Encouragement Files
(12-25) Field Notes for Curious Minds
This is the 12th Edition of ‘The Encouragement Files’, little brother to our weekly (non-Substack) newsletter Field Notes for Curious Minds.
This midweek offering is a chance to celebrate the words, publications and people that have inspired us. Hopefully, it will prove to be an encouragement for you to shout up for the creativity that lifts your spirits, a counterbalance to the downbeat in this world gone mad.
If you have just found us, welcome … you’ve missed a bit but not everything. See, the thing about weekly curations is that there is always more. New (and old) articles to discover, amazing new creative folk to find, stories to tell, and people to celebrate. So, if you like this week’s offering there is plenty more to come (oh, and if you are already looking forward, then take a few minutes to look back because we have got SO much good stuff in the archive - click right here).
What Are The Encouragement Files About?
curation
/kjʊˈreɪʃn,kjʊəˈreɪʃn,kjɔːˈreɪʃn/
noun
1. the action or process of selecting, organising, and looking after the items in a collection or exhibition.
2. the selection, organisation, and presentation of online content, merchandise, information, etc., typically using professional or expert knowledge1
Beyond Substack
I N T E R I O R S
Perhaps, like us, you are drawn to a Mediterranean vibe; long lunches, looking out from the shade at aquamarine seas lapping on sandy shores, cool rooms to retreat to, terraces with epic views, chilled rosé at lunchtime, an hour for siesta. We were drawn to this collection of interiors that are the epitome of Med life.
A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.
Kahlil Gibran
A R T
Next time you add in a bit of“but I don’t have the right pencil/pen/software” to your procrastination bingo, just remember artist Dada Shin who only needs a simple blue biro to create amazing illustrations.
Celebrate the success of others.
High tide floats all ships.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
T R A V E L
When Paul Theroux urges us to be travellers not tourists, we tune to the idea of letting a new place open up, to trust our instincts and to allow our stay to unfold. We hope to be guided by adventures like this when we interrail later in the year.
It Must Be Spring
(Mary Fenn)
Hush, can you hear it?
The rustling in the grass,
Bringing you the welcome news that
Winter’s day is past.
Soft, can you feel it?
The warm caressing breeze,
Telling you the sticky buds
Are bursting on the trees.
Look, can you see them?
The primrose in the lane.
Now you must believe it —
Spring is here again.
… for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere hoping the Equinox heralds warmer days
Quick Hit
We are excited about our planned interrail trip in the Autumn so a makeover on the French trains sounds good to us.
Access to real bread - simple ingredients, no additives - should be hard baked into the norm. We love this effort to get real bread to more people.
We are fans of lists, especially if they gather someone’s learnings and generously offer them to us all. If the list includes ‘choose joy’ we are all in.
THREE’sy DOES IT
We are always touched by the generosity of folk who share their knowledge and learnings … how about seeing March through the eyes of who has experienced 37 French springs at beautiful Camont:“… the winds of change don’t just describe the rains to come and the agricultural clockwork that dictates weed, sow, protect now. There is an internal rhythm at work in my French farmhouse, too. Cupboards need opening, linens need airing; windows are flung open to change the air in little-used winter rooms before the next Relais de Camont residents arrive”
Kate Hill (The Champêtre Winds of Change)
There are certain thinkers who have the touch, the ear for phrasing, writers who hit it out the park every time. Our lovely friend is one of those, a philosopher who has a gift for saying what we would love to be able to say. He had been absent for a while, and we noticed, celebrating now as his words tumble back into view, showcasing perceptive thinking and stunning language:“And I think the between is holding onto many others at this moment. When I look around me, when I read the news, when I speak to family and friends, it feels that between is a place where life for so many, right now, seems to be stuck, with nouns trembling at each end. Between war and peace, between hope and fear, between scarcity and abundance, between understanding and callousness. This between for many is stifling: holding onto us without our always being aware of its grip; keeping us held, once we try to slip its grasp.“
Matt Inwood (Interregnum)
We really enjoyed this reminder that in a helter skelter world there are still pockets of calm to be found right in front of us, many just needing a moment of intentionality.“Yes, you are surrounded by calmness. Most days, it may be hard to believe, but I don’t blame you. The world seems to be moving at a thousand miles per hour. We all have a to-do list with a thousand things to strike off and no matter how much we do, it never ends. But believe me when I say that you don’t have to throw your phone away and drive off to a secluded cabin in the woods to feel calm. You don’t have to wait for the next break or season of life to feel at ease. All you need to do is cut yourself off from chaos (even if it’s for a few minutes) to see that there is beauty right where you are.”
(Things That Calm Me)
In a little reminder to ourselves, we published a piece that attributed other folks’ words to the ten values at the heart of our Encouragement Manifesto.
Our Values, Their Words
We love that The Encouragement Manifesto is universal, that the values at the heart of it are common, everyday, open to everyone.
We probably mentioned the Marty Moose book by
. But did we show you the face of an excited young reader? Granddaughter Olivia loves it.
PS
We went to the Lot for a wedding, Mrs Feasts made a cake, we scrubbed up nice.
Back next week, same time, same place.
Barrie and JoJo
We are fully prepared to accept that we are neither professional nor expert. You can 100% guarantee we are sharing the stuff we adore, written by people we like. Or we gather things up from places we trust about subjects that interest us. Occasionally, you will be able to detect that nothing more than incorrigible curiosity guided us. So, expert, not-so-much … but curious, always.
Matt is one of my very favorite writers. I look forward to his essays with anticipation. The same as I do with yours. They fill very different niche desires in my reading and thinking life but equally adored. Keep up the great work my friend.
It takes me an age to get through your FNFCM posts Barrie... from interiors that make me swoon, that Spanish farmhouse...💛 to extraordinary biro art that I find I can't stop looking at and then to just finish those beautiful calming words from Mansi... thank you for all the time you must take to make our reading gorgeous!