Art + Photography Laurie Mucha Art + Photography Laurie Mucha

"Interpretation is the revenge of the intellect upon art."

Betye Saar, Amid Hallucinatory Moons1962

Lately I’ve been thinking about personal taste - knowing it, changing it and the extent to which we care about how others view it. In her 1966 essay Against Interpretation, Susan Sontag advocates for a more sensual and immediate appreciation of art rather than an overly analytical and interpretive approach. She argues that the intellectualization of art acts as a sort of violence against the artwork’s intrinsic qualities.

I agree, but what of appreciating, but disliking? Or not appreciating but wanting to?

July Waterfall, Pat Steir 1991

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A weekend in Devon

I’m getting to the age where I’m starting to think that someday I might be interested in learning to identify types of trees, flowers and birds.

Not yet though. Mostly I just tried not to step in poop as we walked through the countryside where rolling hills and small farms went on and on for as far as the eye can see… It was truly a gorgeous walk - but the American in me will never get used to wandering through fields and farms without worrying about getting shot.

The Right to Roam is an ancient custom that allows anyone to wander in open countryside, whether the land is privately or publicly owned.

Americans, can you even imagine???

We also took a long walk along the beach where we collected seashells and traded stories…

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On Voice

via The Josh Shop on Etsy

“Phoebe Ephron once told her daughter to write as if she were mailing a letter, ‘then, tear off the salutation’; this advice, combined with Ephron’s observational prowess, forged her signature voice.”

—The New Yorker, “The Nora Ephron We Forget”

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Art + Photography Laurie Mucha Art + Photography Laurie Mucha

At Breakfast

"At Breakfast" was created in 1898 by the Danish painter Laurits Andersen Ring. The painting is subtly groundbreaking, as it portrays his wife deeply engrossed in the traditionally male domain of reading about politics in the newspaper.

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Stuart Little and The Littles

Herewith an unfinished MS of a book called Stuart Little. It would seem to be for children, but I’m not fussy who reads it. You said you wanted to look at this, so I am presenting it thus in its incomplete state. There are about ten or twelve thousand words so far, roughly.

You will be shocked and grieved to discover that the principal character in the story has somewhat the attributes and appearance of a mouse. This does not mean that I am either challenging or denying Mr. Disney’s genius. At the risk of seeming a very whimsical fellow indeed, I will have to break down and confess to you that Stuart Little appeared to me in dream, all complete, with his hat, his cane, and his brisk manner. Since he was the only fictional figure ever to honor and disturb my sleep, I was deeply touched, and felt that I was not free to change him into a grasshopper or a wallaby. Luckily he bears no resemblance, either physically or temperamentally, to Mickey. I guess that’s a break for all of us.

E. B. White
Letter to his editor, Eugene Saxton
1st March 1939
Curator credit: Letters of Note by Shaun Usher

I loved this book - but it’s not to be confused with The Littles TV show… do you remember? Now I can’t get this song out of my head.

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My heart almost stood still

A letter from Helen Keller to the New York Symphony Orchestra

93 Seminole Avenue,
Forest Hills, L. I.,

February 2nd, 1924.

The New York Symphony Orchestra,
New York City

Dear Friends:

I have the joy of being able to tell you that, though deaf and blind, I spent a glorious hour last night listening over the radio to Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony.” I do not mean to say that I “heard” the music in the sense that other people heard it; and I do not know whether I can make you understand how it was possible for me to derive pleasure from the symphony. It was a great surprise to myself. I had been reading in my magazine for the blind of the happiness that the radio was bringing to the sightless everywhere. I was delighted to know that the blind had gained a new source of enjoyment; but I did not dream that I could have any part in their joy. Last night, when the family was listening to your wonderful rendering of the immortal symphony someone suggested that I put my hand on the receiver and see if I could get any of the vibrations. He unscrewed the cap, and I lightly touched the sensitive diaphragm. What was my amazement to discover that I could feel, not only the vibrations, but also the impassioned rhythm, the throb and the urge of the music! The intertwined and intermingling vibrations from different instruments enchanted me. I could actually distinguish the cornets, the roll of the drums, deep-toned violas and violins singing in exquisite unison. How the lovely speech of the violins flowed and plowed over the deepest tones of the other instruments! When the human voice leaped up trilling from the surge of harmony, I recognized them instantly as voices. I felt the chorus grow more exultant, more ecstatic, upcurving swift and flame-like, until my heart almost stood still. The women’s voices seemed an embodiment of all the angelic voices rushing in a harmonious flood of beautiful and inspiring sound. The great chorus throbbed against my fingers with poignant pause and flow. Then all the instruments and voices together burst forth—an ocean of heavenly vibration—and died away like winds when the atom is spent, ending in a delicate shower of sweet notes.

Of course, this was not “hearing” but I do know that the tones and harmonies conveyed to me moods of great beauty and majesty. I also sensed, or thought I did, the tender sounds of nature that sing into my hand—swaying reeds and winds and the murmur of streams. I have never been so enraptured before by a multitude of tone-vibrations.

