Journal Inspiration
Found and Flowered started with something simple - a stack of empty notebooks. When I moved from Washington DC, where I worked as the art director in a journal store, to Providence, RI, I found myself unpacking a box of journals - mostly empty. I was reminded of the most common question I was asked at the journal store, “They are so beautiful, but what do you actually do with them?”.
No doubt, there is something magical about an empty notebook. The possibilities, dreams, and stories… but sometimes, when we start, it doesn’t look like how we imagined, or the writing seems mundane because, well, sometimes life is mundane. And then the pages stay blank, and the wonder of art journaling and memory keeping is lost.
Found and Flowered was born to inspire you to use your blank pages. To inspire you to notice the wonder around you and see with new eyes. To inspire you to create regularly and without perfection. Mary Oliver said it best, “Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
The Found and Flowered monthly subscription began in 2018 with the help of Cratejoy. Every month, a beautiful little paper bundle full of sticker journal prompts, paper scraps, ephemera, and art papers would go out via snail mail with the tagline, “Goods for a blank page”. I loved the community that Found and Flowered brought! Journaling is a very personal activity and I truly felt like I made a lot of genuine connections with fellow paper lovers and art journalers.
When Covid hit, everything became hard to manage. I couldn’t offer classes anymore and I had to move my apartment and studio. It was hard to visit thrift and vintage stores to source materials. I made the tough decision to cancel the subscriptions - during a time when we all probably really could have used it, actually!
At the beginning of this year, I started to feel really and truly inspired again. I knew the previous subscription model wasn’t sustainable because I had to cap the monthly subscriptions at 75 people. That’s not very inviting or inspiring!
Enter the Found and Flowered Newspaper—a beautiful evolution inspired by a blend of influences that will continue to take shape with your ideas and feedback. My bold dreams are for her to bloom into a collaborative publication featuring different artists, crafters, and writers… yes, that means you! I see endless possibilities!
I’m glad you’re here, joining me on this grand adventure.
Comments