dear reader,

how are you? i’ve been struggling to write this newsletter for a lot of the usual reasons. however, here I am finding myself hitting send so this small letter can reach you. i hope, above all else, it finds you well.

currently //

yesterday it rained all day. today seems like it wont. and there were three squirrels playing by the fire pit earlier today when I glanced out my window. my mom just sent me a text message saying my grandma is making breakfast and i’ve been awake since 5:20 in the morning. when I looked at my phone screen, still in bed, attempting to keep my eyes open, there was a notification for Instagram saying “ping practice” followed you… if I was more awake, I likely would have squealed. as it is, the excitement and disbelief woke me right up.

morning pages have been done (but only two pages, not three), this newsletter has been renamed from “the patchwork life” to just “patchworks”, and i’ve made some new notes in my obsidian vault. speaking of obsidian vault, I made some slight modifications to the home note in the digital garden site and removed the sidebar. it’s still not optimal, but slow change is still change and efficiency is NOT king. sometimes things take time and the time just makes it sweeter (or more savory, if you don’t like candy).

all to say, it’s been a “productive” morning. but by productive, I just mean I got to work on some of the things that bring me joy before my actual work day starts and ultimately stresses me out to the point of a migraine. when I get to start the day like this, though, it helps me manage those emotions later on.

what i’d like to share with you //

• an epiphany I had yesterday

• “there is a bursting in me, always” by margaux kent in this newsletter

• the topic of cartography has been coming up in a lot of things i’ve been reading or noticing lately.

• “If you know what you’re doing in the arts, then you’re doing it wrong. That’s a pretty good maxim. If you don’t know what you’re doing, then you’re on the right track, because you’re open to the whole world of possibilities. You don’t want to already have the possibilities in you; you have to invite them in. So as an artist you have to create a culture that invites ideas in.” by Terri Riley, found while reading this newsletter

• this about me blurb I just wrote on a spreadsheet for connection that felt nice (context: I get stressed whenever I have to write an about me): a writer/poet, multi-disciplinary artist, handmade website lover, life-long learner, member of the "i-love-journaling" fanclub. ever expanding- beginning to create containers to teach methods for creative expansion.

thanks as always for the opportunity to greet you in your inbox.

in purpose and practice,

ella nym

p.s. if you have any ideas for a name for this type of email, i’d love your input. i was thinking weekly digest but I am still workshopping a few other possibilities.