As I listened, with darkness and melody, shadow and sound filling all the room, I could not help remembering that the great composer who poured forth such a flood of sweetness into the world was deaf like myself. I marvelled at the power of his quenchless spirit by which out of his pain he wrought such joy for others—and there I sat, feeling with my hand the magnificent symphony which broke like a sea upon the silent shores of his soul and mine.

Let me thank you warmly for all the delight which your beautiful music has brought to my household and to me. I want also to thank Station WEAF for the joy they are broadcasting in the world.

With kindest regards and best wishes, I am,

Sincerely yours, 
Helen Keller

(credit: Shaun Usher, via Letters of Note)

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January: One Line at a Time

open spiral bound notebook with written words scrawled on each line

Image: Edward & Josephine Hopper's New York Notes, Noted by Jillian Hess

January 1

2024 Goals: Finish what you start. Build community. Eat more protein.

January 2

Dan, Hugo and Sophia were nearly stranded on the side of the mountain during a snowstorm. Dan was pretty nervous but focused on getting chains on the tires. Hugo made it his mission to find food, water and blankets in case they got stranded. Sophia called home and asked me to plug in the curling iron because she was going to be running late for the nightclub and didn’t want to have to wait for the curling iron to heat up when she got home. 

January 3

Yesterday was World Introvert Day, which I didn’t realise because I spent 10 hours writing in my journal and planning a solo trip to Tenerife.

January 4

It’s downright blustery. Icy whitecaps are pounding the waterfront and last night the deck chairs flew off the terrace and into the bushes. We’ve eaten all the leftovers in the house and are subsisting on stale bread (pain perdu!) and coffee. This made for a delicious dinner and breakfast, but I think it’s time for me to bundle up and venture into the village for provisions. And by provisions, I mean cheese.

January 5

Kelly helped Dad sort out his phone so that his Face ID works. But somehow he got it in his head that the phone takes your ‘pitcher’ each time you unlock it. So now every time he needs to use his phone, he sits up properly and smiles his best smile. It’s the cutest thing ever. 

January 6

All my clothes smell like cheese.

January 7

A few weeks ago, I re-started my blog so that I could practice sharing creative work. Sort of like a daily drip of creativity. So the pipes don’t freeze. And tomorrow I’m posting a substack for the first time in a long time. I don’t know why I’m so nervous, literally no one cares. 

January 8

Drove from Annecy to Calais, listening to various podcasts and books I discovered Joanna Penn and now I am AI Positive. 

January 9

Slept at the Holiday Inn Calais. Míša barfed every two hours all night long. The hotel room was carpeted and she refused to go into the tiled bathroom. So each time she started to gag, I had to quickly get dressed, take the elevator downstairs, walk her through the lobby and across the driveway so that she could puke in the grass. Then we went back upstairs and repeated the cycle 90 minutes later. All. Night. Long.

January 10

I attended a workshop today where the presenter read from her script for a full hour, barely looking up. At one point she read the following advice: When you go into a meeting, don’t read directly from your notes. Make it more of a conversation. 

January 11

Overheard at the cafe: 

The mosquitos love me, right mum? 

They bite me with a little needle on the end of their nose, right mum? 

We need to spray me with stinky spray, right mum?

So that I don’t taste so delicious, right mum?

January 12

This was the best night I’ve had in a very long time! I attended a literary salon at a friend’s home. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eliza Griswold spoke about her career and the craft of writing books. God, if only I could do something like this every week… I loved it so much.

January 13

Went to a co-writing session in Waterloo at a place called The Glitch. I wrote some words. If I delete them all and start over, I might have something.

January 14

This morning, I was running late to yoga. I grabbed a pair of leggings and realised too late they were Sasha’s (size XXS). Once I got them on, I couldn’t get them off, so I had to go to yoga wearing them and as the class went on, I got hotter and hotter and my legs looked like two sausages about to bust through their casings. 

January 15

Went to Pilates at 8am. The instructor was a mean, sharp stick of a woman with swollen lips who played rave music at full volume. I asked her to turn it down, which she only pretended to do, and then 5 minutes later turned it even louder. 

January 16

I fell into a rabbit hole this morning, lost all track of time and nearly missed my hair appointment. The reason was Sarah Miller. She’s a little bit like David Sedaris, if David Sedaris was a woman and not obsessed with garbage collecting and taxidermy.  

January 17

Today was the greyest of grey. London looked cold and felt colder. Soph and I tried to find beauty by traipsing all the way across town to attend the London Art Fair. But honestly, we were both tired and cold and our hearts weren’t in it. We walked around for about an hour, had coffee and schlepped ourselves home again. 

January 18

Last night on an LWS Gold Circle call, I shared my Query Letter with an agent who was incredibly complimentary and yet couldn’t have been less interested in my idea. Oh well. The reminder: everyone’s trying to sell a memoir. If you don’t have a platform, you better have a clear and specific story to tell.

January 19

Kelly is such an inspiration to me. January is hard for her (too), so she’s doing a personal challenge: every day in January she’s doing something that scares her! Not like, jump out of an airplane scary, but you know, something do-able. For example, she’s taken a lot of cold showers. Or gone the entire day without screens… She did her first hot yoga class! She went line dancing (alone)! And - all this without drinking any alcohol. Which is also part of her January plan. I’m super impressed. 

