Inspired by a fellow blogger, I thought I’d share some links about some of things I enjoy in life.
SKETCHING
These are a few artists that I’ve been following since around 2006, and they never disappoint:
- Andrea Joseph: I fell in love with her awesome ballpoint drawings through the Everyday Matters Challenge. Loving her current work at the moment, which has a little less restraint but still beautiful to look at
- Pete Scully: I’ve been a long time fan of this man’s urban landscapes. I’m thoroughly looking forward to purchasing his new book, too!
- France Belleville-Van Stone: her drawings have been a constant source of inspiration for me, and she captures the everyday with such simplicity in her drawings. Her book is also on my reading/buying list, and one day I’ll get around to enrolling in Sketchbook Skool
BOOKS
I revisited these books the last couple of months:
- “Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon: if you need a boost or a swift kick in the arse to get your creativity on, this book does the trick! Just read it!
- “The Sketchnote Handbook” by Mike Rohde: This was initially gifted to me by my wonderful husband to use with my students with dyslexia. I used it with a LiveScribe SmartPEN, which we trialled in the classroom with 3 students with dyslexia, to help with accessing the curriculum and adjustments with their assessments. That aside, I use sketchnoting when I attend my professional development conferences and also when listening to interesting podcasts or free courses online. Also check out Ryder Carroll’s interview with Mike Rohde :)
- “The Creative Habit” by Twyla Tharp: By far one of the most accessible (in my opinion, at least) books to cultivate your creativity habit. So inspiring!
PLANNING
- A long, long time ago before I started using the bullet journal and I was growing frustrated with the downward spiral of quality of Moleskine notebooks, I used the Hipster PDA. I seemed to be able to manage my life pretty well using these index cards. I think I ended up changing back to Moleskine (with gritted teeth because there were no other options here in Australia!) because I would lose lists in my bag or leave the index cards lying around somewhere and forget where I had put it. I did make an alternative version though, with a cheap A5 spiral bound notebook from Big W, which then started my pursuit of the perfect notebook. The rest is history, as they say…
- Hobonichi Love: I would love to own one of these planners, but I just wouldn’t get any use for it. I’m in love with Tomoe Paper. This is a site I frequent, only to ogle at the lovely pages people are willing to share
- Paper Lovestory: This blog was one of the motivators and inspirations for starting up my blog. Angela’s weekly planner pages are enviable, and I’ve enjoyed the natural transition into her other interests like books and beauty routines, which only seem to complement her site content rather than distract from it.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Zen Habits: a friend of mine recommended this website to me many years ago when I was going through a bit of a life crisis. Some wonderful insight into living a peaceful life and creating habits
- Future Learn: I know there are a few free online courses you can take through universities, but the courses here really appealed to me. I’m currently completing courses in forensic psychology (a keen interest of mine from way back when), childhood development, and brain behaviour
- Bakadesuyo: I’m a scientist at heart, even though I can be the least pragmatic person and can be seen in a constant mess of tears and snot when I’m having a shitty day. But I digress… I love reading the articles on this website because the content is based on evidence from studies completed by reputable sources.
CRAFTY THINGS
- Meet me at Mike’s: Pip Lincoln is my crafting hero! Her website appeals to my inner crocheting geek, and all round wonderful crafty inspiration
- Postcrossing: For the snail mail lovers out there, check this project out. I participated in this from 2009-2011, until life got busy. I still have all the postcards that I’ve received and if I had more time, I’d definitely do this again.
- More Love Letters: Again, for the lover of handwritten mail, this is a wonderful project spreading good vibes around the world
FOOD
- The Iron You: my go-to website for healthy recipe ideas throughout the week
- Smitten Kitchen: some recipes ideas when I feel like indulging :)
- Adam Liaw: and because I’m part Asian and rice is my life, this guy has some super tasty recipes. Yummo!
If you’re not following these Instagram accounts, you should be!
- @gaeshagirlcreations: Sharon has some serious planner eye candy going on. Love the simplicity of her layouts and decorations which don’t seem to take away from the functionality of her planner
- @journalingsage: Akiyo is renowned for her thoughtful journalling prompts (Psst! She’s also released them as stickers!), which I’ve used when I have time for reflection. She also offers some great insights into her own journalling pursuits and journey
- @plannerbynature: Jess doesn’t know this, but I’ve been a long time fan of her IG feed ^_^ I’m enjoying watching her experiment with different planning systems and her journalling pages are just warming to the soul
So that’s all from me for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed the first edition of “Links in Mind”. I’m hoping to release these on the 7th of every month, so stay tuned.
What are your current sources of inspiration?
dm
angela says
Aw thank you so much for the link! You’ve also introduced me to some other great reads too! :) x
Dee says
You’re welcome, Angela :) Hope you enjoyed the reading material x