Quirky little shops make life worth living
and make money worth spending.
Let’s reward the oddballs and the misfits
You might recall from past installments that I love a quirky little business. To that end, I’m happy to report in from the road and tell you that the world has not been entirely devoured by big box chains. I was delighted by the Just Frogs! van, although I did worry that adding toads into the mix was a bit of mission creep. Anyway, the Just Frogs Foundation has all things frog on offer, from birthday parties to frog-themed gifts to frog boarding (short and long term), frog rescue, frog adoption, and classes. They seem to be in a bit of a transitional state right now, perhaps in part due to a catastrophic fire, but I’d like to point out that their About page says that they’ve been around since 1998, so this is an idea with staying power.
Also delightful: the best vegetarian sandwich menu I’ve ever seen at Ike’s Love & Sandwiches (love ya back, Ike), a metaphysical tea house and elixir bar in Santa Cruz, where you can order your tea via a tarot reading and let the cards choose your drink, after which you drift around in these trippy hammocks which honestly made me a little high just from spinning around in them, and also this place called Pretty Good Advice which I would pay for every single day, even if they didn’t also offer tasty lunch options.
This little parade of delights is here to remind you that smaller is ALWAYS better, and I don’t know why we keep rewarding massive global corporations when all we really want is more of THIS. Here’s to the people who open their weird little shops and manifest their own odd and improbable visions. To that end, please spend some money at eccentric and off-the-wall places, and keep independent bookstores in particular on your list.
Traveling with the smallest drawing kit ever
I knew I wouldn’t have much time to draw on the road, so I’m traveling with the same art supplies that are always with me: a passport-sized Traveler’s Notebook in the sketchbook paper style, and a Pentel sign brush pen which comes in many colors. I reviewed these in depth a while back for paid subscribers, and I’m removing the paywall today so you can all check them out: pocket sketchbooks here and pens etc here.
Anyway, it’s nice to have something with me and to do a little low-stakes drawing rather than doomscrolling whenever I have a few minutes to kill in between things.
I’ve been hanging out with all of you on book tour
So many of you have turned out to bookstores and introduced yourselves this week. I’m honored that you’d take the time out of your lives to stop by, and it’s been fun to talk about drawing and trees and books and everything else with you. Shout-out to Pat at Orinda Books, who is stepping back from complex, detailed botanical drawings (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and doing simple little nature drawings with us in our Friday lessons, and also to Judi and Mac, who win for best-dressed at Bookshop Santa Cruz.
St. Louis! Miami! I’m headed your way!
Seeing your faces means so much to me, truly! And please do badger your friends & family into going as well! An outing will do them good.
I’ll be at the St Louis County Library on Monday, July 29. Reserve a space here.
Then I’m headed to Miami, where I’ll speak at the wonderful Books & Books in Coral Gables on Wed, July 31, and they would also love for you to RSVP if you can make it.
Paid subscribers are watching me tackle an ambitious panorama of Dolores Park in San Francisco
Because I’m on the road right now, I’m sending out some sketching sessions that I filmed earlier in the year. I’m sketching on-site, talking through my process, and, in this case, pointing out the many mistakes and regrets I have about how this one turned out. It’s all part of the process, right?
There’s also a whole archive of art lessons here, and you get all that for just a few bucks a month. Join us!
The Bit at the End
I’d love to see you on book tour! Many of these events ask that you pre-register.
Order a SIGNED copy of my new book, The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession, from Broadway Books in Portland, OR.
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!
In a bit of synchronicity, I saw a great gag sticker on a sign today about someone's lost frog:)
“I don’t know why we keep rewarding massive global corporations when all we really want is more of THIS. Here’s to the people who open their weird little shops and manifest their own odd and improbable visions.”
Well said. Cheers to honoring our weirdest, most improbable visions! Excellent reportage!