I’ve decided to start my own Book of Delights. Ross Gay and his Book of Delights made the rounds on virtually every podcast I listened to a year or two ago. The author had challenged himself to write a short essay about something he found delightful, every day, for an entire year. Even my therapist recommended it. I expected Book of Delights to be sweet and funny and probably a piece of media I wouldn’t read to the end. When I finally picked up the book, it floored me. Every piece had me laughing while simultaneously reflecting on my own death, and the people I’ve lost or lost touch with. I found myself wondering, really, what they’d been doing out there in the world in the years since we’d spoken. And wondering what my parents and friends were like as toddlers, and noticing how absurdly funny my dog is, and reminding myself that someday I’ll miss them all terribly.
So I’m challenging myself to write a short piece about something that delighted me at the end of every day. I’m going to build the platform for this project using Webflow, which is a program I really want to get familiar with. Posts will include accompanying sketches and photos as often as possible. This may turn into something that looks and feels good enough to link to on my personal website or portfolio, but it might be just for me. Even if that’s the case, it’s a project that will help me hone some much-needed web and design skills, as well as reminding me to check in on my loved ones and talk to strangers and seek novelty on a daily basis, which are all things that feed my creativity and which I’m feeling the lack of lately.
I have not included a moodboard per se because all the blogs I looked at were garbage as far as design goes, but I’ve included an excerpt from the book itself.
Personal project brainstorm
What’s missing from my life/ what I want more of:
- Community, connectedness, sisterhood
- Time outside
- Inspiration to some degree
- Service
- art – making things just for the sake of making
- Writing (and reading)
- Strenuous exercise
- NOVELTY
Projects/ pursuits that might check some of these boxes:
- Join a community garden
- Volunteer
- Start a running group
- Start a walking group? lol
- Build a personal website
- Start a blog (a non-school-related blog, no offense)
- Join a weekly painting class
- Start a Book of Delights- ala Ross Gay
- Make prints as personalized, no-occasion cards for my friends and loved ones on a regular basis
- Take a ceramics class
- Start or find an art critique group