notes on august
girl blogging, mary blair, and a charm summer
I’ve recently started keeping an ongoing note for the things that I stumble across each month that I find myself thinking about, delighting in, or obsessing over. Here’s an expanded upon version of that note to contribute to everyone’s thoughts as they reflect on the too-quick month of August.
august notes
❑ Lady Pomata of Peru
I stumbled across this painting on Pinterest this month and I was absolutely delighted by its composition. The serene and ornate Mary holding the doll-like child Jesus is a classic Madonna and Child pose found in many Catholic art pieces, but this unknown artist’s use of details gives this painting a slightly surreal feeling. The painting originated from a town called Pomata in the highlands of Peru, and includes the patron saint of Peru, Santa Rosa de Lima in the bottom right corner – whom I had a deep love for when I was younger. (I was only culturally Catholic as a child, but learning Santa Rosa’s story made me have a brief “I-want-to-join-a-convent” phase in middle school.) Between Mary’s long curls, the lavish pearls, and the red petals adorning the painting, there’s so much I adore about this composition.
❑ Camilla Bee Beeswax Candle
I received one of these candles as a gift from my dear friend Abby who was also my wedding photographer. I became very quickly obsessed with the Wedding Day scent that was her collab with Camilla Bee Candle Co. These candles are 100% beeswax and help purify the air in your home when you burn them. They also happen to be hand made by another friend of mine! I simply had to beg her to tell me what combo of essential oils she put into it because I was so hooked on it. I won’t disclose everything she put in, but one essential oil that I wasn’t expecting was frankincense! How biblical of me. You can check out Camilla Bee’s shop here.
❑ Emma Thompson’s Diaries on Sense & Sensibility 1995
I stumbled across this excerpt of Emma Thompson’s Diaries from her time on set of Sense & Sensibility 1995, and I’ve become simply enamored with the age-old art form of diary entries. “Oh, please don’t let any of it be twee, I’ll die,” echoes rent free in my mind every time I endeavor to write – Thompson couldn’t have put the feeling into words any better. I rewatched this movie recently with my mother, who considers it her favorite movie, and my husband, who now considers this his favorite of the Jane Austen adaptations (yes, beating out Pride and Prejudice 2005). I’m dying to get my hands on a copy of this book – perhaps next month!
❑ Min Jin Lee’s Pre-Writing Ritual
While catching up with a friend, she mentioned Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko, has a pre-writing ritual that she’s been incorporating into her own life. Lee says that she reads a chapter of the Bible before she writes any words of her own. As an openly Christian writer, the Bible is not only foundational to her faith, but is also to understanding the source of many of the great pieces of Western literature. I picked up this habit this month and not only was my devotional life transformed, but I had a deeper inspiration to draw from in my own writing too. I highly recommend this practice!
❑ Mary Blair’s Concept Art
While reading this article about why movies rarely live up to the concept art, and I was introduced to the artist Mary Blair. Although I had seen images of her work before, I didn’t know this artist’s rich history with Disney and her great influence on (and unfortunate limitations of) the animation of early Disney films. Even though the movies don’t quite capture the magic of her art, I think it’s greedy to look at her art and view it for what it could be rather than appreciate the beauty it already conveys. I’ve spent much time admiring her pieces this August.
❑ Girl blogging (milk fed, letters by Chloe, thank you, ok)
The notorious act of girl blogging. Some view it as the decline of writing as a serious profession, others view it as a means of connecting through our shared girlhood and experiences. I for one love when a writer approaches writing with maturity and vulnerability that it can be shared with others and add value to their lives – it's an art in and of itself. Anyways, I’ve been obsessing over girl bloggers posting about autumn, monthly wrap ups, and city recommendations. A few of my current reading rotations are milk fed, thank you, ok, and postcards by elle. Check them out for a true girl blog (non-derogatory) experience.
❑ Watching Princess Mononoke & Whisper of the Heart in theater
I am so grateful that they have started reruns for classic films because there is such a magic to watching an old movie in theaters. This past month E and I watched Princess Mononoke and Whisper of the Heart (my favorite Ghibli movie!) in the movies and our lives have been so enriched by it. This was E’s first time watching Princess Mononoke, and it easily became one of his favorite movies. He’s since been obsessed with listening to the soundtrack and talking about how cool and stoic Ashitaka’s character was. For me, watching Whisper of the Heart was a timely reminder for me as a born again writer recovering my love for the craft. It’s one of the more slept upon Ghibli movies, so I will personally volunteer to watch it with you if you have yet to see it.
❑ Charm Summer – Charm by Clairo
I asked a friend last month to describe what a “Charm Summer” meant in a few words. Dainty, cutesy, demure, and comforting – the direct foil to Brat Summer. Clairo’s album is evidence to me that a crucial element of love is familiarity. When I first heard this album, I’ll admit that I was unimpressed by it. But as I stumbled across each song in playlist after curated playlist, every time I listened to a jazzy refrain that became more recognizable to me, the more I enjoyed it. I found myself loving it for its familiarity. I’ve since added Charm to my top ranking albums list, firmly under my all time favorite of Everything I Know About Love by Laufey. Maybe I have a slight thing for jazz.
That’s all for this august — what a fun and lovely month. See you on the other side of September!
postscript
here’s a the video of Clairo performing Juna on the tonight show and doing a mouth trumpet solo that endeared me enough to give Charm a second chance <3
Love this and you💌💌💌