Tea Wisdom

I drink A LOT of tea.

Depending on the brand of tea I drink I might get some bonus wisdom…

This is a reminder that we can’t give to others what we don’t have for ourselves. I’ll add self-love and self-compassion to this bit of tea wisdom.

Deliberate Imperfections

Even if it’s never our intention, cropping the things we create to look at small areas has a way of magnifying their flaws.

Whether it’s the unsteadiness of drawn lines or how hard it is to capture the metallic sheen of gold ink in a uniform way in a photograph, our instinct is to search out the imperfections.

In many cultures, creating imperfections in things is a deliberate act. In Japanese culture, the act of creating deliberate imperfections is called “wabi sabi” and in Navajo culture, when applied to rug weaving, the resulting imperfection is called a “spirit line” or “spirit pathway.”

Knowing that these philosophies, and others, about making deliberate imperfections exist is sometimes comforting to someone like me who is a recovering perfectionist.

Nonetheless, whether we are aware that these philosophies exist or not, it’s up to us to take a step back when looking at the bigger picture, to accept and appreciate what we’ve created, flaws and all.

InkTober 2019 Intermission

It’s Thanksgiving here, which means lots of activity with family and friends this long weekend.

I’ll get back to posting my InkTober drawings on my Instagram page—and here—when all the eating is over… 🦃🥘🥧😊

In the meantime, I thought I’d share some photos of the beautiful autumn colours surrounding us as the seasons change and the leaves fall from the trees: