Happy Monday to you! Today’s letter feels very classic Feeling! Magazine. It includes a plethora of ideas for making summer feel dreamy and coastal, mostly using resources you already have available. I’m here to inspire that little twist of creative direction to infuse into your daily life. That’s what this magazine is all about!

I wanted to highlight a few exciting happenings before we get started. I know so many emails hide in so many inboxes, so I just want to make sure you are in the loop on things that may interest you:

✸ First, this is the final week to finish the Summer Reading Challenge! The competition ends on the 31st. I have been blown away by the response to this challenge. It turns out, we all really need sticker charts and good fiction. The best part of this has been receiving your sweet emails. So many included a note that mentioned this challenge encouraged you to read again, made you feel a sense of childhood wonder, or you read books that will stick with you forever. I loved that we took this offline and genuinely enjoyed ourselves.

I am so excited, in fact, that I’ve expanded the prize pool. Now, ten people will be randomly selected to win a very nostalgic prize. And one lucky winner will also receive three FREE months of a Book of the Month subscription.

All details about entering are in the post below, but the most important note is to email your reading log list to jenna@feelingpress.com by Friday!

✸ Second: The Pen Pal Program is officially up and running with applications open until tonight (7/27) at midnight EST. Paid subscribers exclusively have access to this perk! I’ve included all the details about the program in the post below. I’ve been able to keep the subscription price at the lowest option Substack allows ($5/mo) thanks to the generosity of current subscribers.

If you’ve been reading for a while and are interested in supporting this publication, I’ve really packed in the perks, and joining the Pen Pal Program is a great way to dive in! Here is an outline of what a subscription to Feeling! includes:

• Match-making by me :) with an introduction via email to your match!

• A new monthly inspiration drop newsletter for letter-writing themes, crafting ideas, and prompts for pen pals

• Exclusive discounts on greeting cards from the almost-open Feeling! Press stationery store

• Access to every article and column from Feeling! Magazine (Including the much anticipated graphic design classes coming in August!)

• Monthly desktop and phone wallpaper drops (they are really amazing btw)

• Monthly printables!

• *If you chose the “founding membership” ($89/yr) — you also receive a postcard and greeting card in the mail EVERY month! Perfect for sending to pen pals!

All the Pen Pal details are here, at the bottom of the post:

How to Have a Coastal Summer

Even if you are nowhere near water!

This month, I was honored to be a guest at a beautiful house on a lake. For seven days, the pleasure of waking up to jump into glistening, refreshing water was mine.

I feel that innately human mix of wonder and comfort when I’m next to any body of water. I spent days wearing myself out in the sun, swimming in the evenings, watching the lake’s colors change and glow as the sun set over the mountain.

I came back to Brooklyn refreshed, but in a one-bedroom apartment far from any source of water and surrounded by concrete. I missed the connection to the blue tones of the lake, which ebbed and flowed every day.

I got curious. Could I have the feeling of a coastal summer without actually being on a coast? Through intentional design, am I able to evoke that sense of calm without sea spray nearby?

I tested my concept, and have good news. I found some practical ways to make this a coastal summer without a coast in sight.

1. Pay Attention to Your Pace

When comparing vacation life with normal life, vacation generally has a wealth of time for leisure and sunshine. Your normal pace relaxes.

To implement this feeling in your day-to-day, try moving any flexible parts of your day outside (even when it’s warm). After work or school, instead of coming home to lie on the couch, try going outside for your recovery period. This could be a long walk with an audiobook, sitting out at a park, or enjoying the weather at an outdoor cafe table.

To the best of your ability, immediately follow that outside time with a refreshing shower. That’s how it works on vacation — so create that same feeling for yourself at home.

Of course, you can scent your shower like leisure, too. I am currently using this coconut and lime body wash that makes me feel like I’m at a beach cabana. This bar of soap called “Vacation” literally smells like the best beach you’ve ever been to — it’s wrapped in nostalgia.

Try to move whatever part of the day that you have some flexibility and control over (like lunch, your morning coffee, or sunset) outside in the sun…and then always follow it with a splash in the shower!

*Think about the leisurely pace of vacation you personally enjoy. How can you implement more of those elements into your routine? Really consider this.

When I’m on a trip, I notice myself reaching for my phone less and books more. I also get more excited about eating dinner at home. And I am outside more often.

And so, despite having a long to-do list, I found that practicing reading before bed, treating myself to a leisurely dinner, or taking a long walk with an iced drink brings back a feeling of leisure into my routine that I miss the minute I leave vacation.

2. Make a Menu

Make your kitchen feel more like a beach bodega, and less like a chore.

Think about the best coastal restaurants you have ever been to. Maybe it’s a classic lakeside tavern with chicken tenders and those really good, salty fries you wish you could have every night.

Maybe it’s a New England summer with seafood, pasta, and a bubbling blueberry soda.

Or a really tropical seaside type of vacation with a delicious cheeseburger, refreshing cola, and a key lime pie.

Or a European seaside villa with tart lemon pasta and a glass of wine.

Okay, yum. Whatever kind of vacation is your dream, bring that menu to your grocery list! Briefly research the region and its flavors. This includes looking up restaurants and browsing their menus.

Secretly, that’s where I get most of my dinner ideas from: my favorite restaurants from trips! I try to check back seasonally and see what they have to offer.

When you have leftovers, you can munch on them after some time in the sun the next day.

3. Dress the Part

Dress like you’re on vacation, and your body will take note!

Linen button-downs, stripes, shades of blue, loose pants, sandals, natural hair, and trust old hats. During the summer, take any opportunity to dress the way you love to on a vacation. Wherever your imagination takes you, dress accordingly. Here are some coastal outfits I’m bringing home with me from my time on vacation.

You can feel the breeze through this classic blue, striped Sézane button-down even on a really hot day. One hundred percent cotton, and a really timeless silhouette and pattern. I look like I am on a sophisticated vacation when I wear it. P.S. If you’re a lucky one who does have access to a body of water, it makes a really cute cover-up as well.

