Art is everywhere.
Since moving to Brooklyn, I’ve gotten into the habit of noticing art everywhere I go. The subway is full of it, of course. Graffiti, dating ads, mosaics. On the walk there – dropped receipts, kids’ acrylic-painted pages, books at the free libraries, and creative business signs shouting, “Come in! You’ve found your new favorite place!”
My partner and I fell down a rabbit hole researching the long-bodied drawings we saw throughout the neighborhood, drawn on discarded furniture, sometimes with a message.
Crayon-sketched reminders
Chalk creations outside of school buildings
Welcoming business signs
Dog-inspired window art
Post-storm natural brilliance
Unique fonts etched in old doors
Subway murals
Stickers stuck to the street
Propped up paintings with a purpose
Carts full of flowers
Every found reminder of art is a moment of connection. Someone felt creative and acted on it. I learned who the tall-portrait-guy was, but don’t know much about these other artistic encounters.
More presence during my walks led to less doomscrolling on my phone, something I’ve been struggling with since the pandemic started. I spend time everyday processing the news, but my screen time reaching seven plus hours a day is not going to help anyone.
Do this before doomscrolling to nourish your creative practice:
Wander around an antique store
Visit your local library
Browse old photographs in an archive
Document your life through art journaling
Spend an hour at a museum
Ask for a coloring page at a restaurant
Focus on the colors of fruits and vegetables
Take photos of a place you remember
Look for art and objects in the street
Then, I was writing again. I felt alive. I wanted to start the day. I wanted to talk about the things I saw and how they made me feel.
Since starting Lavender Education at the culmination of overlapping burnouts, I’ve found myself loving the same thing over and over again, which is this: supporting people in nourishing their creative practice and ambitions.
I want to remind people to see art in their everyday life. I didn't for so long.
I’m moved by experiencing someone’s confidence build as they take on a project they’ve dreamt of for years – writing a book, creating a queer archive, starting their art business, reading poetry in front of an audience for the first time.
If you’re feeling stuck, not noticing art in your everyday, wondering if you’ll ever create again… here are some questions to ask yourself:
Do you trust yourself?
What do these words mean to you – productivity, failure, success? Are your definitions focused on growth and possibility?
What would a definition of failure sound like for you if it had to include the word “success” in it?
How can you fall in love with your creative practice?
That’s my biggest question for this month and this Fall season - how can I fall in love with my life and my creative practice every day?
I’m intending to work at this blog thing regularly, so this is a new beginning. It will include some ramblings about themes and thoughts, followed by updates on what we’re up to at Lavender Education. Onto the updates:
We’ve announced the Inaugural Ink & Impact 2025 Fellows and Finalists. I’m so grateful that we were able to raise enough funds to offer stipends to two fellows, and to build a community of writers who can support and uplift one another. Page & Parlor and Lavender Education are currently at work to bring you a winter writing retreat – Stories in Stillness.
The fourth cohort of How to Do Queer History wrapped up their final session last week with students joining us from across Massachusetts and Texas. We’re getting ready to launch a discussion channel for all cohorts of this group to stay in touch, and you’ll be hearing more from them on our blog this Fall. A NYC-based course is in the works with dates to be announced soon.
I’ve been working closely with a few amazing writers on their nonfiction proposals. Their voices are so needed, and I can’t wait to see their books out in the world soon enough. We’re accepting more clients with all the options laid out here.
Our first NYC market is September 13 + 14! Catch us at the Artists & Fleas Market in Williamsburg. We’re hard at work creating new prints that celebrate NYC queer life and history.
We’re hiring for a Boston-based queer history tour facilitator on a temporary, contractor basis. Email kimmtopping@gmail.com for more information.
Commissions are now open for place-based illustrations. I’d love to illustrate your childhood home, the place you met your partner, your favorite bookstore – anywhere of significance to you. You can request a custom illustration here.
This blog will soon publish more writers, creatives, and historians. We can’t wait for their voices to fill this page. If you’d like to write for us, please send along a pitch to Kimm at the email above. We’re looking for articles and original work that explore creative process, historical research, education, and anything else that you think aligns with our work.
Thank you for reading, and happy creating.
P.S. I don’t use AI for any of my writing. I just love an em dash.