It’s the middle of February y’all. How are you doing?

The vibe outside the studio the last few days has been cold, wet, gray, and more wet. I’m a fan of some dreary weather, but it does take its toll eventually. Especially when you throw in stir crazy 4 year olds. 😵‍💫

So, I thought I would mix things up this week and share a few things I’m hyper-fixating on loving right now.

I was originally planning to call these ‘small comforts’, and the first two are, I think. The third is more a creative outlet though, and something I’ve been having a lot of fun with the last couple of weeks, so I had to include it even if it broke the theme. I hope it inspires you to do something just for the creativity of it!

Alright, without further ado — here's what I'm loving this month.

1. The Small and The Mighty by Sharon McMahon. I knew of Sharon from her podcast and following her on Instagram before I left, so when I saw her book at the library I had to grab it. It’s the stories of 12 regular Americans who changed history in some way, and if you need some motivation to keep going in the face of diversity or a perspective shift on what we’re going through right now, or are just fascinated by history, I highly recommend. The stories are so interesting and her writing so approachable that it’s hard to put down.

2. Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries and honey = my current food fixation. Greek yogurt has a lot of protein, which I have trouble eating enough of apparently, but the plain nonfat kind, which is best for your body, doesn’t taste all that spectacular. So I throw a huge handful of frozen blueberries into about 3/4 of a cup of yogurt and wait for them to thaw and make squishy little juice pockets while the yogurt gets a tiny bit frozen, then add a little squeeze of honey and swirl it all around and mmmmm. Y’all. It’s so good. It’s my current favorite breakfast and bedtime snack.

3. And lastly—zines! Yep, as in tiny little self-published magazines made by creative folks. I’m working on one as a side project and have been doing a lot of research into different styles, how to make them, etc. If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember their popularity at different times in the past. They originated in the 30s with sci-fi fandoms and had a resurgence of popularity in the 60s when photocopiers became a thing and you could reproduce them faster and easier. They’ve been used as part of revolutions, by marginalized communities, and to share comics and art and poetry and information. The history is worth learning about. If you want to know how to make your own zine, I enjoyed this tutorial.

So that’s me this month. Eating Greek yogurt and drawing zines when I’m not reading, calling my representatives, or wrapping up client projects.

What about you? What are you loving this month?

Designer, Artist, Illustrator

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