This stitched, sleeveless top reminds me of a melting sherbet ice cream on a blistering summer day. Publix orange sherbet was a staple in the freezer growing up in Florida. I paired the top with high-waisted denim shorts and a knit bandana in a look I’ll call “ice cream shop chic.” (Note: Sézane does make a delicious matching skirt if you’re interested in the set!)

A cozy, red crew neck makes me feel like I’m at summer camp, ready to jump in the lake at any moment. I loved throwing this on over whatever I was wearing and heading out at sunset. It sits on my skin like a breathable summer hug.

I’ve been wearing it around the house to feel like I’m still on the trip.

4. Select Leisure Material

Whenever I'm at the beach, it's like my brain activates, and I remember that paper crossword puzzle books exist and I want to do them immediately. Never, in my daily routine, do I sit down and do sudoku. Yet when I was at the lake house, I found myself looking at sudoku over lunch.

Half the days at the lake, I didn't even know where my phone was in the house. I'm trying to bring that practice back to make this the most vacation-feeling summer yet.

I've picked up more fiction books, of course, for the summer reading challenge. I'm going to pick up some crossword puzzles to enjoy this week, too.

I would encourage you to pull some tangible vacation staples out onto the table, where you can see them. Then, you have an opportunity to choose the handmade fun over devices. This would be great for the whole family to join.

Try crossword puzzles, word searches, 1,000 piece puzzles, coloring sheets, crafty activities, Rummikub, playing cards, or this murder mystery sudoku book my sister-in-law showed me. Leave options out on the table, see what everyone does next.

5. Make it Feel Right

Finally, the feeling. Vacation feels peaceful. While I understand our daily routines will never completely feel that free, I do think we can make active choices to embrace more rest in our day-to-day lives.

A lot of this has to do with our space communicating to our bodies, “it’s okay to slow down and rest.”

Consider warm summer air drifting through the windows, a beachy playlist you don’t normally choose, and the sound of birds chirping. Pay attention to the sunrise and the sunset. Wear a relaxed, breezy outfit just to grab lunch.

Explore places you’ve never been (even if they are nearby) and look for treasures like seashells or touristy trinkets to bring home and display.

Maybe make a fresh playlist. I made a beach bodega playlist that’s pretty fun.

Maybe it’s keeping the windows open. Maybe it’s your favorite can of soda iced in the fridge, or a really good homemade iced latte.

Whatever makes vacation feel alive for you, I would encourage you to do these three things, to wrap up this very coastal summer intention:

1. Jot down your favorite memories at the coast.
   This will be so specific to everyone. The more you write about texture, taste, feeling, sights, colors, visuals, the better.

2. Ask yourself how you can implement these feelings into your current space without having to buy things or ask how to resource your current space with these things.

3. Ask yourself what parts of your current routine are draining you, and where you could replace some simplistic elements of your day with the feeling of a coastal getaway.

I’m hoping this inspired you to use what you have where you are, throw on a button-down, and take a walk in the sun with your favorite iced drink. I also hope this reminded you that crossword puzzles exist, and you should do one soon.

I hope you have a great rest of your summer, feeling this season deeply in all its sunshine and glory as you invite the coast into your home.

✸ If you feel frustrated with a small space, I have a story to share that might encourage you. I have been working on transforming my apartment into an e-commerce warehouse. I learned a lot about design while trying to problem-solve, and shared the whole process here.

✸ Want some refreshing summer wallpapers for your digital spaces? Or printable wall art, gift tags, and punch cards? I made you some!

✸ Here is a punchy read for whenever you want a little more zest for life.

This summer, I spent about one month living out of a suitcase, as three trips fell back-to-back. I carefully considered what made the travel portion of the extended time away feel easier, and I am here to report back with personal recommendations. Some serious testing and earnest reviews below.

If you have a trip coming up, these are some things I would consider packing:

1. Wilder Shoes: If you are going anywhere outdoorsy, I have to recommend this shoe! It feels like it is barely there, but wraps your foot perfectly. I wore this for paddleboarding, kayaking, boating, walking, and swimming. It was the perfect solution to wanting to feel barefoot, but not have feet covered in mud and poked and prodded while exploring. Also, I didn’t have to burn my feet on hot pavement!

2. Earl grey lip balm: This is the only true lip balm to not dry out my lips. It is on my body at all times. It tastes like my favorite tea. It is truly incredible, from a small brand based in Brooklyn.

3. Suri Toothbrush: Not only was my toothbrush a cute coastal red color, but the thing about Suri that works is the UV protection case. You can sanitize your electric toothbrush in the case! Makes travel, especially extended travel, feel much cleaner.

4. Xtra Milk travel spray: My favorite perfume somehow smells even better in the small spray bottle. A sniff of home, no matter where I was!

5. Liquid Peptide Serum: You know how airplanes dry your skin out horribly? When you go out of town, does your skin do a flip? I do not know how this magic potion works, but I slather it on my face before bed, and I glow brightly the next day. I have bought two bottles and am loyal to this product. Really helpful for my dry skin, and one of the only times I’ve tried skincare and noticed a difference immediately.

6. Tinted Sunscreen: I wear this as foundation year-round, but am especially thankful for the SPF in the summer. Applies light and glowy, and a perfect tube for throwing in a beach bag.

7. Walkable Ballet Flats: I will get excited about any interchangeable laces, but particularly these white shoes have walked me across the world this summer. They are also machine washable! So all the travel grime will be gone.

8. International hair tool: Okay, this is my GAME CHANGER. Two years ago, I went to Korea and had no idea my curling iron has no power there. Even if you have the plug adapter, the voltage is not compatible. I had a full-on hair crisis last time, so this time I came prepared. This T3 set is made for international travel. It will not let you down, no matter if you are visiting Asia or Europe or anywhere with a different voltage than your home. Incredible tools! I was able to give myself a blow-out look. And the set comes in a convenient leather bag for packing in the suitcase!

9. The best little earrings for everything: Your vacation only needs one pair of earrings, and it’s these lightweight gold hoops with a little bling at the bottom. They go with everything and feel like you are wearing nothing.

