I'm not gonna lie: these past couple of weeks have been hard. Gray rainy days, the holiday season and the never-ending political mishigas (there's a good Yiddish word for you) have nearly sunk me.
One thing I've learned this past year is that to keep going, especially during difficult stretches like this, it's really important to seek out things that inspire me or make me happy - and spend time each day enjoying one or more of them.
Going to my studio each day has been a godsend. And yesterday, I was on cloud nine because I finally made an abstract landscape I really like (see above)!
Besides painting, here are the things I've liked lately... things that have helped me fight the blues. Perhaps you'll find some stuff on my list that will bring you joy and inspiration, too, even if you're currently in a good place.
The movie “Sorry, Baby” by Eva Victor
The cover of “Tom’s Diner” by Daisy the Great
The book “How to Be an Artist” by Jerry Saltz
The documentary “The Stringer”
The podcast episode of Anderson Cooper with Megan Falley
The podcast episode of Julia Louis-Dreyfus with Annie Leibovitz
The memoir “Bread of Angels” by Patti Smith
The documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light” by Ryan White
The TV show “The Great British Baking Show”
The poem “Tincture” by Andrea Gibson
The album “Returning to Myself” by Brandi Carlile
The photographs of Alain Laboile
The paintings of Hannah Woodman
The exhibition of paintings by Katherine Bradford
The PS2 Chorus singing Edelweiss
The Tiny Desk Concert of David Byrne
The NYT Doc-Op “Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?” By Eisha Marjara
Cookie Week from the NYT
All things Sylvia Boorstein
“We Rate Dogs” on Instagram
The young musicians from the band The Graystones
Ralph Beaubrun Dance Classes on Instagram
“Big Phony Schmuck” by Randy Rainbow
The portrait of Michelle Obama by Annie Leibovitz
The Sandhill cranes on Sauvie Island
