Encouragement Files
(10-25) Field Notes for Curious Minds
This is the 10th Edition of ‘The Encouragement Files’, little sister 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.
Milestones get a bad press on
… there’s a notion, maybe, that announcements on Notes about numbers of subscribers/viral Notes/bestseller badges etc are a bit, well, ‘show-offy’. We see it slightly differently. Folk need pick-me-ups … they need measures of progress and points to aim for … some folk crave a little bit of external recognition to fire them up to keep going. A little bit of self-encouragement is what they crave; hey, we’re encouragers so we are all for it. Whatever it takes. For us, milestones are about miles travelled and an incentive to push on. This new offering is 10 editions old … 10 weeks down the road of an unexpected journey of unspecified length. That’s commitment, we reckon; dedication to celebrating others. That is our form of encouragement. Ten weeks. A milestone worth recording, perhaps, to encourage us along the way.Beyond Substack
E X P L O R E
Sadly one of our favourite print magazines - Another Escape - is in an extended pause; but that just means we spend more time revisiting the archives. We love the storytelling, in words and images, tales that celebrate places and ways of life.
… climate change appears to be having an impact … in Västerås, where Madelene lives, the first day of the skating season for her local Nordic skating association is 14 days later than it was 30 years ago. According to SMHI (the Swedish Metrological and Hydrologic Institute), the number of days that there is ice on Lake Mälaren, where Madelene often skates, will reduce by 50 percent or more by the next century due to rising water temperatures. The same is true for the ice in the Baltic Sea, which is forecasted to reduce drastically in coming decades.
A R T
It feels like the very best defence against artificiality in the art world is dazzling originality. Olivia Twist is an East London-born illustrator who has unlocked a vibrant style that tells everyday tales of life and family in stunning hues
"A hug is always the right size"
Winnie the Pooh
P H O T O G R A P H Y
Perhaps you only know Don McCullin for his groundbreaking photojournalism, iconic images from global conflicts. But there is another side to his work; astonishing black and white landscapes that reflect nature’s fragility and beauty.
In a world full of people who seem to know everything, passionately, based on little (often slanted) information, where certainty is often mistaken for power, what a relief it is to be in the company of someone confident enough to stay unsure (that is, perpetually curious)
George Saunders
D E S I G N
We were amazed to learn this week that Art Deco is 100 years old. Dezeen has been looking back at some of the iconic designs that defined the movement, designs like the Chrysler Airflow, once dubbed ‘America’s most talked about car’.
TEN GOOD THINGS
Edition 10 … come on, there had to be a list precisely ten things long.
The lovely
met up with the lovely for supper in Paris and came home with a signed copy of ‘Spill’, her collection of poetry.We are loving ‘Taisty Bytes’ which this week had a makeover of its ‘About’ page. A late-blossoming love of baking, food photography and recipes cooked from an out-of-control shelf of cookbooks.
is on fire.The astonishing story behind The Raft of the Medusa by Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault brought to vivid life by
The brilliant
on (reading and) writing “It’s a magical, tough, brutal, wonderous and ultimately fulfilling way to live. I’ve learnt to keep my head down and my eyes on the page; everything good comes from focused work.” … a cracking interview by the (also brilliant)We love exploring France through the eyes of
… next week we will attend our friends wedding in the Lot; we’re wondering if there will be time to slip off to Cahors for a visit to this amazing library.I bemoaned a lack of words and questioned whether I am even a writer.
I should have read this excellent piece by
including a whole bunch of practical ideas for breaking through the block.- marked the two-year anniversary of Ten Thousand Journeys with an intoxicating and inspiring view from the writing desk where words flow.
A year ago, amazing writers began to gift us words based on the values at the heart of our Encouragement Manifesto … if you are reading this, we would absolutely LOVE to add your words to the collection.
Astonishing insights to the notes of Maya Angelou by the always brilliant and inspiring
PS
I suspect we writers always crave the perfect writing space where words flow:
Back next week, same time, same place.
Barrie and JoJo
Brimful of loveliness as always! Congratulations on reaching your tenth edition, forwards to the 100th and before I forget... Just write right? Sending a Whinne the Pooh type hug!
Thank you for adding me to a great list, Barrie!