January 20

Lately my mindset has been January sucks, London is depressing and writing is boring and hard. I need to flip the script and make it a mantra. Because: “Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in life.” (Tony Robbins, I think?)

January 21

Okay, new rule. Only do yoga at an actual yoga studio. The gym’s yoga classes are the worst. They are mostly taught by fitness instructors who play music too loud (with lyrics?!! Wtf?) and bark instructions at you. 

January 22

Travel Day: I thought my new Away travel bag would change my life and it 100% did. 

January 23

Tenerife is sunny and that is about the only positive thing I can think to say about it. I walked for hours in the sunshine. I have sand in my hair. I forgot my kindle at home, but thankfully found a used bookstore. I picked up Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld and Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson. 

January 24

More walking for hours in the sun. After I’d listened to every podcast ever recorded and finished all the audiobooks in my library, I realised that one of my words for 2024 was connection and yet I chose to go on a solo trip to an island in the middle of nowhere. 

January 25

I walked for miles along the beach. I read books. I watched the sunset until the sands from Africa started blowing and swirling and smacking me in the face. Then I went back to my dingy hotel and made a cup of tea. 

January 26

Travel day. Why does every taxi (outside London) smell like air-freshener and sound like a nightclub?

January 27

Sick.

January 28

Still sick. Not happy. 

January 29

You know the old adage that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with? I feel like I bring down the average of every circle I’m part of. 

January 30

I’ve re-entered society and will work the rest of the week from Kindred. Just getting dressed up and doing my hair and make-up has helped. But mainly, this: dinner with a friend who swept up all the shattered pieces of my self-confidence and glued me back together again.

January 31

Attended a networking event with Women in Film and Television and met so many inspiring, creative women. I was only there for two hours and met a director, a showrunner, a composer, an actor, a writer and a production designer. How do I do more of this kind of thing?

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Postcard from Tenerife

Tenerife at sunset

I planned to kick off this post with an actual postcard from Tenerife, but I couldn’t find one that adequately summarised the relentless bla that I experienced. I stayed in an average hotel, on an average beach and ate average food. So instead of travel recommendations, let me tell you what I learned: 

1. If one of your themes for 2024 is connection, don’t take a solo trip to an island off the coast of Africa. Why did I do this? I was in desperate need of sunshine and my travel dates were limited and inflexible. For my American readers: Tenerife is to Brits what Florida is to New Yorkers. It’s a sun run. That’s all. A place to sit in the sun and have a margarita. It’s not meant to be - nor was it - a profound cultural experience.

2. What I accomplished: I walked along the beach for hours and hours and hours. Did I think I would eventually find a charming part of this island? Yes. Did I do so? No. But there was a lot of sun and sand and that’s not nothing.

3. The most interesting place I found: Library Reading Up, a used bookshop in Adeje, for which I was truly grateful because like a dum dum, I left my kindle at home.  I picked up Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld and Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson. 

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Using AI and Being Human

I spend so much time with other writers and I’m shocked by how few people are talking about Generative AI. Are you all just trying to wrap your heads around it? 

The one person I’ve found who is as excited about this as I am is Joanna Penn. I became a patron just so I could watch all her videos on this topic. I’ve learned so much in the past week and I’ve only scratched the surface.

Here’s how I’m thinking about my writing in light of Generative AI:

Double Down on Being Human

1. Make it personal: I aim to tell stories that only I (a human) can write. Machines can crank out formulaic stories, but they can’t tell my story with vulnerability, heart and humour. 

2. Build connection and community: I aim to develop more meaningful real-life relationships. From a professional standpoint, I’m inspired by this book: The Art of the Gathering by Pray Parker.

3. Be physically present: I want to participate in more live events. Maybe even experiment with audio and video!

4. Collect and create physical books: I want to produce gorgeous physical books (in addition to the tech-driven formats). I like to think of a physical book as a keepsake. An affordable luxury. 

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A London Map of Days

black and white illustrated map of days, london

Map of Days, Grayson Perry

Today London was the greyest of grey and colder than cold.

S and I tried to find inspiration by traipsing all the way across town to attend the London Art Fair. But honestly, we were both tired and cold and our hearts weren’t in it. We walked around for about an hour, had coffee and schlepped ourselves home again. 

This map was cool though.

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3 Great Things I Found Today

  1. This morning I fell into a rabbit hole, lost all track of time and nearly missed my hair appointment. The reason is because I found Sarah Miller. She’s a little bit like David Sedaris, if David Sedaris was a woman and not obsessed with garbage collecting and taxidermy. Here’s a sample of her writing: My So-Karen Life.

  2. Then I went shopping with S and bought a fancy work/travel bag, which is more exciting than it sounds because I found exactly what I was looking for and now I get to reorganize all my stuff.

  3. Finally, because the bag is pretty basic classic, I went to Blackout II and found a cool vintage scarf to give it a little personality. 

a navy blue work/travel bag and a navy blue silk scarf with a zodiac motif
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