10. Denim bucket hat: If you, like me, want to look a little like a skipper, then you are in luck! I love this hat because it feels like summer. I wore it everywhere this July. (It withstood my lake water test.)

JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

🍒 Let’s be internet friends, please! @ jennaisfeeling

🪄 Get more inspiration

Working with brands and businesses helps me make this magazine dream come true! If I do work directly with a brand, I am very picky about it, and I disclose the partnership to you, my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives a small payment if someone buys a product from a recommendation. This helps fund future creative projects for this publication — thank you!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

In the film Wings of Desire, trench-coat-clad angels live invisibly among men. It’s set in the gritty, black-and-white world of West Germany in the eighties. The Berlin Wall ominously looms in the background, as the city divided seems to squirm with unbearable melancholy and industrial despair. People are desperate, the angst of grunge music backgrounds daily life, while the city feels as grey as the clouds of cigarette smoke that fill it.

The angels are unseen, but walk among the city looking out for people, touching them with an invisible hand, seeking to save lives. (They all have little ponytails for some reason, by the way.) They are eternal, but marked by some sort of perpetual sadness. Almost a boredom? They have no connections, no warmth, no color, no life. No one can see them or love them. They wander the city day and night, watching unknowing humans.

One angel in particular feels the scrape of this purgatory. He longs for the human kind of connection.

In a striking scene, a man who was also once an angel can sense his presence and addresses him directly. “I wish I could see your face. Just look in your eyes and tell you how good it is to be here.” He earnestly begins describing to him the wonder of what it feels like to drink coffee, to touch cold things, to rub your hands together.

Finally, of course, the angel later encounters the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen — a trapeze artist in the circus — and falls in love with her. The love he feels toward her overpowers him. He decided to trade his eternal life of safety for the fiery risk of human touch.

Landing on Earth, he can see for the first time in full color, speak to humans, feel the air, taste food, bleed, cry, scream, and touch the ground. The last thing he posesses from being an angel is a piece of armor he can no longer wear, symbolic of the eternal protection he no longer has. He pawns the armor and begins his new life, fully human and wearing a goofy fedora.

The remainder of the film follows him searching for the woman who captured his heart, stumbling his way through becoming a human in this unforgiving, very punk city.

I watched this Wim Wenders film while cuddled up on the couch, my cat asleep soundly on the blanket on top of me, my husband alongside me.

I cried a little when the man describes coffee to the angel.

The city had been so bleak the entire time. The grit of a divided and depressed nation echoed through every scene. Everyone seemed lonely, depressed, and aching. And yet…the taste of coffee! The most human thing.

Despite the bleakness, the ache of it all — the angel found life so beautiful and alluring, that he left his eternity to feel it all himself. In order to live in full color, we must encounter the entire spectrum of human feelings. To love deeply means to grieve deeply. To dream big means to suffer losses.

But I, like the angel, would rather risk feeling to be fully alive. I do not want a frictionless, robotic life. I want typos, spills, and creaky floors. I want challenges and tremendous loves. I want to give pieces of my heart away, even if they get smashed. I want to swing big and make art and try hard, even if I am misunderstood or rejected. I don’t say this naively. I’ve suffered losses that made me think bubble-wrapping myself would be better. But all things considered, it is my choice that living deeply in color is the best way to live.

The scene stuck with me for days, as I pondered what I would tell the angel about being a human. Would I bring up coffee? Or the way I pour milk into tea and it slowly changes colors? Or seeing a sunset in vivid color?

I asked readers of Feeling! to tell me what makes them feel human, and together we have created a list I will reference for life. Enjoy!

(Feel free to keep the list going in the comments…actually, please do!)

Handwritten cards.

Birthday parties at public parks, with balloons on picnic tables.

Spotting a school field trip out in the wild.

When an animal makes eye contact with you.

Re-encountering the familiar streets of your hometown and still knowing your way around.

Nights with friends that you will not forget.

Trying not to laugh at inappropriate times to the point of holding back tears (at services, graduations, lectures, etc.)

Post dinner card games.

When something goes so terribly wrong on a family trip that it becomes family lore for the next decade.

Loving a book so much you cannot put it down.

Beachside lunches (hot dogs, lobster rolls, chicken tenders, etc.) with iced cola.

Dancing in the rain.

Sleeping while rain hits the windows.

When the cat at the function chooses your lap.

Conversations that leave you feeling lighter.

The sound of the ocean, after you haven’t heard it in a while.

The voice of a grandparent.

Freshly washed sheets and a book in bed.

Ice cold lemonade while sitting outside.

Falling in the googley moogely kind of love.

Impromtu coffees or lunches when you run into someone familiar.

Neighborhood gatherings.

Familiar couches, familiar kitchen tables.

Holding hands for the first time.

Reuniting with someone you can’t wait to spend time with.

Being in the know on really good surprises.

Working on a big project with a team and actually pulling it off.

When you let someone merge in heavy traffic, and they give you a little wave through the rear windshield -

Amphitheatre concerts where everyone is dancing on the grass together.

Someone helping an elderly person carry their groceries to their car. -

When the crowd sings along all together to the biggest hit song at a concert- gives me chills every time! -

Baby giggles. Any baby. Anywhere. Anytime. -

Listening to playlists made by friends.

Walking around with no destination.

