if September were a colour, it would be a deep shade of plum.

reflected in the deepening hues of dahlia petals and calla lilies, the worn cover of a leather journal, and the quiet luxury of a soft burning candle.

it is the deepest shade of sky before it turns to night, the beginning of the dark months.

there is something about September that feels like a new beginning, perhaps even more than January.

the quiet return to routine as we let summer slowly slip away.

during this prelude to autumn, we may find ourselves hungry to put our foot on the pedal and speed things up. eager to draw up new resolutions, list out healthy habits, and ride the emotional high of entering into a new season.

so before we swing back into our daily rhythm, I want us to take a beat and consider how we are stepping into this month <3

monthly journal prompts

at the start of each month, I like to sit with my journal and reflect on a few journal prompts as a way to help ease me into the new month. it feels like having a conversation with myself in the best way, like finally hearing myself speak when all the noise clears out.

poem of the month

Swan by Mary Oliver

Did you too see it, drifting, all night, on the black river?
Did you see it in the morning, rising into the silvery air –
An armful of white blossoms,
A perfect commotion of silk and linen as it leaned
into the bondage of its wings; a snowbank, a bank of lilies,
Biting the air with its black beak?
Did you hear it, fluting and whistling
A shrill dark music – like the rain pelting the trees – like a waterfall
Knifing down the black ledges?
And did you see it, finally, just under the clouds –
A white cross Streaming across the sky, its feet
Like black leaves, its wings Like the stretching light of the river?
And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?
And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?
And have you changed your life?

visual inspiration

moving onto visual inspiration, this is a collection of things I currently find inspiring and feel is representative of the season. I plan on taking them with me into September, feel free to take from it what you will!

view board

feature artist: Sara Winfield

I first discovered Sara’s work on Instagram when her writings on creativity appeared on my suggested page, and I found myself connecting deeply with her words. one look through her recent works and I was met with a grid of her colourful and expressive paintings.

an Australian abstract artist, Sara writes that her work speaks to “the emotional landscapes that define female existence”. she often mixes mediums to produce unique palette combinations and playful textural marks.

explore her work

that is all for now. if you made it to the end of this newsletter, thank you for reading! I hope it left you feeling inspired and ready to take on the month ahead!

and with the passing of another birthday, I found myself ending August on a note of reflection — half in anticipation for what new version of myself could emerge from this coming age, and the other half verging on crisis.

this nervous feeling was of course no surprise to me. but what felt acutely different this time around was the fact that I was turning 27. I was saying goodbye to my early-to-mid twenties and officially entering into my late twenties.

this somehow meant something to me, like a formal check-in with myself on how I was doing now that I was inching closer to the tail end of another decade. part of me wondered if I had done enough to prep myself for being a self-sufficient adult. am I where I ought to be?

and the truth is, there are still a barrage of things I want to do in my life — like becoming a renown artist, moving abroad, or building a house that would feel like home for me and my family.

in the past, I would create time frames in my head and calculate everything. 4 years to get a degree. a year to start that Youtube channel. 3 years to teach myself oil painting and get somewhere with it.

some of you may find it relatable, this propensity to take any unpredictable thing and turn it into something quantifiable. something we can make sense of in our head. this is called risk mitigation. and the problem is that it’s just another form of procrastination, a creative block. we become so caught up in weighing costs, whether something is worth doing or not, that it stops us from starting at all.

and the older I get, the more I feel like time is running out. like it’s already too late to start chasing my dreams.

it’s not too late for your dreams

reality check.

Van Gogh first started his career as a professional artist at age 27.

J.K. Rowling published the first book in the Harry Potter series at age 32.

Vera Wang started her brand as a wedding dress designer at age 40.

all this to say, some of the most iconic successful people never bothered to factor their age into their dreams. why? because there really is no set timeline for creativity. you simply cannot view it as a timeline.

we live in a world obsessed with the finished product, the final result. and when we see art and the creative process through a consumeristic lens, we overlook the very important process of creating; a process which involves discovery, learning, experimentation, failure, growth.

media everywhere repeats the same thing, “so-and-so accomplished this in one year” or “the person who built a six-figure brand by age 23”. truth is, what does it matter how long something takes or how old you are, when creativity only exists in the present moment?

Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist’s Way, writes on this topic: “instead of allowing ourselves a creative journey, we focus on the length of the trip. ‘it’s such a long way,’ we tell ourselves. it may be, but each day is just one more day with some motion in it, and that motion towards a goal is very enjoyable.”

when I let go of the anxiety that I’m falling behind, I realize that the best thing you can do is get caught up in the endless process of creativity. creativity has no end, and that is a lovely thing. I would be blessed if I got to spend 50 more years of my life making art.

if the goal was simply to get to the destination as fast as possible, I don’t want it. I want to live a life spent creating — wandering down winding roads, disappearing into rabbit holes, taking the longest way possible just to see where it might lead.

your dreams are meant for you

you may have heard the saying, “if it is your calling, it will keep calling”.

meaning when we put off our dreams, that dream doesn’t just go away. this has proven true countless times in my life, and each time I’m reminded of the same thing:

if a dream is truly meant for you, it will happen no matter what. some dreams take not too long to realize, many of them take years. but always in hindsight, they seem to occur within the perfect timing. dare I say, it feels like time knows you better than you know yourself — when you are ready for something and when you need to wait just a while longer.

on the contrary, choosing to not start something may cost you more down the line than the emotional cost of starting now. a person who feels called to pursue painting in their 20’s may spend years pursuing law instead out of a fear of failing, only to realize in their 30’s that they wish to go back to being a painter after all.

not that we can’t pursue multiple avenues throughout our lives, but there is a beautiful mystery to the way dreams will find their way back to us in moments when we ourselves are lost.

learning to dream again

what would it look like if we knew our dreams would eventually work out? that underneath all the striving and careful planning, there is something bigger than us conspiring to make our dreams to happen.

what is the first thing that you would do?

would it give you the confidence to dream big, and actually believe that it not just might, but will happen someday?

and maybe instead of focusing on the five year plan, we come back to where we are presently and start with what’s right in front of us.

the next painting.

the next essay.

the next step.

as a chronic planner, I’ve found it incredibly freeing to let go of my self-proclaimed timeline and remove the pressure of staying on track. now more than ever, I’m seeing the creative process for what it is — windy, unpredictable, an adventure.

there are dreams I’m only starting now in my late-twenties.

and I’m ok with that.

for a while I’ve been dreaming of having a space to share the myriad of thoughts and creative learnings that would enter into my head while at the art studio.

so in this new series, thoughts from an art studio, let me talk you through all that goes on behind the scenes as a full-time artist.

1. record your creative pings

ever since I first stumbled across the practice of tracking our “creative pings” over on Mickey Galvin’s video essay, I’ve questioned why it’s not something I started doing earlier because it’s made such a massive impact on my work.

the idea is to write down each time an idea pops into our head, no matter how seemingly small or random. it’s a practice of reminding ourselves that we should always be taking our creative ideas seriously, because creativity oftentimes starts with simply being curious about something and open to where it might lead.

after all, note taking is really just paying attention. it’s an act of love and devotion. to say to yourself “the seeds I sow are worth watering” is the same thing as creating for yourself a thought garden where your ideas can grow and be nurtured.

so the next time something sparks your inspiration, instead of writing it off or trying to decide then and there if an idea is worth pursuing or not, simply just writing it down. you never know which one will lead to an important breakthrough.

2. painting update, still learning

this week, I finished a painting that had been stuck in my head for weeks. at the same time, I was working on a still life of a flower bouquet. I was determined to paint it before it would inevitably reach its wilted state. to both, I poured hours of my week working in a frenzy. yet the finished results left a wide gap between my vision and the execution, and a taste of dissatisfaction in my mouth.

upon reflection, it seemed that in my careful attempt to recreate the imagery in my head onto canvas, it was my perfectionism that wrapped my paintings in an airtight bubble. it kept inside calculated brushstrokes and left out any feelings or marks of expression.

I suppose this could be my inner critic talking — oh the joys of learning a new medium.

