Ashlee. There IS an app. It's called Seek! I used it this weekend and found out one of the wildflowers growing in our backyard is called "Tidy Tips." How cute is that?!
I'm here at the library. Silence and stillness abounds. Your words met me here, the first thing I read. And now I'll spend some time stretching out, bending, and twisting, maybe even flowing, on the the page <3 Thank you!
I love this! Will be thinking about that last paragraph for awhile. (I’ve been trying the five things in the morning. Thanks, Substack! 😆 I love how yours came together!)
Did you know you can take a photo of the plant with your iPhone and then when you pull the photo up, swipe up to get the “info” and there’s a section you can click to know what plant it is!? It’s a game changer! No apps needed 🙌🏻
My head is exploding. I am not home right now but I cannot wait to learn WHAT ALL THE PLANTS ARE. This is going to be a full day deep dive, I can already tell.
Your honesty about writer's block is very consoling, so thank you for that. The thoughts on writing badly (and writing anyway!) remind me of a passage in one of Madeleine L'Engle's Crosswicks journals - she writes about how scenes that brought her to tears when she first wrote them always ended up in the trash, but scenes that she worked and re-worked were the ones that resonated with people... thanks for showing up and writing anyway, this was meaningful to me!
man i resonate so much with needing to remember why we even do the creative things we do - not for the book deal, the applause, the likes, allll the transactions! I think about painting and my brain almost immediately jumps to “how can you make it a business?” ugh! but the true gift is in the showing up, in the blank canvas. your book told me this but i am here for the lesson again! thank you ashlee!!
I really, really loved this ❤️ also I'm sure by now people have told you that app for identifying plants does exist. And last summer it taught me that all my plants are weeds 😂
So good, Ashlee! I had more angst than usual over the weekend concerning my writing and working on my book. (Possible reasons include latent anxiety from facing an international move in 2 weeks and my youngest having a slow-burning stomach bug that required me to just sit and stew a lot more than usual). I got to the point of actual tears (very rare for me!), and my sweet husband gently reminded me that if my writing helps even one person, it’s worth all the work. But reading this right after felt like such a balm. Thank you for writing it!
As someone who regularly has a lot of angst about a lot of writing things, I feel this on a deep level. 🤣 I’m glad it resonated, and I hope your little one is feeling better! The barfs are the WORST.
Ashlee. There IS an app. It's called Seek! I used it this weekend and found out one of the wildflowers growing in our backyard is called "Tidy Tips." How cute is that?!
Tidy Tips!!! Stop! 🤣 Downloading immediately. Thank you!
Yes!! Was just commenting to say this exact app! Love it!
Was also coming to tell you about seek! We used it sooo much the year we homeschooled.!
I'm here at the library. Silence and stillness abounds. Your words met me here, the first thing I read. And now I'll spend some time stretching out, bending, and twisting, maybe even flowing, on the the page <3 Thank you!
Ooooh I see what you did there. ❤️ HAPPY WRITING my dear friend.
I love this! Will be thinking about that last paragraph for awhile. (I’ve been trying the five things in the morning. Thanks, Substack! 😆 I love how yours came together!)
Picture This app from the Apple App store tells you what plant you're looking at. My mom uses this religiously when she comes to visit us in Hawaii.
I'll go back and read the rest of the newsletter now. 😊😆
Also, I’m trying to write “glimpses” per Shauna Niequist’s advice and staying hopeful that someday they’ll turn into something
Did you know you can take a photo of the plant with your iPhone and then when you pull the photo up, swipe up to get the “info” and there’s a section you can click to know what plant it is!? It’s a game changer! No apps needed 🙌🏻
My head is exploding. I am not home right now but I cannot wait to learn WHAT ALL THE PLANTS ARE. This is going to be a full day deep dive, I can already tell.
haha, happy snapping. 😂
I just tried this and it works🥹 works for screenshots too! Thanks for the tip!
It’s seriously mind blowing 😂
You can do this on an Android too, Google image search with your camera 😊
Your honesty about writer's block is very consoling, so thank you for that. The thoughts on writing badly (and writing anyway!) remind me of a passage in one of Madeleine L'Engle's Crosswicks journals - she writes about how scenes that brought her to tears when she first wrote them always ended up in the trash, but scenes that she worked and re-worked were the ones that resonated with people... thanks for showing up and writing anyway, this was meaningful to me!
Oh I love that. Thank you for sharing!
“The best thing writing has to offer is the best thing yoga has to offer: space on a blank page.” Oooof this. Thank you. Needed words today 🙏🏻
man i resonate so much with needing to remember why we even do the creative things we do - not for the book deal, the applause, the likes, allll the transactions! I think about painting and my brain almost immediately jumps to “how can you make it a business?” ugh! but the true gift is in the showing up, in the blank canvas. your book told me this but i am here for the lesson again! thank you ashlee!!
Ahhh thank you, Katie! “The true gift is in the showing up” - I always need to be reminded of that too.
I really, really loved this ❤️ also I'm sure by now people have told you that app for identifying plants does exist. And last summer it taught me that all my plants are weeds 😂
lol that checks out - feels like a metaphor 👀
Beautiful. I think I might try this five things thing just to help get words out of my head and on paper :)
So good, Ashlee! I had more angst than usual over the weekend concerning my writing and working on my book. (Possible reasons include latent anxiety from facing an international move in 2 weeks and my youngest having a slow-burning stomach bug that required me to just sit and stew a lot more than usual). I got to the point of actual tears (very rare for me!), and my sweet husband gently reminded me that if my writing helps even one person, it’s worth all the work. But reading this right after felt like such a balm. Thank you for writing it!
As someone who regularly has a lot of angst about a lot of writing things, I feel this on a deep level. 🤣 I’m glad it resonated, and I hope your little one is feeling better! The barfs are the WORST.
The Seek Ap is fun for learning plant names! 🌱💛
Even when you have writers block, your words are still worth reading. Loved this 💛
So kind of you to say, Kym, thank you!
I love the connection between yoga and writing! Also, where did you get your yoga mat?? It’s so beautiful looks like a work of art! 😍
It’s from Target! The brand is blogilates ❤️
Love the inspiration to just write five things. And loved reading this, as always.