Experimenting with recipes. -

Homemade meals around the dinner table with family or friends. -

Bare feet in grass. -

Talking with friends! I think it’s a good practice for my brain to put what I’m thinking/feeling into words. Also very deeply human to hear insight from what the people around me are thinking/experiencing. -

Gardening, specifically waiting for new plants or seeds to grow.-

Reading, gardening, cooking, every hobby that actually requires hands and a physical manual. -

Seeing others reading out at the park, a belly laugh, a good cry, walking a handwritten card to the post office box, watering my plants, the smell and sound of coffee brewing in the morning. -

Road trips with faint music in the background, and friends just sharing stories. -

Listening to live radio. Sending loved ones postcards. Having lots of acquaintances that you met ‘out and about’ in the neighbourhood. -

Walking or biking to my friend’s house! Sharing a neighborhood with some of my closest friends is so deeply special to me. -

Catching foxes in the yard! They make me so happy (Even if they sometimes steal garden fruits and veggies. We can share!) -

Witnessing an underdog soar to new heights on a world stage in sports. (i.e. the Cape Verde goalie, Vozinha, this World Cup) -

Standing outside in the rain or, alternatively, pressing up against the window to listen to it. -

Making a really delicious coffee -

The sound of opening a new hardcover, a big hug, a prayer before dinner

Talking to a random person in the grocery store, learning a sliver of their life, only to leave and you never see them again. A moment of connection and hoping things go well for them. -

People sharing their umbrellas. -

Experiencing a natural wonder with others. A giant waterfall. A golden afternoon at the lake. Snowfall. -

When you’re riding your bike and can see the sunlight through the leaves like little stars -

There’s no better place that I get the feeling that I am part of something bigger than myself than being at the ocean! Not to sound super cheesy, but being at a beach with strangers and seeing everyone have fun playing in the water or relaxing with the small waves makes me remember that people have been doing this for as long as we have been here and will continue to do so long into the future. -

Seconding natural wonders/natural phenomena. I was lucky enough to be in the path of totality for the 2024 North American solar eclipse, and standing in that baseball field with my best friends and watching it slowwwwly start to get dusky over the course of an hour and then all of a sudden get dark as night for 4 min. It’s one of the only times I’ve ever experienced that sense of shared unity and connectedness with the natural world and the other beings in it. -

A happy wave between strangers lifting someone merge in traffic. -

Getting excited about the simplest things—like birthday cake! -

Experiencing an inconvenience together (like a plane/train delay) and forming a connection because of it. I remember trains in the Netherlands were not riding because of severe snow and cold. And people stranded at Eindhoven train station just started having a snow fight to have some fun despite being delayed. -

Singing in a group acapella -

Hearing a song you used to LOVE and forgot about -

Every time someone runs over to help a mum get a pushchair/buggy/stroller up some steps, or gives up their seat for someone older. -

Dropping a child off at school/camp…and picking them up.

Anything where you’re in a crowd and all celebrating or experiencing the same thing together. This is a very specific memory for me, but I saw Avengers: Endgame in theaters on opening weekend, and at the moment when Captain America catches Thor’s hammer midair, everyone in the entire theater screamed and cheered out loud. It was this giant collective “I KNEW IT” moment, and it was just so fun. -

Often, my fellow neighbors and I will clean the snow off each other’s cars while we’re cleaning our own off because there’s only 4 apartments and maybe 10 cars total. Chatting with a neighbor while moving from car to car is so nice after being stuck inside during a storm! -

Specifically, someone going out of their way to help someone else, especially when it’s really not that big of a deal (letting someone know they dropped something, taking someone’s cart back when they’re leaving the grocery store and you’re entering it etc.) -

A tight hug from a toddler. -

A physical book with a beautiful cover. -

Having a nice interaction with a grocery store clerk. Feeling the wind on your face. The smell in the air after it has rained. Going for a drive with loud music and the windows down. Connecting with someone over a book. Baking with a friend. Reading outside. Running into a friend unexpectedly. A friend advocating for you when you’ve been wronged or neglected. Sitting in silence with someone you feel safe with. I’ve been bedbound and isolated for 10 months and you have no idea how much I long just for these tiny things that many people don’t even think twice about, but that are so necessary to feeling human. -

I drove past a guy walking around a house with his arms stretched out wide and wondered what he was doing, then when I got around the corner, I saw a dog running full speed towards him. On the fourth of July, we were watching fireworks and a girl (prob 8yo) came flying past me on her scooter and yelled over her shoulder “I like your dress!!” -

A bride and groom being out in public on their wedding day and getting cheers from passing strangers. -

Playing a record when I’m cooking dinner. -

Walking slowly to get somewhere. -

A genuine kiss at the end of an emotional day. -

Dropping letters through the mail slot at the post office (really, everything about the post office), and when you’re in the window seat on a plane and the people in the middle and aisle seats both pass your drink to you from the flight attendant, and then later help pass your empty cup back when trash comes along! -

I’ve recently gotten into asking some basic and fun questions like we were kids. I had a really unexpected but revealing conversation when I asked some friends what their favorite planet was, and it was interesting to see their eyes shuffle through old filing cabinets of memory to remember. -

Being present outside, listening to birdsong. -

Keeping a physical journal and handwriting anything I can. -

People who look at you in the eyes and say something nice to you, receiving a thoughtful card or handmade gift, people who are happy to help others without wishing anything in return, hearing children laughing, any type of random act of kindness, having a joyful conversation with a stranger. -

Talking to a barista and or shop assistants at my local shops. It makes me want to sing the Cheers theme tune. -

Reading in a small coffee shop. -

Painting. Way more than the finished image is involved in making a painting. It’s the artist’s skill or lack there of, the paint itself- the selection of the kind of paint that’s being used. Is it a heavy body paint? Is it a runny paint is it stain? The selection of the utensil used to apply the paint. Is it a brush? Is it a pallet knife is it a sponge is it done by hand? Did the artist create a tool to apply the paint? -

Awkwardness! My being awkward used to make me cringe, but now it feels real in a world barreling towards everything being smooth and seamless. -

Unique handmade fine jewelry! Like a really good handmade chain! -

Seeing a stranger help a teenager/young adult tie his tie on the R train. -

Laughing until you’re crying with a good friend over something really stupid. -

Around the city, when people put their sports teams flags and signs in their office windows. -

Seeing anyone carrying flowers! Or even seeing flowers on someone’s doorstep, as happened to me on my run the other day. I always wonder: are those flowers just for them? Are they for someone they have a crush on? Someone who is having a tough go of it? An anniversary? Their mother? The host of a party they’re going to tonight?

