The Encouragement Files

(1-25) A Weekly Celebration of Others

Somewhere [over there] (waves airily to the left … or the right as you’re looking at it), we have a regular, weekly newsletter Field Notes for Curious Minds that will be eight years old in April. It’s an antidote to the downbeat state of the world; a weekly burst of positivity and inspiration. Our musings have evolved into an eclectic mix of the things that interest us (adventure, travel, photography, architecture, design, art, books … nature, writing, seasonal living). All upbeat, no social, political or personal agenda or editorial slant.

Several times in the past two years we have considered whether we might migrate ‘Field Notes’ to

Substack

. But to be honest, there’s a look and feel to it that can’t be replicated here, a combination of images, text and links that works well where we publish it.

So {there} it stays.

But what about something new that simmers with the same curiosity, something regular that chimes with the values at the heart of the Encouragement Manifesto? There will be plenty of ‘celebrate others’ (both

Substack Writers

and other creative souls) and ‘share inspiration’. We’ll try and make it look pretty. Perhaps it will be the sort of thing you save and dip into when you have some moments to follow a trail of breadcrumbs. Ideally it will prove to be an encouragement to you to do the same, to shout up for the stuff that lifts your spirits and drowns out the downbeat. Let’s give it a go.

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I L L U S T R A T I O N

We often turn to Creative Boom to unlock stories of design, art, and photography; more often than not, we discover illustrations - like these by Polish artist Mateusz Urbanowicz - that find us tracing our fingers across the page, marvelling at the skills of the artist and the insights they provide to ideas, people and the world in which we live. We love this series ‘Bicycle Boy’.

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L E A R N

Emergence Magazine is an astonishing resource that encourages readers to open their minds to worlds and experiences they can never encounter first hand. Rich with learning, science, thinking, it is also brimful of storytelling, myths and ideas resurrected from the past (given new resonance by airing them in a contemporary context). When ‘home’ can no longer be a birthplace, memories root migrants to their traditions, the foundations of their culture. This beautiful piece by Kalyanee Mam explores how taste informs memories of home.

When we arrived home, we would race to the kitchen and prepare our family meal. Maak would first make the rice, washing the grains carefully. You have to rinse the rice well, Maak told us, or the grains will stick together. The girls would help Maak chop up and pound the lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, shallots, and fresh chilies, which Paa used as a marinade for his grilled lemongrass beef skewers, or សាច់គោ. Bong Sophaline would clean the fish and cut it into large pieces with the skin and bones intact, which we made into a soup with lemongrass, lime leaves, garlic, saw basil, and fresh lime juice.

Knowing Your Taste - Kalyanee Mam

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R E A D

The Marginalian is a labour of love by

Maria Popova

. There is so much wisdom gathered up within it, shared intelligently and generously. As one half of

Feasts and Fables

inches towards a milestone birthday this year, we were drawn to wise words by Henry Miller on ageing.

At eighty I believe I am a far more cheerful person than I was at twenty or thirty. I most definitely would not want to be a teenager again. Youth may be glorious, but it is also painful to endure …

I was cursed or blessed with a prolonged adolescence; I arrived at some seeming maturity when I was past thirty. It was only in my forties that I really began to feel young. By then I was ready for it. (Picasso once said: “One starts to get young at the age of sixty, and then it’s too late.”) By this time I had lost many illusions, but fortunately not my enthusiasm, nor the joy of living, nor my unquenchable curiosity.

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E X P L O R E

Peek into ‘Field Notes for Curious Minds’ regularly and you could make a safe bet that most weeks we would venture into Sidetracked Magazine, a mesmerising cocktail of vivid storytelling and stunning photography.

John Summerton

Jenny Tough

and the rest of the team allow us to explore vicariously, whilst sensitively growing our understanding of the impact adventure has on the places where it is pursued. This is eye catching storytelling.

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P O E T R Y

Meet me by the morning
On the corner of night
Where mist rises
And hope's in sight

Lemn Sissay

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C E L E B R A T E

O T H E R S

If we hadn’t arrived on Substack first and foremost to write, share ideas and offer encouragement, we would be here as readers. What riches are on offer for the avid reader. Let’s start with pieces by:

Susie Mawhinney

A hill and I - Winter

Alexander M Crow

The Sea, as Artist

Luisa Skinner

This post has a 'Read Me' label. Start here.

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E N C O U R A G E M E N T

The other day I wrote this:

22. Be proud of your work. You are allowed to pat yourself on the back and say “Nice Work, Barrie” (clearly, if that’s not your actual name that might sound a little weird. Feel free to substitute in your own name).

So, here are a couple of reflections on a year well-spent, writing and encouraging here on Substack. We are quietly proud of the positive response to our Encouragement Manifesto since we brought it over here a couple of years ago.

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24 Things I Learned About Writing

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That’s it, Edition One of ‘The Encouragement Files’.

Back next week, same time, same place.

Barrie and JoJo