I grew up Colorado and got to go to Europe for the first time when I was 23. My kids went for the first time when they were a couple of months old. They are regularly surrounded by multiple languages, float between cultures like it’s normal, and walk like it’s no big thing that the sidewalk beneath their feet is a mosaic of hand carved stones.
We just got back from a long stay with my husband’s Eritrean Italian family in Italy. We went to places I’ve never been before (Cefalu), and places I can never get enough of (Florence), and saw SO MUCH ART. I spent four weeks deeply in touch with my sense of delight. My eyes felt so satiated with all the eye candy to take in— museums, and street art, and colorful tiled subway stations.
The world is heavy, and those of us with sensitive souls, feel the weight of it on a regular basis, but this summer for me was such a powerful reminder to me of the essential component of delight.
And no, I do not think delights have to be as big a long visit to a far away place — which is something that I’ve been pondering since I’ve been back- how to consistently build delight into our daily life when we ourselves don’t leave.
So here’s my small offering with that in mind.
This month, I’m launching a mail club where you get a pack of art in the mail every month. It includes a card and a postcard you can send to a friend as well as a unique piece of an actual art piece I made with a word just for you. My hope is that this brings more art into your space (or to someone you gift this to) on a regular basis. My hope is that this gives you an excuse to write more notes and send more art to your people and have more tangible beauty and meaning outside of the screens. My hope is that this starts a small ripple effect of delight.
I’ll be packing and sending out the very first mail club packages next weekend so sign up by August 15th to get on the list for the first mailing!
So here’s to beauty and delight and it’s essential role in our lives.
Thanks for being here,
Jen
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