A pile of these bears gave me some trouble trying to get a photograph, but I love how this one of just these two worked out in black and white. Sometimes the simplest things remind us so much of someone. I hope we all have the chance to become real. illustratedlife.substack.com/p/muffy-vand...

I do like November for a #gratitude mindset reset. You, too? Here are some practical, no-nonsense reminders for nurturing a gratitude mindset and making a gratitude practice a habit. --> illustratedlife.substack.com/i/177438984/...

Sketchnoting some talks, essays, interviews, and videos for practice. Debbie Millman on designing a life you love: illustratedlife.substack.com/p/loose-leaf... #sketchnote

Rock, paper, scissors, star. Writing letters. Hoping my reader emerges. illustratedlife.substack.com/p/epistolary...

I’ve participated in ICAD a number of times through the years -- and done some series I really loved. Here’s a bit of a retrospective (my 2024 post). illustratedlife.substack.com/p/index-card...

ICAD is an excellent way to start/boost/rekindle your create habit in June/July -- using simple index cards. #creativelife #dyicad2025

Had some fun with a recursive Robert Graves poem -- and the Droste effect. illustratedlife.substack.com/p/tawny-yell... (Image: Wikimedia)

We just finished Week 2 of our Making Comics read/draw-along. It's great to see so many people jumping in. I have to admit I woke up this morning and drew Batman (part of Week 3) and realized.... yes, yes, I can. You can, too! illustratedlife.substack.com/p/making-com... #comics

Making a list of poems that are good to memorize (for someone looking to spend a week at a time with a poem). Just did the NYT Millay week, and looking to do more. Old enough that memorization takes some work. Suggestions? #poetry #BlueSkyPoetry

Enjoying working through Making Comics with a few people. This broccoli moment was great!

So many reasons to keep an illustrated journal. Now.... I need to just get better at indexing and organizing them. That's an important step I've neglected.

Starting an informal re-read of Lynda Barry's Making Comics. I've read it & Syllabus before, but I'm looking forward to it. Happy to have a small group already joining in. Just getting started if you are interested. illustratedlife.substack.com/p/making-com... #diarycomics #graphicnovels #comics

Decluttering (at the pace of a glacier). I’m having as much trouble getting rid of this old GameBoy Color as I am trashing piles of academic papers and readings from the early nineties.

Following the #harvard news as they reject the terms. Buried in that letter.... a BAN on masks? "Harvard must implement a comprehensive mask ban with serious and immediate penalties for violation, not less than suspension."

Thinking about doing a group re-read of Lynda Barry's Making Comics.... I floated the idea in Sunday's post at Illustrated Life. Thinking about it.

So looking forward to this new book from @goraina.bsky.social & @scottmccloud.bsky.social coming in at my library!

I have a joke about Sisyphus but it's long and tedious and just as I'm about to get to the punchline I lose my thread and have to start from the beginning again

Make someone’s day … feel more connected… send a #postcard. Monthly prompt series. open.substack.com/pub/illustra...

A fude nib has unexpectedly become my go-to pick. Never say never.

100-day project is all about contours and some quirky rainbow topography. Two weeks in, and it's got an easy flow to it. A look at week two is in this recent post: illustratedlife.substack.com/p/open-the-gate

#100dayproject underway. I did some tests last week to make sure I was all in. I am. illustratedlife.substack.com/p/putting-a-...

My grocery order arrived, and it looks like we also got someone else's order. (I know the store won't take it back because someone received our entire order before.) We sort of feel like we just won the lottery with the assortment of random food that arrived. A bit sad to be this excited, but true.

Week 8 #illustrateyourweek #illustratedjournal 2025. It’s a grounding process. Anything goes. Weekly prompts are shared on Sundays.

Drawing my kids on birthday week has become an annual tradition. I wish I had started doing this when they were young. open.substack.com/pub/illustra...

