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Found Offline — inspiration found offline, sans internet. Sharing them with you as I think you might enjoy them too. A mini Home Update — a recap of recently completed projects and thoughts towards the next ones! And Musings as of Late — an assortment of books, music, food, etc that have been mini joys (or all consuming) that you might relate to as well (would love to know your Musings in the comments if you feel called to share); delivered to you in a “speed round” format. Enjoy!

I’ve been trying to look offline more and more for inspiration and education. Sometimes it’s lovely to dive deep down a rabbit hole on Substack or Pinterest, however sometimes I find that the classics (magazines, a coffee table book, objects around you, a walk in the park) will truly hold the biggest spark of inspiration, thought, memory, or joy.

The Creative Act: Books in general are usually inspiring in one way or another, but The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin specifically has been a real treat to dig into. I’ve seen this book across coffee tables and bookshelves for a while now, but had never really been tickled to ask what it was about until just last week. I was visiting some friends in Park City and it was on their bookshelf, I asked what it was about and what the vibe of the read was. After getting the low down I opened it up and started to read a few pages, instantly I knew it was a book I’d like to spend more time with.

I went to the local bookshop the next day and unfortunately they did not have it there. I walked into a clothing shop down the street just expecting a browse and funnily enough they had 4 copies stocked between their white tees and Levis. Kismet! I grabbed a copy (and a pair of shorts that happened to fit perfectly, had been looking for some for a month now… kismet!) and was in awe of my luck. I’m now a couple chapters in and while it’s a quick read, I’ve enjoyed taking my time with it and really digesting what Rubin is writing about. If you’re in need of an inspiring book about art and creativity that’s not telling you how to be creative necessarily, and more so sharing ideas about a creative way of life in a very non-egoistic manner, I really suggest picking up a copy at your local bookshop (you can usually have them order it for you if they don’t have it stocked).

Digital Cameras: Using our iPhones is so easy and at our fingertips when it comes to snapping a quick pic, but there’s something irreplaceable about using a digital (or film) camera when it comes to photography. Not only do the photos have a very different feeling to them, but I think we become more intentional about what we capture too, even if we have ~unlimited storage on them, there’s still something that makes holding a camera adjust the mentality around taking a photo.

I have a few of my own digital cameras, but recently acquired my mom’s old Cannon S100 which has been really fun to shoot with. It’s so small (easy to tuck into a purse) and it creates a memory-like essence to the photos (I feel like I’m back in high school, but with less selfies lol). I’ve seen loads of older cameras on marketplace lately, if you can grab one to just have some fun with I recommend it (or dig up your old one if you still have it sitting in a box somewhere).

Every week I say “so much has been done, and yet there is still so much to do,” and this week is no different. I’ve made some progress with things like finding and adding art to various walls, curtains have been hung in the kitchen (but still have to be hung in the bedroom, living room, and on the bookcases), seating has been added to the dining nook (but still has to be added to the living room), an entryway coat hook has been acquired (but it might end up being put to use in the kitchen for grocery bags and aprons), sconces have been pulled out from the attic storage to be used in the bedroom (I think, I’m sort of on the fence about it but I think I should just commit), and lots of growth has been taking place in the garden (alongside the deer eating my roses, more on this in the next section).

Part of me is trying to give myself grace and go slow with the process and the other part of me is telling myself to make decisions and just go for it! It’s a fine line balancing act when working on a project you feel passionately about, and double down on this when it is also part of your job and where you live.

The garden growth has been absolutely magnificent since last month. I’ve been grateful to have lettuce from my veggie beds, fresh basil from seed that’s turned into a full on basil bush (pinch above the nodes if you want to encourage bushier vs taller growth), two tomato starts that are starting to turn out fruit, bean vines that are absolutely thriving and actually need more crawl space, strawberry plants that have treated me to a few small yet mighty treats, and other flowering bushes that have brought so much joy to be around.

All is well and good, but I’d be lying if I said there haven’t been any challenges. I’m still very much a newbie to the gardening world and am learning as I go. Here are some of the things I’ve learned over the last month:

I recently added a second veggie barrel to the other side of my garden. On this side of the garden it gets later afternoon sun, but less of it, so while it gets direct hot light it’s not in that condition for too long. This barrel was added not only for structural reasons (it created a more balanced feel in the space), but also to provide another spot for plants to expand deeper root systems. I had originally created a really beautiful trellis for peas to grow there, but soon after learned that birds were just going to eat those pea shoots right on up every time I tried to grow them there. So that plan got 180’d and I basically dug up everything I spent hours on. I transplanted my second set of bean starts (which were growing in a felt veg bag) which were doing well, but were significantly smaller than the other set of starts (which had deeply rooted in the first veg barrel). After transplanting those in, I also moved the very established lettuce from the raised bed (the sun was too direct for too much of the day there for them) into the second barrel to mirror the first veg barrel entirely since it seemed to like that environment more. Transplanting the lettuce was a risk since they were so rooted already, but thankfully I can report that the beans and lettuce are both doing really well! One barrel is clearly doing much better than the other, but I’m glad I did this test so I now know where to plant these for seasons to come. In summary, test the same plant in different parts of your garden and see what does better where. This way you’ll know for next year where to plant them from the start and/or can always transplant if needed before then.
When I went out of town for a few days I tried out the Olla system (basically a closed terracotta pot with a lid that you dig into the ground and fill with water, it then slowly releases out of the pot over time through the micro holes in the terracotta). I got mine at a local hardware store for $6 each, but these look like an option if they’re not available at a store neat you. I was so happy when I got home to see that my lettuce was still perky and didn’t get wilty over the hot days I was gone. I did notice though that some of the leaves on my beans started to yellow (a sign of too much water). Overall the plant it still doing ok, so I think it is a good solution for when I’m leaving town, however it might not be a longterm solution since these plants share a pot.
The day finally came where the deer ate my beloved roses. I came home from my trip to a very bare and very sad looking rose bush. This was a bush that was barely holding on when I moved here and over the months of being here it thrived into a bushy rose producing beauty, only to be devoured by the deer a few months in (I think they sensed I wasn’t around and decided it was safe to make their move). I love the deer, and I don’t want them to go away, but I’m still so heartbroken over this. I ended up moving my rose bushes (they are in pots, huge pots so it was a challenge, but much easier than if they had been in ground) to behind a gated area where the deer don’t frolic. I gave them a good healthy prune (of what was left to prune lol) and am hoping they’re going to come back even better with a little bit of time and care.

You know when you listen to a podcast and they have a speed round of answers to questions at the end? This is going to be like that, except actually speedy.

Eating: Curry has been a go to lately. So delicious, nutritious, and easy to make/meal prep. I just type into Pinterest “vegetarian curry” and loosely follow a recipe tweaking things where I want to.

Listening to: Bebe Stockwell, specifically “TV Mama”

Eyeing: Bookshelf curtains like these (image on the left by Salli Mandel at Federal and Black) and cafe curtains like the below (I took this photo while walking out the door at Matilda in Park City).

Reading: The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin and The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Watching: Little House on the Prairie

Trying: To sleep with my phone outside my bedroom. Also trying to speak on camera for video content more… this feels so out of my norm, but people I really admire in the industry I’m in make it a normal part of their content so I’m trying it out! Hoping it becomes more natural for me, but we’ll see.

Would love to hear if you connect with any of these (or enjoyed any of the ideas, recommendations, links, etc) and if you feel called to, please share any of your own musings in a comment:

Monthly Musings; July

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