Studio Finds

“I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. Life is art.” - Helena Bonham Carter

As an artist, I have a weakness for beautiful things. Food, products, homes... anything well curated and styled is speaking my language. I've come to know this isn't just a superficial obsession. It's something that helps me do my best work, as a human, an artist, a mom, a partner. When my space is clutter free, my brain can focus on bigger things. What to create. How to be kinder in how I show up. Life. Introduce some visual clutter or disjointed design into the mix, though, and I'm out of sorts... my brain scrambling to solve how to make the space around me feel better. I've been reminded of this all summer, as we've traveled more than usual. Mostly through gorgeous, thoughtful spaces. Occasionally through ones that make my brain twitch.

Today's round-up is a peek into what's keeping beauty and calm alive in my everyday. Things that have caught my eye, made life simpler, or brought a little joy into the chaos that is summer. Art supplies I'm actually using. Books I couldn't put down. Games we've played on repeat. Beauty and fashion finds that make summer living easy.

Studio

My studio has been a little in flux the past few months as we’ve been away from home and my usual studio set-up. Art supplies need to be packable, quick drying, and easy to use. I’m never without my travel watercolor set and favorite grid paper, and lately I’ve been loving acrylic paints again... quicker drying and easier to pack than the oils I tend to favor in Austin.

Reading

I’ve been replacing my late night doom scroll with reading these past few months. I won’t say it’s getting me to sleep any earlier... but it has kept me from spiraling right before bed, so a half-win. I have devoured and loved Whistler, Strangers, Culpability, and Yesteryear. What are you reading and loving these days?

Games

We are a game family through and through. We’ve recently added a gorgeous Rummy set to our mix. I love it for its clean graphic look and bold color, and we’re all obsessed with how easy and fast the play is. It’s from the same company as my ocean-inspired Mahjong set - a beautiful reminder of summer all year long.

Beauty & Style

When it comes to my get-ready routine, I'm a big fan of simple. Bare-faced, air-dried hair, simple outfits worn on repeat. I think about Georgia O'Keeffe a lot here... she wore a version of the same uniform for decades, jeans and simple shapes, not because she lacked interest in clothes (she made many of her own) but because the repetition freed her attention for the work. It's all documented beautifully in Georgia O'Keeffe: Living Modern, which puts her wardrobe next to her paintings and makes the case that they were never really separate practices. A few recent purchases that are in heavy rotation these past few months...this lip balm with just the right hint of pink, the most perfect air dry cream, stripe pants 1 and stripe pants 2 (what can I say, I have a theme). This tee in multiple colors is the most perfect weight and fit with skirts, shorts, jeans. I added these Birkenstocks to my closet at the end of last summer, and I still can’t get enough of them.

These and a few more summer loves are in my ShopMy curation*.

via Maha Rose

Now that we’re fully back in Austin, I’m very much looking forward to a return to studio. I wrote about moving into my first outside of home studio last August, and am now celebrating my one-year studio-versary.

It’s been both one of the greatest gifts I’ve given my creative practice AND one of my biggest sources of frustration. Such a gift to have the space to create freely, I without worry of messing up floors, furniture, leaving supplies out for days. A joy to have a space of my own, with zero interruptions to work and paint as freely as possible.

Disheartening in that I sometimes go weeks without stepping foot inside my studio doors. Sometimes life is too busy, other days I feel some sort of malaise and guilt at having been away for so long. This guilt, this nagging voice, this unsureness is unsteadying for sure - like a little whisper wondering if I can still paint and create work I’m proud of. I’ve been here enough to know that the only way through this is to get my hands busy to finally quiet my mind. Ripping the band-aid off and just getting busy making art - even bad art - is the way to restart my creative habit. I’m excited to be back, ready to paint with no plan, no collection or commission in mind. Just to experiment with different sizes and mediums and let the JOY of making art be enough.

Happy August, and happy returns to whatever is calling you in this season!

xx. Jill

*when you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no charge to you. I only link and recommend things I’ve tried and loved.