Inspired by: December 2023
I didn't see this coming. Plus, my favorite Substacks and a book bundle giveaway!
The end of the year always makes me extra nostalgic. I love reflecting on favorite memories, lessons learned, and ah-hah moments. It has also been (mostly) fun to think, “Wow, I had no idea what was coming.”
Substack has been the most delightful of those surprises.
For years, friends and I have bemoaned that we’re trapped inside “The Instagram Bubble.” It’s the same creators in our feeds, day after day, regurgitating thoughts, participating in trends, and worst of all — we recognized that we were guilty of adding to the noise.
I can’t tell you how encouraging it has been to break through that bubble and step into a new platform brimming with smart, interesting people. Also, it’s such a nice place! Everyone with whom I’ve interacted on Substack has been exceptionally kind and respectful.
If Substack were a physical place, I imagine it made up of quiet cozy corners, warm fireplaces, mugs of tea, and small pockets of people in deep conversation. Also, pets. Pets would definitely be welcome.
My favorite Substack accounts for creative thinkers and dreamers
If you feel that you’ve reached the end of your rope with social media and are looking for a new place to get inspired, I hope that you’ll explore more Substack accounts in the coming year. Here are some of the ones I’ve most enjoyed.
Please note, descriptions of each Substack are pulled directly from the About sections of each respective newsletter.
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About: À La Carte is a place to explore the ways we can live a life of creative abundance. That includes sharing the artists I love, job-seeking advice, exercises for creativity, thematic shopping round ups, and more.
❤️ What I love most: The most gorgeous inspiration boards, design resources, tasteful recommendations, and deep dives on themes like bows, breakfast, and libraries.
📰 Favorite post: No. 24 — Curtain clothes, a home store, and an embroidered sofa
I could not stop laughing over the specificity of this piece about the curtain clothes from The Sound of Music. It’s also the post that hooked me and turned me into a paid subscriber.
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About: A bi-weekly newsletter about books, life, and well, life with books.
❤️ What I love most: Like one of my favorite podcasts, Bad on Paper, Feeling My Shelf is about books, but also lifestyle topics that interest book-ish gals, like skincare, introversion, and being cozy. It’s also one of the best-designed newsletters on Substack.
📰 Favorite post: Chapter #30: Thirty Things I Did Before Turning 30
A reflection piece for Alexis, but an inspiration piece for us! There were so many fun and heartwarming ideas on this list that I bookmarked it and hope to create a collection of activities to pursue in 2024.
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About: Brass Ring Daily encourages you to keep going every morning.
I share some of the highs and lows of the creative process. Lots of talk and the occasional lesson about failure, collaboration, productivity (but hopefully not in the gross way).
❤️ What I love most: Kara’s posts are short, and pack a powerful (but gentle) punch. Everything shared on Brass Ring Daily feels refreshingly honest and agenda-free, like a note from your kindest creative friend.
📰 Favorite post: A gentle close to the week
A lesson in reframing, doing the thing you want to do, and allowing it to unfold in the most beautiful way.
📚 Find Kara’s most recent book, Do it (or Don’t) in this post’s Giveaway bundle, or buy a copy for yourself.
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About: A newsletter about seeking pathways to more purposeful living.
❤️ What I love most: I’m usually not much of a group participant or post commenter, but Leyla has cultivated such a lovely community that I’ve learned to enjoy sharing my voice and connecting with others in the comments of her weekly posts.
📰 Favorite post: Sunday Reflections #24 (New Moon intentions)
It has been less than a moon cycle and I’m already feeling the benefits of the powerful exercise that Leyla introduced in this piece.
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About: Every Friday since 2013 I’ve sent out a list of 10 things I think are worth sharing. The emails feature an eclectic mix of both my own art and writing + books, music, movies, and other interesting links that have inspired me.
❤️ What I love most: Austin shares so many interesting thoughts, ideas, links and recommendations from so many different sources. His newsletter is kind of the opposite of “The Instagram Bubble”.
📰 Favorite post: Fun, play, and discovery
All of Austin’s posts are filled with gems, so it was hard to choose a single favorite post, but a lot of items on this particular list spoke to me.
