Hello! It has been a few months since I've done an update like this, so here are some things that I'm working on, enjoying, or thinking about right now on this first day of November.
Carve Out Time for Art Pinkie Swear Challenge (#cotfapinkieswearchallenge)
This is a really fun 5 week challenge started by Marissa and Heather over at Carve Out Time For Art. The idea is to complete a project in 5 weeks using weekly check-ins on Instagram to create a sense of community and accountability for everyone. My plan is to make another zine. I absolutely loved making my first zine and was really happy with the finished product so I have wanted to make another one ever since. I think I can get it together to get the zine completed in the 5 weeks of the challenge (there are 4 weeks left now) as long as I put in a little bit of work consistently. Right now the plan is for the zine to be a compilation of sketches from my life right now, pretty much like my first zine, but with less feelings and more pencil work. And I think maybe it will be in color! I'm really excited about that right now.
I'm excited about reading nonfiction in November! Nonfiction November is a challenge started by two YouTubers, Olive of A Book Olive and Gemma of Non Fic Books and the challenge is exactly what it sounds like: to read more nonfiction books in the month of November. I read a little bit of nonfiction throughout the year, but for some reason I'm super hyped about this challenge. I just finished the fiction book I'm reading, so I'm super psyched to get started on a bunch of nonfiction reads. Right now I'm considering Hunger by Roxane Gay (who already wrote one of my favorite books of the year), Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister, My Life With Bob by Pamela Paul, Living a Feminist Life by Sara Ahmed, and more. There are just so many to choose from! But I'll keep you updated in my next quarterly reading update post about how I get on with my nonfiction reading this month.
Fall
The weather has been unseasonably warm throughout September and pretty much all of October, so it is just now starting to feel like fall here in Boston. I'm trying to enjoy wearing sweaters, the crisp, sunny days, seasonal foods, colorful foliage, and other fall positives before it becomes really cold and dark here. It also means that the holidays are fast approaching, which means that I am working on a shop update for all of your gift giving needs. Let me know if there is anything specific you want to see from me or fill out my contact form if you'd like to commission something special.
Journaling
I wrote a whole post about this not too long ago, but after accidentally leaving my written journal behind for most of the month, I'm so happy to have it back and have been using it tons. Inside, I do mostly writing with a little creative flair and I find that it really helps me to cut back on my anxiety and stress. Lately I'm loving writing in block letters, using a date stamp, and photocopying interesting things (old photos, tarot cards, artwork) and pasting them in.