I draw on Sunday mornings with a few people via zoom. I usually get a pencil sketch in that I ink later as I start my week in my illustrated journal. It’s the most human contact I have all week! Weekly prompts shared on Sundays on Illustrated Life. #illustrateyourweek #illustratedjournal

I sure wish I still had a Mabel. A dog in the lap can make all the difference.

Week 6 2025 in #illustratedjournal. I share #illustrateyourweek prompts each week to help you fill in the spaces—if you like that approach. #documentyourlife

Knowing kid bdays are coming made pulling this little doll out last week feel hyper-meaningful.... It seems that some readers found the image of the doll with the little star eye creepy. I'm thinking I should make him a little #lgbtq rainbow top. illustratedlife.substack.com/p/jack-with-...

Week 6 prompts for your illustrated journal. No denying the country is falling apart. Your journal is a good place to capture some details week to week, alone with some bits about your life. illustratedlife.substack.com/p/week-6-ill...

Love this project

For the language of it all… Reading The Right Word this week (about Peter Roget) was a delight. open.substack.com/pub/illustra...

Saturday ❤️

Week 4 illustrated journal prompts for 2025 illustratedlife.substack.com/p/week-4-ill...

An hour of drawing with a small group via zoom on sundays … the best human contact of the week. (Pencil sketch to ink later.) #portraitdrawing #drawingwithfriends

Moving forward with reading Proust for the first time. After considering multiple options, I think I’ll read the Carter translation. See three versions of a short passage in this post. Which would you choose? open.substack.com/pub/illustra... #proust #reading #booklist

For anyone keeping an illustrated journal of their lives, I share weekly prompts to help fill space or give ideas for things to draw, write about, or ponder on the page. Week 3 for 2025: illustratedlife.substack.com/p/week-3-ill... #illustratedjournal #illustrateyourweek #sketchbook

Dropped my mom at the airport this morning - the end of a long visit. I’m glad that I captured some of the ordinary moments with digital drawings. If you draw, don’t overlook the beauty of drawing those you love. open.substack.com/pub/illustra...

Easing into the new year is okay.... it's okay to not have a full slate of goals, targets, and projects lined up. Take a breath! illustratedlife.substack.com/p/catch-your... #substackwriters #creativelife #lifewriting

A postcard prompt for the start of the year -- book stacks, first reads, and more. Jump in on this monthly postcard prompt series.... send a postcard! www.printmag.com/creative-pro... What's your first read of the year? #BookSky #creative #postcardprompts #tbr

Explaining more in a weekend post, but putting this image here just on the off-chance someone out there is like “me, too” on this day 1. I’m following some unseen thread. #proust

Anyone have reading Proust (again or for the first time) on tap? I’ve been sorting out translations. It was an out-of-the-blue decision, but for whatever reason, now is the time. #proust

Postcard prompt series for artists and writers (at substack and PRINT magazine). Prompt no. 3, December: a snowflake theme. illustratedlife.substack.com/p/send-a-sno...

Finished up 30 days of tracking morning light…Continuing for a bit though wondering how long until I sleep through the snooze. 😴 illustratedlife.substack.com/p/a-month-of... #lifewriting

I drew a series of daily portraits of Substack writers in October. I posted some final thoughts and a look at the full set (of 31 plus a few extra) today. It was a good series to work on. open.substack.com/pub/illustra... #portraitdrawing #substackwriter #inktober

I don’t know any of the other people on this graph, but something about a system like this really works for me. Some of us respond to the tracking and the visible progress…and also the awareness there are others. — Tracking outside of nano this year. #lifewriting

New here - writer, illustrated journal keeper, portrait drawer, lgbtq+. Have to say the starter packs are amazingly helpful! Looking for writers in the creative non-fiction space/memoir, too. #creativenonfiction

Tracking morning sky this November with quick thumbnails of light outside the window. Definitely dark, cold, and hard to get up! open.substack.com/pub/illustra... #writer #documentlife

Week 45 in my illustrated journal for this year. #illustrateyourweek prompts #art #illustratedjournal