Illustrated poetry: hope, action, shadows, art
plus extra rambling on how/why/if taking action is life-giving
I’m doing something a little different today, and I am sharing an illustrated poem on art-making and hope. I’ve picked artwork of my own that speaks to me of hope and resilience and action over stagnation.
Really happy to be able to share this with you all, I’d love to hear what you make of it. The text of the poem is down below if you find it easier to read that way.
Art making for hope and personal happiness
When I was sharing my art selection for this email yesterday on Instagram, I came across an audio clip of Jill Winger speaking about how doing anything with our hands starts releasing the happy chemicals into our brains.
Listen to the full podcast episode that this clip comes from here: 1KHO 156: Humans are Wired to Need Worthy Struggle. As the conversation draws to a close, Jill emphasises that taking action, however small or seemingly insignificant, has been the trait that has served her best. By embracing the power of action, she argues that we can break free from stagnation and unlock a world of possibilities.
Absolutely 100% yes! Art = hope. Hope = action. Action = better everything.
So my questions to you, dear reader are:
What does ‘taking action’ look like for you? What are you procrastinating about?
Are you afraid to do things in case you look stupid? If yes, watch the documentary behind Organ Failure. It follows a sound artist (my friend Charlie Tolfree, who I’ll be writing about again) as he records the album, using only a church organ, under the name 'The End Of Clouds' and explains the backstory of how he accidentally ended up recording an album of ambient soundscapes on the world’s largest instrument… that he cannot play.
What are your favourite art-making techniques?
Do you believe poetry has the power to change the world? (if yes, read this book, it’s great).
Thank you for reading, share your stories about hope and resilience and taking action in the comments. If you love this newsletter, get value out of it, and believe in paying people for their work, consider a paid subscription. Here’s the special discount link for annual subscriptions for you to use should you see fit, and until next time, and, again, thanks for sticking with me.
Poem text:
SHADOW PUPPETS
take happiness into
your own fingers.
make wishes
with your hands.
let shadows build
a world you can’t dream of
yet:
dancing
swooping
figures against the
evening-lit wall.
hope is the thing with feathers.
conjure flight.
Until next time, much love:
Jessica