When you let someone drive first on a narrow street, and they give you a little wave. It makes my day. -

I saw a young mother counting change to pay for her groceries while hanging on to her active toddler, when the man behind her reached out and tapped his credit card to pay for them. -

When you’re wrangling your children on the airplane and the passengers around you interact kindly with your children or tell you good job mama or give you that reassuring look that they get it and that they’ve been there before. And then you become that kind of passenger too when you’re traveling (blissfully) solo later. -

When a dog has his head out a car window and looks like he is smiling. -

Apply for the Pen Pal Program Here:

One of the most treasured forms of human connection is through hand-writing! Long live snail mail. If you are a paid subscriber to Feeling! Magazine, a perk of your subscription is that you can apply to be matched with a hand-picked pen pal.

This service includes:

• Match-making by me :) with an introduction via email to your match!

• A monthly inspiration drop newsletter for letter-writing themes, crafting ideas, and prompts for pen pals

• Exclusive discounts on greeting cards from the almost-open Feeling! Press stationery store

• Access to every article and column from Feeling! Magazine (Including the much anticipated graphic design classes coming soon!)

• Monthly desktop and phone wallpaper drops

• Monthly printables!

• *If you chose the “founding membership” ($89/yr) — you also receive a postcard and greeting card in the mail EVERY month! Perfect for sending to pen pals!

If you are a paid subscriber, access to the application is below:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

🍒 Let’s be internet friends, please! @ jennaisfeeling

🪄 Get more inspiration

Working with brands and businesses helps me make this magazine dream come true! If I do work directly with a brand, I am very picky about it, and I disclose the partnership to you, my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives a small payment if someone buys a product from a recommendation. This helps fund future creative projects for this publication — thank you!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

Happy Monday to you! Today’s edition of the Monday Letter includes a personal story about turning my small apartment into a place to make my dreams function, and how I did it. It’s a tale of scrappy ol’ small business innovation, but the design came together in an impactful way that still feels like home.

This edition also includes:

• A (hopefully really helpful) home decor audit to use in your own space

• A gallery of reader-designed tablescapes that are sure to delight

• An important announcement about the Pen Pal Program

• An update on the Summer Reading Challenge (ending on July 31st!)

• A delicious recipe for at-home strawberry London Fogs for summer

Publishing Tomorrow, July 21!

I am delighted to share that TOMORROW, my color dot calendar will be published and officially available in stores! For six years, I self-published and hand-packed calendars leading up to this moment. It was laborious, expensive, time consuming, but a tradition I still cherished. It meant a lot to me and a lot to the “Calendar Club” — the group of color-lovers who purchased the color-filled calendar nearly every year.

Since the publisher now handles the printing and distribution, I was able to reduce the price from $45 to $16.99. Absolutely nothing in life is going down in price, so the fact that I was able to reduce this cost and get you a higher quality print and shipping experience is thrilling.

Tomorrow, it is available globally! I have no information about which stores and locations it will pop up in. So my request of you is to keep an eye out and report back if you see it in the wild! Please let me know in a comment or dm! Consider this a mass scavenger hunt!

It’s called “The Joy of Color” by Jenna O’Brien, if you’d like to ask a local independent bookstore if they have it available.

Finally, it is worth noting that this calendar is currently on a small sale with online distributors. You can pick up a color dot calendar from Bookshop, Amazon, Books-a-Million, or Hudson Booksellers.

Eager and excited for you to hold it in your hands!

I need a warehouse, but I have a one-bedroom apartment.

The story of turning a 700 sq. ft. apartment into an e-commerce warehouse, and how to make your own space feel like it’s moving you towards your dreams.

Homes can feel like problems, but they can also feel like solutions.

The way we typically think of homes is very limiting. We keep them until we outgrow them or find something better. I used to think every life change meant it was time to find a new space.

All my preconceived notions about “home” changed when I moved to New York City.

I had to urgently decide what values were most important to me, and then inventively rediscover how a space, even an unruly tiny one, can meet those needs with my own design efforts. New Yorkers just make it work.

It is nearly impossible to get everything you want in an apartment here. It’s almost like a unicorn; very hard to catch. Most New Yorkers live in some level of compromise with their rentals. It’s their favorite neighborhood, but no air conditioning. It’s super spacious, but really far from the train, etc.

All my values and goals for a home had to fit into a 700-square-foot apartment. You become inventive and scrappy quickly. I have a fold-out table under the bed for hosting large dinners. The couch is a pull-out for overnight visitors. You adapt, it turns out.

Until recently, when an unsolvable problem presented itself.

This August, I am starting a greeting card company called Feeling! Press. On this entrepreneurial venture, one of the questions I had to answer was, “How will I do this functionally?“

The cards will need to be shipped daily, sometimes in bulk.

How, now that I’m in a tiny apartment in New York, am I going to pull this off? I started researching partner warehouses and saw that the cost of having someone else ship my products would basically choke my business from the start. I felt wary about taking on such a high fee before I had any evidence of how many cards I would sell a month.

I started exploring options further, maybe a storage unit down the street? That didn’t make a lot of sense either. I mean, how were we going to walk inventory home and back? Or do we have to sit in a dark storage unit and pack orders?

There’s no way we can fit a whole other function of life, much less an e-commerce warehouse, into our 700-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment that’s already full to the brim.

Or so I thought.

I sat on the couch, across from Connor at the dining table, and brought the problem up again: I want to start this card business, but there is no feasible way to store and ship my products. I’d researched every third-party warehouse I could find, even outside of New York, and the math was not adding up.

None of it made sense, and all of it was expensive. I was exasperated and started to think that maybe this dream wasn’t possible in our current situation, and I had dreamed too big.

We gazed around our tiny apartment. What if we somehow shipped from here? We throw out a lot of crazy ideas about our space, and our rule is that we always give it a little bit of time before we shut it down.

There was a big, blank space on the left wall of our apartment. We stared at it like scientists.

The tape measure was out, and we calculated that we could spare only one square foot of floor space, but we could work up to the ceiling.

We found the spot, but a design problem presented itself.

Our apartment is going to feel less like a home and more like a garage.

