I loved this. I've never been drawn (yet-who knows, there's always tomorrow) to doing art or crafty activities. However, I recognized the joy of discovering how starting out with no particular goal, but just doing, can lead to very satisfying ends. It reminded me of how this year, quite by accident in my attempt to come up with something new to write in my daily substack post, I started writing a few sentences about a Daddy Long Legs I named Edgar who had taken up residence in my downstairs bathroom. No grand plan, initially a one-off, but over time my little paragraphs about Edgar and subsequently his friends evolved into an on-going saga that I eventually called As the Web Turns. I had such fun writing these little bits in my posts, and many readers seemed to have enjoy reading these pieces. And while winter seems to have ended these visits, This post you wrote helped me see that a lot of what made the whole thing so enjoyable was that it happened organic, with no particular goal in mind, and with very low stakes. As usually, thanks for these posts that always add something to my day.
I love the idea of narrating the life of a Daddy Long Legs! So fun! You could have an entire life of insects series! There’s a hawk I’ve seen twice now hanging out in a tree down by the river and I’d totally like to get inside his or her head for a while.
What fun! I need to get up earlier to make time for art projects. I've torn out a couple of pictures from catalogs that I want to reproduce. Seeing your work inspires me - thanks!
Ah yes it's the delicious seed catalogue season. The season of possibility! Something other than the news. For a spell. Love the drawings -- got me back to seed browsing even it's a tad early for the Rockies!
Everything is possible while you’re gazing into a seed catalog. This year, I’m taken by a sweet potato variety that gives you all the beautiful foliage of the purely decorative sweet potato vine and then at the end of the season, actual sweet potatoes, too! What a miracle! And yes, such a welcome distraction.
Robyn, you are shaming me, given how my watercolor stuff is still in my bag from the last watercolor class I attended.....anyway - nice to hear you had an enjoyable time in Louisville. I must have missed you - I was at Artist and Craftsman the week after Christmas with my 13 year old granddaughter - it's her fav place to go when she visits. Now the holidays are over and all of my guests have departed - maybe I will look for another course to take at Preston. Also enjoyed your short coda to your book - it was great.
Thanks so much, David. Artist and Craftsmen is also my favorite place to go when I'm in Louisville. We're headed down today to eat at M. Peppers, an amazing French restaurant in the Highlands.
You should totally take another class at Preston! I hope to get back to it this summer.
I loved this. I've never been drawn (yet-who knows, there's always tomorrow) to doing art or crafty activities. However, I recognized the joy of discovering how starting out with no particular goal, but just doing, can lead to very satisfying ends. It reminded me of how this year, quite by accident in my attempt to come up with something new to write in my daily substack post, I started writing a few sentences about a Daddy Long Legs I named Edgar who had taken up residence in my downstairs bathroom. No grand plan, initially a one-off, but over time my little paragraphs about Edgar and subsequently his friends evolved into an on-going saga that I eventually called As the Web Turns. I had such fun writing these little bits in my posts, and many readers seemed to have enjoy reading these pieces. And while winter seems to have ended these visits, This post you wrote helped me see that a lot of what made the whole thing so enjoyable was that it happened organic, with no particular goal in mind, and with very low stakes. As usually, thanks for these posts that always add something to my day.
I love the idea of narrating the life of a Daddy Long Legs! So fun! You could have an entire life of insects series! There’s a hawk I’ve seen twice now hanging out in a tree down by the river and I’d totally like to get inside his or her head for a while.
Love this so much ❤️
What fun! I need to get up earlier to make time for art projects. I've torn out a couple of pictures from catalogs that I want to reproduce. Seeing your work inspires me - thanks!
Glad to be an inspiration. It is a nice early morning activity…very low stakes.
Ah yes it's the delicious seed catalogue season. The season of possibility! Something other than the news. For a spell. Love the drawings -- got me back to seed browsing even it's a tad early for the Rockies!
Everything is possible while you’re gazing into a seed catalog. This year, I’m taken by a sweet potato variety that gives you all the beautiful foliage of the purely decorative sweet potato vine and then at the end of the season, actual sweet potatoes, too! What a miracle! And yes, such a welcome distraction.
Robyn, you are shaming me, given how my watercolor stuff is still in my bag from the last watercolor class I attended.....anyway - nice to hear you had an enjoyable time in Louisville. I must have missed you - I was at Artist and Craftsman the week after Christmas with my 13 year old granddaughter - it's her fav place to go when she visits. Now the holidays are over and all of my guests have departed - maybe I will look for another course to take at Preston. Also enjoyed your short coda to your book - it was great.
Thanks so much, David. Artist and Craftsmen is also my favorite place to go when I'm in Louisville. We're headed down today to eat at M. Peppers, an amazing French restaurant in the Highlands.
You should totally take another class at Preston! I hope to get back to it this summer.
Glad you liked the bonus story!
Love this one. So cool to use the seed catalogue.
Thanks, Barb. Also interesting to study the different aesthetics of different companies.