I chose to unplug a bit for the Thanksgiving Holiday and was thankful for time for slowness, cooking and hiking with my family, and reading good books.

Returning this week, it seems the volume of emails and events has picked up considerably; there is so much to keep track of in this season. It is a practice for me to see it as abundance and connection, opportunities rather than burdens.

Sitting down to write this newsletter this week, I am reminded how this is my favorite way to connect on-line because it is so similar to letter writing. It is a season for sending notes, for gifts to show we care, for reconnecting and reflection as we enter the final month of the year.

As you prepare for your own gift giving this season, I invite you to consider my books and artwork for connection, inspiration, and a moment of pause for those on your list.

Use code DEC15 for 20% off books, framed artwork and laser cut prints in my ETSY store. The sale goes through December 15 and this is the last day for shipping for the holidays.

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Reflection

What are your favorite ways to connect with others in December?

In this busy season, how do you slow down to connect with yourself?

What feeds your soul in this season of long nights, cold weather, and full days?

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Inspiration

Over Thanksgiving I read Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden. It’s a lovely story of a creative young girl coping with challenges through art making. Sending handmade postcards with words of encouragement into the world allows her to connect with others in their struggles and creates a ripple effect in those who receive her messages, share them, and are inspired to create their own.

I’ve been revisiting Parker Palmer’s beautiful writing released in a new form in collaboration with Sherrill Knezel in the book Heart Speak: A Visual Interpretation of Let Your Life Speak. The illustrations and excerpts are perfect to pick up and read in small bits of time throughout the day and I enjoy revisiting one of my favorite books in this form. If you haven’t read the original, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer, I recommend that too.

Sherrill Knezel has inspired me to think more about how I use images in my writing and note taking for my book and you can learn more about this through her TED talk or the book that inspired her, Sketchnote: The Illustrated Guide to Visual Notetaking by Mike Rohde. On a similar note, I plan to visit the exhibit, Scribble Studies at Culture House DC this month to see their take on visual notetaking.

If you are a visual note-taker, I’d love to hear about your process too.

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Thanks for reading and being a part of creative community through this newsletter.

With a grateful heart,

Kathryn

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Kathryn’s Newsletter

December Sale