How do you make backstock of product look like it belongs in a living space, to the point where we could still host people for dinner parties and enjoy being in our own living room, resting, watching movies, and not feeling like we’re in an intrusive warehouse?

That was the problem. Thuma was the solution.

Thuma is a furniture brand that I have long admired for their simplicity and quality.

As Connor had the tape measure out on the wall, I was rapidly researching online to look for shelves that 1.) didn’t feel like a warehouse 2.) felt like a living room 3.) were tall and big enough to fit inventory 4.) were not too wide to intrude on our already small square footage. And then I found Thuma’s pillar bookshelves.

A rare design phenomenon happened; one piece of furniture fit every single thing I needed it to do.

We chose the pillar bookshelves in a walnut finish and styled our books and decor on them. I filled some of the shelves with crates for card storage. After stepping back, seeing the gloss of the wood shine and a modest stack of sample cards sitting on the shelf, it felt like I had a charming stationery store inside my apartment. Oh my gosh, it didn’t look like warehouse inventory; it looked like a beautifully styled display! Giddiness ensued.

My business could fit alongside our life, which feels like both a metaphorical and practical revelation.

These shelves are now part of our daily life, and we’ve lived with them for so long that I feel assured that this was the absolute right design choice. Every month that passes where I am not paying secondary rent to store cards proves the shelves’ value once more.

The way we design our space can actually solve our problems, rather than create more. That’s my biggest takeaway from living in a small apartment.

Rather than looking to the next thing, we were able to use what we had, with some good design, to solve the problem.

So yes, we will be shipping every card by hand from our apartment until we can afford to outsource that work!

I’m thrilled, and I’m really grateful to have worked with Thuma to create this beautiful space that functions and feels like home. The dark walnut wood really tied our space together. Though it’s modern, the quality and texture of the wood make it look more like an heirloom piece than something we built out of a box. They are pieces we will take with us, wherever life leads, because they are infinitely customizable, durable, and timelessly designed. I like looking at a piece and knowing it will never go out of style.

The bottom line is that we have more control over how our home feels than we think.

Investing in pieces that enhance your life and solve your problems is one of the best investments you can make. It’s not always about finding a better space; sometimes it’s about changing the one you have.

I hope this inspired you to reenvision what your space could be and how you can use good design to reprioritize your own creative dreams and make them more approachable.

Because of this furniture upgrade, I went from thinking I would not be able to make this dream work in this season of life to believing that I had every capability of starting to sell cards right now.

That’s the power of good design, baby!

P.S. If you are visiting New York soon, put Thuma’s showroom on your list. It is in Soho, and they have a full COFFEE BAR in the furniture store! You can touch all of the furniture and sip a latte. Dream date.

A Home Audit:

If home is feeling frustrating or it feels like there’s no space for your dream, here is a guided audit to help you solve the problem, and design your space to fit your life better:

1. Identify the real problem, not the frustration on the surface

On the surface, my problem was “I need more space,” but really, my problem was: “I need to ship and store cards without losing my living space.” Give specific language to the problem.

• What do you need your space to do that it is not doing right now? Dig into the nitty-gritty.

• Do you feel like the problem is truly a spatial issue (like square footage) or a functional issue with dissatisfactory organization and flow?

• What, in simple terms, would you need to resolve the specific problem? (i.e. more storage, less clutter, more furniture, less furniture, a clear space, etc.)

2. Look at your space as if it is blank

Sometimes, we are so used to our furniture placement that it’s hard to envision the space any other way. If you are really designing through a problem, try to imagine the space as completely blank, and you will be amazed the ideas a blank canvas prompts.

• You can determine non-negotiables from there. The TV can’t go on another wall because of the outlet, etc. You’ll find you have more wiggle room than you thought.

• Give any wild idea 24 hours before ruling it out.

3. Source pieces that serve the space

For me, the shelves had to pass four tests: don’t feel like a warehouse, still feel like a living room, be tall enough to store a lot of inventory, and not wide enough to intrude on the dining area. Consider:

• Is there one piece of furniture that could solve two problems at once?

• Would going vertical (shelving, wall storage) free up the floor space you need?

• Is there a function in your life right now with no space in your home (hobby, side business, full-on warehouse, hosting, guests)? What would give it the space it needs?

4. Make functionality look like home

The best part of these shelves is that they feel like a quaint stationery store instead of a garage. If you are trying to make a space multi-functional, consider:

• Are utility items (bins, supplies, equipment) styled or tucked away?

• Does the material/finish feel more permanent and less like a placeholder? (Sourcing things like thrifted baskets or more design-forward crates can help with this)

5. Live with it before you judge it

Finally, the beautiful thing about our spaces is they can evolve and change with us. We have so much freedom! There is no limit to how many times you are allowed to rearrange. So give a big change a few weeks of real wear and tear before deciding if it worked.

If you are working through making your current space work for you, I’d love to hear about the design process in the comments! Please share what you are currently working on, or a past problem, and how you resolved it. This stuff is fascinating and encouraging!

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✸ The inaugural Pen Pal Program I put on in late June hit some communication snags. Some issues were an error of my own (I’ve never hosted a Pen Pal Program before!). Some eager letter writers never heard back from their matches. I took a step back and reevaluated some workflow hiccups, and I am going to reopen the program, better than before, this Friday (7/24).

Applications to participate in this round will only be open through this weekend, so please set a reminder if you are hoping to apply!

If you’d like to be matched with someone and spend summer sharing letters, get exclusive access to card discounts, and be creatively challenged with lots of fun prompts for writing, please apply this Friday!

Note that this exciting program is available only to paid subscribers of Feeling! Magazine as a perk for their generous support. Sign up today as a paid subscriber, apply Friday for a match, and spend the rest of summer getting to know your new en pal who was hand-picked for you!

✸ The Summer Reading Challenge is nearing an end! The final date to email me your submission is 7/31. Email me at jenna@feelingpress.com with your completed list of 15 fictional books. Details about what type of books and prizes can be found here. One of the prizes for the randomly selected winner will be THREE free months of a Book of the Month subscription! Another prize will arrive at your front door and make you gasp. Trust me, it will be my best work in the whimsy department yet.

