said below!