Jan-Feb 2025
I created an archive with all my newsletters I've ever sent out. If you want to know what I was doing in February 2021, March 2022, or July of 2023... now you can!!
It's been a winter of following my whims. If an idea pops in your head, what do you do?
I've been saying YES.
With the help of my neighbor, I hung a swing up in my backyard.
Do you know your neighbors? It can be scary to go over and introduce yourself, but it's totally worth it. Because maybe they will bring you tamales when they have too many. Or they will bring you plants when their indoor garden overflows. Or maybe you have too many cookies in your house and they don't have enough.
Or maybe they will let you borrow a ladder when you need to climb 20 ft in the air to hang a swing.
The last several months I've been practicing a trade. It's repetitive. It's rewarding. It's very hard to learn.
It's signpainting!
Signpainters have their own special paints, special brushes, and special techniques. Also, they are mostly old and dying so if you want to learn by apprenticing, you better hurry!
I happened to find someone in my area that learned from an old master. They've been mentoring me, giving me pointers, and even critiquing my layouts and brushwork. I have several books about Signpainters, their fonts, and their ways... I've been obsessed!
I want to share a little history book I read this month. Yes, it has pictures!
Have you ever wondered about how Hitler came to power? Or have you wondered about how ordinary, kind people could have let the Holocaust happen?
Timothy Snyder is a historian who has studied that.
He wrote stories and examples down in this short book, and has distilled the stories into 20 very actionable lessons. Here's a quote I like:
"The nationalist says 'It could never happen here.' The patriot says 'It could happen here, but I'm going to stop it.'" - T.S.
I highly recommend this book! It has helped me understand out current political moment better than anything else has. Historians are good at adding context to what feels like wave after wave of confusing and/or bad news. They help us see the overall pattern. They help us learn from the past.
written by Timothy Snyder
illustrated by Nora Krug
This month I'm getting ready for my ORIGINAL art sale that runs through April at my local coffee shop here in Lincoln, NE. I'll be selling my work online as well, so I'll keep y'all informed. You will be the first to know when the shop is LIVE.
Keep hanging in there, and I'll talk with you soon!
Comments