📚 Find Austin’s book, Steal Like an Artist in this post’s Giveaway bundle, or buy a copy for yourself.
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About: A newsletter about creative projects, big goals, and delicious snacks. In each issue you’ll find conversations about the creative process, updates on my writing projects, ideas for nourishing yourself, and a few great links to keep you inspired.
❤️ What I love most: I was so excited when I found Chrissy’s Substack because she writes about the things that are most important to me: writing, creativity, inspiration, and snacks. It has also been encouraging to connect with a writer who like me, has written a lot, but has not yet been published. So few folks are willing to share about the in between and I’m so appreciative of Chrissy’s posts. They make me feel less alone.
📰 Favorite post: When in doubt, make a list
This piece opens with a powerful bit of wisdom that has stayed with me all month, and segues into a list of recent fun experiences that inspired me to think of how I can live a more artful life.
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About: While I write my next book, I wanted to give updates on what happened AFTER I did all those insane things in Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come. This is a place to share with you the advice, friends and things that stuck with me. I also recently started working an indie bookshop in London and I LOVE it. Every day there feels like living in the Nora Ephron film You Got Mail (the good bits before it shuts down).
❤️ What I love most: Jess had me at “I work in an Indie bookshop in London.” Aside from that, Jess is one of the best writers on this list, and her Substack is equally brilliant and hilarious.
📰 Favorite post: Sorry I'm Late - a drunk Irishman asked me out
I laughed out loud (for real) when I read this piece the first time. I just re-read it and laughed out again. Comedy that doesn’t call itself comedy is my favorite variety.
📚 Find Jess’s book, Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes in this post’s Giveaway bundle, or buy a copy for yourself.
December Giveaway
It has also been exciting to discover new books written by many of the folks on this list, and I’d love to share my three favorites with you:
Do it (or Don’t) by Kara Cutruzzula
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes by Jess Pan
How to Enter:
Simply, heart this post!
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If you’re a paid subscriber, when you heart this post, you’ll automatically be entered into the giveaway twice.
I’ll draw a winner, on Monday, December 11, 2023!
8 cozy activities to enjoy this December
Binge watch that show you keep meaning to watch. I’m looking forward to sitting down with the new season of Julia, and the final season of The Crown.
Purchase a new puzzle, pull an old one out of storage, or borrow one from the library.
Make a new cookbook recipe.
Go for a long neighborhood walk and look at Christmas decorations.
Visit a coffee shop and treat yourself to a seasonal baked good or yummy drink.
Explore an antique shop or a second-hand store and look for a one of a kind treasure.
Sit on your porch, or in an outdoor community space with a warm coat and a good book.
Make a list of all the holiday movies you’d like to watch this season. Create a designed, hand-lettered, or illustrated version to share with your family or friends.
💬 Share your reflection
What surprised you most this year? How did it make life better?
Inspiring me lately
🎧 Merrily We Roll Along, New Cast Recording
I love that listening to music on repeat illuminates sections that can feel like they are written just for us. This is the line that’s cutting deep into my soul lately (in the best, Sondheim-y way): 🎶 Growing up / Means admitting the things / You want the most. 🎶
🎞️ The Thin Man
What a delight to discover this old movie! It’s fun, witty, there’s a dash of murder, a mystery, and a stable of hilarious characters. Stories about happily married couples are rare, and it was refreshing to see that it’s possible to pull off an interesting plot without conflict between the two main characters.
🖼️ New Art
I just purchased a framed It’s a Wonderful Life poster to hang on the wall next to our Christmas tree, and it escalated into a gallery wall project (still in progress). In addition to the poster, I found so many vintage gems in this Etsy shop, that features prints and downloadable photos from Slim Aarons. Here’s one of the prints I purchased:
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Congrats to book giveaway winner Ann! And thanks to everyone who entered and loved this post. I'd love to do another giveaway in the new year!
Hi Michelle I’m on track to read 24 books this year (two a month, which was my 2023 goal). About a third were fiction or historical fiction and two-thirds non-fiction. My favorite book for 2023 is titled The Forever Witness by Edward Humes it’s about the origins of the use of genealogy and DNA to solve cold case crimes through the lens of two 1974 murders in the Pacific Northwest.