While traveling over an extended weekend to a family gathering I met a 9 year old actress in a bookstore. She was acting in a school production of Pippi Longstocking. She was also interested in the visual arts and we had a nice conversation about drawing with color pencils. Later that same day I drew in my sketchbook a portrait of the actress from my memory.
The bookstore, Turtleman Used Books, was a small shop owned by a wizard named Murlin who conjured up just the books we wanted as if by magic. Here we are with the magician in action…
…and here are the enchanting books we bought from him.
Besides the above mentioned arts of theatre, fine art and literature the rest of our travels contained architecture, music, speeches, story telling and cooking!
Here's one of the sketchbook pages I did in our hotel room one morning.
I firmly believe that few humans get through any ordinary day without encountering or participating in at least one of the seven arts categories: literature, performing arts, culinary arts, media arts, visual arts, architecture/landscape design or philosophy/science. These arts are such an integral part of being human, such a mundane magic, that they're like the air we breathe and are often rarely noticed except when something stands out noticeably - like during celebrations. Anyhoo, here's a page from my 2015 sketchbook outlining the seven arts categories with more details.
All of these arts are what give our days the flavor. We can and often do deliberately select from among those arts whatever provides the solace we need at the moment, whatever ordinary magic helps see us through the day.
As Mary L. Trump wrote recently "But we need art, we need creative purpose, we need community more than ever—not because things are going to get worse, although this is a distinct possibility, but because we deserve better than the constant grind of injustice, threat, and uncertainty.
So, whatever happens after today, please, go to a museum, a botanical garden, a street fair, a play, a library. Join a knitting group or a book club or a theatre group. Write, paint, build, draw, quilt—breathe."
Here's my sketchbook page from the morning after we got home.
And the most magical ordinariness of all is having a caring community and the collaborations with friends that happen! My adopted dad often said “we create the world together” - and we do! All of us collaborate with the people in our lives on a daily basis and yet we recognize collaboration most easily when it happens between two public artists.
Since nowadays it's so nice to see people “playing well with others” I was delighted when I got a chance to work with the poet Neha Sonney who writes
!! You can see one of my sketchbook pages as an illustration for one of her poems here 👇
Wasn't that fun?!
I wish for you a pleasant, creative and magical ordinary day!
P.S. if you're curious you can see more about our above mentioned travels with photos here
P.P.S. tested positive for covid after our trip. Feeling punky as I update this newsletter with this P.P.S. But I'm still drawing stuff in my sketchbook so take that little virus germies. Plus I'm fully vaccinated and boosted so the germies are soon to be toast...until then I will taunt the germs with my fountain pen.
Okay, let's all continue with that pleasant ordinary day now.
My husband often says "none are burdened by self-control when walking into a bookstore." Lovely post and so true. We all take art for granted. Indeed, it's why art and science are sometimes linked in a phrase because both are everywhere in our lives, yet we rarely notice their presence.
I knit. It is a great outlet for my ADHD and helps me focus on something positive if I’m having a hard day. I may only knit dishcloths, but it’s something.