✸ If you are someone who has a lot of ideas but gets stuck on the execution, this free guide I published last week was written with you in mind. I peel back the curtain on my own process for organizing, capturing, and sorting ideas in a way that feels manageable.

✸ Fresh delivery! This batch of wallpapers and printables for the month of July has wall art, gift tags, junk journal paper, punch cards, and more!

Let’s review the creative challenge from last week. As a part of the Summer Camp Series, I asked readers to design a tablescape and share it, and I want to show you all the magic that ensued!

Think of this scroll as a little gallery walk (be sure to say ooo and ahhh a little):

From :

From :

From :

From :

From :

From :

From :

From :

From :

Weren’t these lovely? Little snippets of people’s homes that feel so hopeful and lovely? I’m grateful the winner of the challenge is randomized, because it would be way too difficult to pick one myself.

I randomized entries and was chosen as our winner! Congratulations to everyone who made such a beautiful practice of creativity happen in their home and shared it with us.

A Moment for Strawberry Syrup:

Summer in the air makes me crave strawberries. I wanted to share my favorite recipe for homemade strawberry syrup, and how to use it to create delicious strawberry London Fogs. Do one or two batches of syrup, and it will last you until the end of August.

I put my recipes on little cards for you to save and use as needed:

I highly recommend drinking in the mornings, with breakfast. Perfect for when you want a hot drink, but still a taste of summer!

JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

🍒 Let’s be internet friends, please! @ jennaisfeeling

🪄 Get more inspiration

Working with brands and businesses helps me make this magazine dream come true! If I do work directly with a brand, I am very picky about it, and I disclose the partnership to you, my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives a small payment if someone buys a product from a recommendation. This helps fund future creative projects for this publication — thank you!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

In second grade, I wrote and illustrated a book about dogs secretly joining together to form a rock band. A bulldog was the drummer, naturally. I can recall the drama in the story was riveting, and I used an empty binder from my dad’s office and twistable crayons to bring it all together.

In third grade, I self-published a magazine titled “Kids Weekly News.” I made copies in glitter pen until I started using WordArt to design and print more than one copy at a time. Circulation increased, as did its popularity. Columns included an anonymous tip line for class gossip, a word puzzle, comics, and a headline news story.

In sixth grade, having watched a film that inspired me to become an Oscar-nominated (let’s be honest, Oscar-winning) director, I spent a summer looking up what a script looks like and then writing one about secret books. I had my math teacher in mind for the lead character, as he had a grey mustache and that seemed like a perfect fit for the role. I rehearsed all summer how I would convince him to be cast in my debut film.

I have always been a girl with a lot of ideas.

But I’ve noticed that the older I get, the time between an idea forming and actually executing that idea has increased substantially. When I was a kid, the turnaround was almost immediate. An idea popped into my head, and then I got out the markers and did it. But now, I’ve probably let hundreds of ideas die before they ever got a chance to be explored. Why?

Do we become more sensitive to everyone’s perception of us? Do we self-reject to avoid a potential rejection of our work? Is life so full that we cannot squeeze one more thing into it?

Whatever the underlying reason, I think it’s true that most grown-ups lose their ability to act on a creative idea efficiently. I suspect fear has a lot to do with it.

I’m preparing to launch a greeting card business in August and have spent most of this year ideating and planning this entrepreneurial endeavor. Methods for stewarding and executing creative ideas have been top of mind.

How do I know which ideas are good?

How do I not feel overwhelmed by all the paths I could take?

Today, I’ve made a guide with very practical tips for getting back to that childhood approach to capturing and executing your ideas, with an adult sense of clarity and decisiveness.

My hope is that it helps anyone who has a lot of ideas but gets overwhelmed with the execution end.

This is designed to help you with anything from planning your own newsletter, launching a business, or even designing a home menu for your weekly grocery tips. Save and come back to this as needed!

1. Write It Down: Making Space for Ideas

First, you must make physical space for your ideas to live. Sort of in line with the “build it, and they will come” philosophy, if you make a space for something, you are more likely to engage with it. Put fruit out on the counter, and you will likely eat more fruit; put books on your nightstand, and you are likely to read more before bed, etc. We are able to shape our own behaviors through intentional lifestyle design.

If you’d like ideas to flow more freely, you have to make a safe home for them to land.

I’d recommend a specific blank space used only for storing ideas. This could be a digital space like a Surface Pro, which utilizes the Slim Pen for handwritten note-taking, or you could use a paper journal. Whatever method makes you excited to write it all down is best (perhaps a combination of paper and digital), as this ensures there is always a place to store your ideas. At home, make sure it is somewhere you will see it throughout the day. Keep it physically on you when you travel.

Your first job is to write down ideas as they come, without judging them. (This is harder than it seems!)

We will get more into this later, but for now, designate that notebook as an extremely safe place for any and all creative thoughts. It could be passing ideas as simple as a new product concept, a topic you’d like to write about next, a quote that inspired you, or a coffee flavor you want to try and make at home.

At this stage, the journal must be free of any questions regarding how viable something is, if it will produce income, when you can execute it, or what people will think of you when you do execute it.

Thinking of performance will kill your imagination, so be very protective of the ideas in this notebook.

Your ideas should exist with a sort of freedom. They don’t need to prove anything yet.

Recall any of your doodles, sketches, or thoughts jotted joyfully in the papers of your childhood. The lazy rivers drawn in living rooms, roller coasters in backyards, and dog rock bands too.

That kind of freedom to think creatively is what you are trying to get back to in step one. Just write everything down; we can assess ideas later.

2. Make a Plan: Organize Thoughts Effectively

Once your imagination recognizes you’ve made a safe space for all of its ideas to land, it will fire up a bit more. You may find thoughts popping up more frequently; new dreams could even emerge. The idea notebook can become a bit of a beast and will need some grooming. You need to sort and organize.

