Oh hi there!
Yes, it is true; we are in August already. How is your summer going?
If you find yourself feeling a strange combination of exhaustion and anxious energy, you aren’t alone. But I hope you are feeling like one of the strong blackberries growing on the bush I pass on my daily walk, or the happy, swimming seal I saw the other day, or like that first taste of a popsicle when it is a million degrees outside.
Enough of me comparing you to random things, let’s get to the kid table vibes!
Kid table vibes of the week
Naming things
Ever since moving to Washington (can you believe it has been over 6 months now?!), Aaron and I have been trying to name our house. When people asked us to describe it, we kept saying it is a blend of old vintage and modern cozy. And then we were like, “Oh yeah. That could work.”
So we made it official. We named our house: Ol’ Cozy.
I know, I know. We’re basically geniuses (genius-i?).
I’ve come so far from those days-gone-by when I named my stuffed animals “Sealy” and “Dog.”
Oh by the way, did I tell you the main character of my debut picture book is named Bertie?
So yeah, super good at names — like really creative. Like how’d-you-think-of-that-my-mind-is-blown creative.
Anyway, the point is that naming things is hard, but I’ve discovered it connects me to my child self. So if you are feeling disconnected or isolated lately, try naming your toothbrush. You never know.
A few more kid table vibes
Enthusiasm: The Enthusiast by Brad Montague — everything
makes is infused with care and imagination and meaning; his newsletter always inspires me.Playfulness: Fredrik Backman speech on creative anxiety and procrastination
Celebrating the weirdos: Waltz For Sweatpants dance (I am obsessed with any choreography by Tessandra Chavez)
Sibling rivalries: Okay, one more Tessandra Chavez dance (it made me cry)
Book recs: Between Words by Saki Tanaka to live in gorgeous worlds, The Museum of Very Bad Smells by
ica Arnaldo to stink up your nose with delightful scratch and sniff nostalgia, and Still There was Bread by Lisl Detlefsen and David Soman for a warm hug.
And last but not least, the vibe of KNOWLEDGE.
I’ve spent the last few months learning from the great Wanda Gág. You may know her as the author and illustrator of the book MILLIONS OF CATS which is the oldest picture book that has never gone out of print (published in 1928).
But you might not know that, after her father died when she was 15, she used her art to pay for all six of her siblings to complete high school (That would be hard NOW let alone as a female artist in the 1920s).
Or that she kept extensive and very personal journals her entire life — like this gal was DEVOTED — which included her unconventional views on marriage, motherhood, relationships, and creativity. If you are kinda curious (cough cough nosy) like me, these are fun.
You’ll probably enjoy this study if you:
Need a reminder to trust your own creative voice.
Are seeking inspiration or the permission to experiment.
Have struggled honoring your creative voice while also making money, balancing learning from others and going your own way, or prioritizing your work while also cultivating relationships.
My aim is limitless. That I will never reach it I know, but I'm going to get as near there as I can. That will keep me running all the rest of my life, believe me.
Read 13 things I learned from the great Wanda Gág on my website here.
Or listen on Substack, Apple podcasts, Spotify, or basically wherever you get your podcasts.
Trade-sies!
Now it’s your turn. It’s that special kid table moment when you trade your dad’s famous chocolate chip cookies for your favorite fruit snacks.
Wanna trade? Choose one or more kid table vibes to share in the comments!
What would you name the toothbrush?
What is the worst or best name you’ve ever given something?
What helps you feel enthusiastic on the hard days?
What is one way that Wanda Gág inspired you?
A big thank you to the sponsors of this post
Thanks to Whiskey Geraldine for our podcast music and Joanna Rowland, Marietta Apollonio, Saki Tanaka, Angela Pham Krans, Nyasha Williams, Pamela A Mathy, and Martha Brockenbrough for sponsoring this newsletter. Definitely check out their amazing websites and books!
(Paid subscriptions are on pause at the moment while I catch up for the time I was away. Keeping things fair over here. I would never give you the smaller brownie. Never.)
Alright, thanks for sitting with me AT THE KID TABLE today. I hope it filled you with inspiration and reconnected you with your child self in some way. And I also hope that, like Wanda Gág, you keep reaching.
Until next time! As always I’ll save you a seat right next to me.
Your learning-to-take-a-limitless-aim friend,
Rachel
13 things I learned from the great Wanda Gág