I’m used to feeling intuitive with the mediums I use, and oil painting now just feels clunky and unnatural to me. I think somewhere along the way I must’ve confused being good at something with enjoying it.

nevertheless, I know that these are only growing pains, and that one day I‘ll find greater reward in showing up at the canvas day after day. but for now, I’m learning to love the act of creating and learning more to trust the process.

3. on colour intuition

another Youtuber recommendation, I’ve been on such a streak of discovery lately!

this is the video I watched on building your colour intuition as an artist. Star Girl herself has such a way of expressing her passion for colour theory, explaining with clarity how to pair colours together, and even walks viewers through an exercise for finding the perfect palette for your next piece.

I’ve also enjoyed having her art vlogs on in the background while I get work done myself, it’s been a real comfort and source of inspiration for me!

4. books, visiting the library, Van Gogh

I recently visited my local library, something I’ve admittedly never done since moving into my present apartment two years ago.

I was immediately flooded with comfort and nostalgia upon walking in, the memory of me emerging as a kid who could spend hours perusing through the library book collection, thinking “I’ll get through all of these someday”.

what I didn’t do as a kid though was head straight for the art books section. who knew they had these gems all this time?! I sure didn’t.

at the time I’m writing this post, the only book I’ve read so far is the one on Van Gogh. it’s been an absolute treat diving into the story of his life and dissecting the art pieces I’d often see on museum walls. though a tragic tale, it left me feeling so inspired and creatively charged.

5. the importance of silence

over the weekend, I went on a silent retreat for the first time. it wasn’t the rigorous kind where you have to follow a 6 hour meditation schedule, but simply a quiet place nestled in nature to get away from the city bustle.

I had so much time to read, to go on walks, and to think. not the chaotic kind of thinking where you’re being bombarded with 10 thoughts at once, but actual headspace to expand on ideas and let them breathe.

in theory I knew all this going in, but the actual practice felt so much harder. I was hyperaware of the impulse to constantly pick up my phone and my need to fill every empty space with scrolling, news, information.

it really is those damn phones.

after two days, I managed to get my brain back to a normal speed again, and it made me realize how little I actually gain from spending hours a day consuming media. going back to my everyday routine, I want to create more structure around my phone usage to build in more intentionality.

this isn’t necessarily about increasing productivity, although that can be a bonus. it’s about allowing ourselves the freedom to sit with questions without always needing to look it up. it’s about learning to be bored again. it’s about the conversations we could be having with silence rather than avoiding it.

if you made it to the end, thank you for being here!

if you would like to reply to this in the comments and let me know your thoughts on what I shared in today’s post, I would love to hear from you <3

with love,
Dory

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hi there!

welcome to the month of August — a time in which summer borders into fall.

and I know what you’re thinking: summer is hardly over, let’s not even begin to discuss fall just yet.

so I acknowledge that I’m likely in the minority here in saying that I love August. it’s easily one of my favourite months, and not just because it’s my birthday! to me, it’s perfect warm days paired with cool breezy nights. it’s stargazing, outdoor concerts, backyard barbecues, and not to mention the best sunsets I’ve ever seen are always in August.

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I’ve always felt like the magic in August is in knowing that summer is about to come to an end, making every memory ever brighter, tinged with the colour of an inevitable nostalgia.

here is a quote that speaks to this poignantly:

“I love borders. August is the border between summer and autumn; it is the most beautiful month I know... The border is longing: when both have fallen in love but still haven’t said anything. The border is to be on the way. It is the way that is the month important thing.” - Tove Jansson

on being sentimental

and so, this brings me to the topic we’re exploring this month — sentimentalism.

or more accurately, the creative practice of being sentimental.

this idea is based on an article I read recently called “nostalgic things to do this summer”. it presents nostalgia as less about placing the past on a pedestal, but more so about letting past memories create more texture in your present.

without nostalgia, we’re stuck optimizing our life in the present, without any meaningful memories or moments to root ourselves in. take art, for example. many of us remember drawing freely as kids, our ideas at the whim of the crayons and markers in front of us. that experience colours our present, and brings so much more richness whenever we create now or walk through an art museum. it gives depth and creates texture. without it, our art would solely become about aesthetics.

not only that, but remembering can also be a way to slow ourselves down in a world that only cares about the next thing. holding onto those fleeting moments is just a way of softening our hearts to the things we find beautiful and memorable.

so let this be an invitation for you to relish in the sentimental. here are some ways you could try doing that:

• writing a fictional story recalling things that happened over the summer

• starting a keepsake collection

• make a physical album

• press flowers to enjoy their beauty for longer

• paint a sunset you saw

• or write a poem about it

moving on to visual inspirations I’ll be taking with me into the month of August. this is a collection of images that I currently find inspiring and feel is representative of the season. feel free to take from it what you will!

