Simply Sunday - Drawing a Shamrock
Morning stories, building a visual vocabulary, Illustrate Your Week, and more!
Good morning and happy Sunday!
Thank you for allowing me into your inbox and for sharing a bit of time with me today.
"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are." - C.G. Jung
In today's roundup, a few small slices of goodness to help inspire your day and week:
Daily Morning Story
One of the things I've been doing since starting my own morning writing practice in February is posting a daily story. Initially, it served mostly as an accountability step, but it morphed into something else when I started writing "on" the image. This has now become a new practice each morning. It might even be the part I look forward to most. I think deep down, this has connected me with a voice that has always been important, a voice I know there are fragments of stashed in journals from years and years ago. This bit of morning story, morning philosophy, morning quiet, and morning poetry isn't about the morning pages but is, instead, a different bit of writing after that. I've decided to post these in weekly batches here because these do stand alone (and together) as a series of vignettes, poems, or however you might want to read them or hear them in your head as you read them. I posted two recent weeks together to start this series and then this week:
Icon Practice
I've posted a bit of background information about the "icons" that appear as part of the Illustrate Your Week prompts. Those of you keeping an illustrated journal may find this helpful. It might help lighten how you think about the prompts. For those of you not interested in the illustrated journal, you may still enjoy a simple story of a clover and a shamrock related to my "stitch journal" for the year.
While writing this post, I did try and draw an airplane to prove to myself that what I was writing really is true. The small icon scrawled on a scrap of paper next to me is really hard to believe. You might think I’ve never seen an airplane in my life. But there is a spot on my stitch journal right now that is waiting for me to look up an airplane icon so I can sketch the shape.
I use resources available to fill in what I can't picture in my mind, but I still always hope that by practicing simple object drawing, I'll build up a visual vocabulary that will help in my illustrated journal, graphic novel panels, and sketchnotes. (The airplane test was disheartening. But I still have hope!)
Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 15
The illustrated journal prompts for this week have been posted. There are a few bonus prompts here. Plus, I mention in this post what my favorite thing on my pages from last week was. It was all about some bright eyes, cute ears, and a green Minecraft robe.
Week 1 of Write for Life
I sent this out as a separate email, which will be true each week as some of us read this book by Julia Cameron. If you missed it, you'll find the post and discussion here. Feel free to jump in any time. The basic principles used in the book’s six-week process are outlined in Week 1. If you are interested in establishing a morning writing (or journaling) routine, writing more, or trying the well-known practice of "Morning Pages," you are welcome to join us. You don't have to think of yourself as a "writer" to keep this kind of morning writing practice. This type of journaling has many benefits and can be helpful in many ways, including inviting you to slow down for a few minutes of thoughtful, mindful reflection each morning.
A Trio of Images from the Week
Weeding through my photo stream, I stopped and looked at each of these images. They are all from this past week and all have something to do with the things I’ve been talking, writing, or thinking about. I have something to say about each, but I’ll leave them here just as strip of images.
Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning; that there is always another dawn risen on mid-noon, and under every deep a lower deep opens. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thoughts on this Weekly Mailing
I spend a lot of time thinking about and then crafting this weekly email. I am trying to post standalone pieces separately and then list them here each Sunday for you to find the ones you want to read (rather than have every post go to your email). I know this isn't the typical approach, but I do value your time. I do understand how crowded inboxes can get, and I never want you to feel like you hear from me too often.
I would like to know what you enjoy most each week, if you are enjoying the substack, and what you would like to see more of in these Simply Sunday mailings. Leave a comment below to let me know! If you have any specific questions or topics you would like me to address, I would love to know that, too!
Share a Quote
I often include quotes in my illustrated journal. If you read this far, I would love to have you drop a favorite quote here. We see many of the same beloved quotes over and over, but there are so many gems. Share one you particularly enjoy!
Enjoy your Sunday!
Amy
I love this quote, although when I read it I get the chills and tears in my eyes.
“To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.” Mary Oliver
"Many people enter our lives for just a little while. Others pause & plant flowers in our hearts that continue to bloom forever " - Bette Midler.