A Charming Art Documentary, a Good News Feed, and Autumn Leaves
Basically a few of my favorite things
Actual question for book research!
Readers, are any of you from New Jersey? If so, do you know, without Googling it, about the Jersey Devil?
I’d like to talk to people who have actual knowledge of this story that they did not acquire from looking it up on the internet. For instance, did you grow up hearing about the Jersey Devil? How was this tale told to you, and in what context, and what did you think about it?
Please post a comment or hit reply if you’re up for talking about this, and maybe you’ll be quoted in my next book.
Meanwhile…I’m on a mad dash against the calendar to finish said book! The year is coming to a close, the days are getting shorter, and my time to finish writing my pages is also winding down.
I’m glad to have a little pocket sketchbook so I can still draw pictures now and again, like these from a recent book research trip to San Francisco:
Speaking of drawing pictures….
Samantha Dion Baker invited me to join her in a live zoom on Monday, Nov 10 at 1 Pacific/4 Eastern, where we will chat and draw on the topic of her recent post, drawing what doesn’t seem worth drawing. This is for paid subscribers only, so if you’re part of that group, you’ll be getting a separate email. But I wanted to send you all this video of me paging through some of my favorite pages in her cool new book, Draw Your Adventures, the third of her excellent books about sketching your life.
Could you use a sweet, funny art documentary?
Faces Places is a beautiful documentary about a collaboration between two artists: Legendary filmmaker Agnès Varda, who was 89 at the time, and JR, a French photographer who puts up these giant amazing wheatpaste photographs on buildings. Here’s a trailer for it, you can stream it, it’ll make you feel good.
How about a steady stream of GOOD news?
I subscribed to Fix The News because I wanted to read some good news, and this thing is LOADED with it. Does it seem like the world is going to hell? Well, maybe that’s because we’re just not hearing about clean rivers, disease cures, and astonishing drops in crime. Celebrate the wins! And if you know about more of these, please tell me! I could use a whole good news feed.
I can’t get enough of all these leaves
By all means, go outside and admire the leaves! They’re amazing! They’re works of art! Do not miss this singular fleeting moment to behold the spectacle that is autumn!
And if you’re walking around and you see a leaf you particularly adore, PICK IT UP! They’re FREE! It doesn’t matter what you do with it next. Just ENJOY IT!
I’ve talked before about Nicholas Wilton and his idea that it’s important that we all get really in touch with our PREFERENCES. If I hold up two random objects—a doorknob and a light bulb, say—and I ask you, “which one do you like?” you’ll probably have an answer! You don’t know exactly why, but instinctively, you’ll pick one or the other. Wilton says that learning to say “I like that, I don’t like that” is crucial for artists, but really for all of us. When you start to really lean into your PREFERENCES, your art gets better. And then you start doing the same thing in your life, and your life gets better, and it becomes this self-reinforcing loop.
So—of all the leaves on the ground, you like one more than the others. Choose it! Pick it up! It’s good exercise in indulging your own weird preferences.
One last excellent thing
Do y’all remember when I wrote this list of five weirdly specific restaurants I wished existed and many of you wrote in with your own ideas? I just had to share this excellent one from Jonathan Edward Durham. Restauranteurs, pay attention!
Supporters are sending me vacation pics to draw
We have a little art club going, and for just a few bucks, you can join us. Right now I’m doing these 5x7 paintings from photos that supporters send me. I film the process for everybody to watch and mail the original off! It’s fun to draw other people’s vacation photos (Croatia looks awfully nice) and I do like sending people mail.
You also get access to this archive of over 100 art tutorials on anything and everything you can do in a sketchbook.
The Bit at the End
Did you know I have a reader survey? It’s a fun set of questions. You might enjoy it!
Come find me on Instagram, or see paintings for sale- Right here
Order signed copies of some of my books from my husband’s bookstore, or order my books and many books I love at Bookshop.org
Take one of my online writing or art classes here
Leave a comment! I love to hear from you.
Always looking for good news. Chop Wood, Carry Water, which is Jess Craven's Substack, has a Sunday round-up of all the good news and it always cheers me. Good things still happen.
LOVED this post, Amy! So many good things! I requested my library purchase Draw Your Adventures and put another one of Samantha's books on hold. LOVE your drawings of SF. Love the leaves, love good news, looked for the Faces, Places on Hoopla but didn't see it. I'll keep searching, the film looks fab. I love Jonathan Edward Durham's idea - I'd be a regular! Love the reminder about preferences (I would have chosen the door knob) which reminded me of an art prof's gentle reminder, "Not every mark is precious . . ." Fantastic first read of my day. Thanks!!