See Board

feature artist: Jiyoung Park

I first discovered Jiyoung Park on this platform, and I couldn’t stop thinking about her work ever since. Each piece is a harmony of colour that plays to your senses, as if I could physically feel the wind in her painting or the warmth of the sun.

Jiyoung is a Korean artist who often paints soft rolling landscapes as if caught in an eternal spring. Somewhere in between illustration and fine art, her delicate use of colour and light, as well as playful scaling of objects, creates a bigger than life sense of reality.

Explore Her Work

school’s out! summer vacation is in!

in July we find ourselves in the height of summer, routines relaxed, delighting in an unhurried rhythm. this is also the time when we might find ourselves the most inspired, everything around us tinged with a sun-kissed glow and warm effervescence.

I wrote this month’s issue as a guidebook to nurturing your creativity this summer and becoming the most inspired version of yourself.

what you will find if you keep reading:

1. monthly color + combinations

2. unpacking the idea of creative play

3. places to find visual inspiration

4. monthly artist feature

seeking out creative play

this month, I wanted to explore the idea of ‘creative play’ in tandem with the energy of summer and connecting with our inner child.

in a world where every idea and system needs to be optimized, our minds can easily become bogged down with information, desperate for a release of creative energy. when we start reframing creativity as a need instead of a nicety, it expands into other areas of our life too. it shows up as an open and curious mindset, centering our personal growth around humanness instead of all about metrics.

in an effort this month to make life more whimsical and not take myself too seriously, here is what I did:

• I swapped material consumption for fun creative classes instead — I learned how to make stained glass and took an oil painting class just for fun

• I went on a solo art date and sketched some flowers I liked along the way

• I started a creative note-taking journal to document everything I found inspired, curious, or thought-provoking

• I taught myself how to make French beaded flowers

places to find inspiration

the key to acquiring “good taste” is expanding our range of inspiration (read this article all about finding your unique creative taste). swiping on Pinterest, while fun, can quickly become flat and uninspiring, so here are some places I’ll be looking for inspiration instead:

• vintage postcards and packaging

• niche art books

• take photos of interesting walls + architecture

• visit a new museum

feature artist

Michael McGregor — An artist based in LA, his color pencil drawings capture the beauty of daily life objects. His artwork are often quickly sketched on hotel notepads, lending his work a lively and playful energy that speaks to the present moment.

McGregor on still life painting — “You can tell a lot about someone by what they surround themselves with.”

Explore His Work

Thanks for tuning into this month’s Color Edit, I hope you have a colorful month ahead!

Welcome to The Color Edit — a space to slow down and notice things differently, through the lens of color.

While things may differ around here from month to month, you can typically expect a platter of creative musings, seasonal reflection, and curated visual inspiration to help bring you closer to the vibrant world around you.

a note on June

As a crisp warm breeze beckons us from an open window, we realize that summer is fresh upon us. June is a time of seasonal transition, where we may find ourselves living in fast and slow moments simultaneously.

Our days take the shape of an ocean wave, cresting with the buzz of everyday activity and quieting in other moments. Learn to relax into the changing pace and prioritize joy in both.

journalling prompts for a new season

~ slow down ~

• what would it look like for you to live a slow and unhurried summer?

• what are some other forms of rest you can engage in more actively?
  (eg. swap scrolling or bed rotting for knitting or reading)

~ speed up ~

• what is energizing you the most lately?
  can you make more room for it in your life?

• imagine looking back in August and realizing this summer actually changed you a little, what happened? (prompt by Hannah Bay)