Organizing your thoughts will help you move from idea to execution with more confidence.

Often, hope looks like a plan.

If you want to execute something, you must give yourself a reason to believe you can actually do it. A straightforward organization of ideas is the way to decrease the barrier to entry.

This is when I take things digital, polish them, and clean them all up in a document I can easily access whenever needed. I like the notebook feel, so I will use a hand-drawn concept map. A very colorful Excel sheet works wonders as well.

I’m using the beautiful 13-inch Surface Pro in the Dune color (I always find it worth mentioning when a piece of technology comes in a good color). The screen detaches easily from the keyboard, and I am able to write directly on it with the Surface Slim Pen, which feels lightweight and natural to use, even for long written pieces. I’ve been using OneNote to jot down ideas as they come, and it immediately converts my handwriting to text. That way, I can transfer the text to a more concrete spreadsheet.

I’ve used the Concepts app as a freeform map for planning out my ideas. Here is a sample of how I’ve organized various ideas:

Here are categories I use to help organize my thoughts.

• Category of work: What kind of work is it? (ex: writing, illustration, home project, etc.)

• Effort: Is this a project that requires high effort, low effort, or somewhere in between?

• Additional inspiration: What thoughts preceded this idea? What should I go back to look at to be reinspired? (Insert your own images here if needed too. Phone snapshots of a book cover at an antique shop, the color palette of an ice cream shop, etc.)

• Continued thoughts: What thoughts followed this idea? Jot down everything that came to mind. The more context you add now (whether or not it’s even great), the better. It will help you later!

I’m also sharing a very summery set of color codes for sprucing up your next Excel sheet with custom colors. Making it beautiful will make you more likely to enjoy working on it.

Once you have created a simple organization system that feels fun to use, it is time to evaluate the ideas.

3. Start Creating: Moving from Concept to Creation

List-making is fun and allusively feels like you’re getting the work done, but getting started is still the daunting part.

Deep breath. Always start here: What’s one thing you can do today that gets you one step closer to creating?

It could be a sketch, a photo, or a paragraph. Creative people loooove the dream of hours of uninterrupted time to work, but realistically, those opportunities are slim. Blessed when they come, but slim! Working on your creative endeavors more often looks like making one brush stroke at a time.

The good news is you’ve created a lower barrier to entry for concentrated work because you’ve done all the prep work of articulating the idea and categorizing it.

Flushing out an idea quickly is essential. If you let them simmer too long, they may flutter away. This is where you also discover things like their viability, cost, and if you even like the idea in the first place.

First drafts are usually very bad, but they do the heaviest lifting for future you. Write down as much as you can about your idea, capturing every thought as it comes. Practically, this can look like bullet point lists, with simple writing to get the point across.

If you are a list-making kind of person, break the concept down into small steps. Then come back to the central question: What’s one thing you can do today that gets you one step closer to creating?

Set a timer for fifteen minutes, then do that one thing. Even if it’s messy and imperfect, it’s important to prove to yourself that starting isn’t as scary as you made it out to be.

You’ve done the hard part in capturing your idea and organizing it, and you’ve made the starting line very easy to cross. Now it’s time to make the creative idea come alive, step-by-step!

Notes on fear & rejection, and some tips for overcoming:

This system works best when you’ve addressed the underlying feelings as well. Primarily, fear.

I’ve been making art and sharing it online for almost 10 years now. It’s a career choice that is really fulfilling and beautiful in many ways, but also a path that has profound effects on how I view myself. In the decade I’ve been at it, I have had to learn & re-learn to protect myself, my creativity, and my ideas.

Here are some hard-earned lessons (in no particular order) that really help me steward my internal world despite sharing it externally:

• Don’t make things for feedback. When you are in the “making” process (whatever that medium may be for you), do not actually think about the feedback you will receive at all. Just make.

• I lie to myself when I say scrolling will help me think of new ideas. You might say this to yourself, too. But remember, scrolling is artificial. We need real stuff to get good, original ideas. We need sliced clementines and neighborhood cats to spark our imaginations. Leave the phone behind and engage with new points of view in your surroundings!

• Your creative work does not rely on positive feedback, and you do not have a right to it. When I was younger, I’d be rocked when a post didn’t receive “enough” likes. But no one owes me likes online. It’s a nice, astounding thing when someone does notice my work, leaves a heart, a message, etc. I think of it as a generous gift, not something I am owed, because I’ve learned not to do the work for feedback in the first place.

• Do creative work because you love to do it. If you are going through the trouble of working on your ideas after hours or investing in a big project, you must love the work itself above all. I am so glad you are all here. If Substack burned down internally and I lost every single reader I had, you’d probably see me start writing about the same stuff again because I love to write about this stuff. It’s crazy how much we self-impose creative projects that are unrelated to what we love to do. Keep clear on what you love to make, and protect it.

I am excited to keep using my Surface Pro to capture business ideas, run the Feeling! Press e-commerce store, and create on the go. It’s been tucked in my tote for three weeks as I’ve been traveling but still working, and I have truly tried out the device and am impressed. I encourage you to check out the Surface Pro (especially in the pretty color) if you are looking for a lightweight workhorse that gives you back a handwritten feel to your process. It’s kind of a newsletter writer’s dream scenario: write your stories with a pen, but it types them all up for you! Dreamy. Here is the link to explore the new Microsoft Surface.

I’d also love to hear your next creative idea you’re working on in the comments. It could be anything — from your next article to a painting to a closet reorganization — please share! Some lucky commenters may get a little inspiration boost (from me to you) as a pick-me-up!

Leave a comment

You’re Invited to Talk over Tea!

I am going live this Wednesday with the amazing to talk all things entrepreneurship…specifically creative entrepreneurship. I always like to be an open book, so feel free to drop any questions you want us to go over in the comments. I would love to be a help to you! I’ve never done a Substack live! Please join the party (with a cup of tea) for a very cozy and insightful inaugural Live.

Join here, on July 15th at 7:30 PM EST.

Subscribe now

JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

🍒 Let’s be internet friends, please! @ jennaisfeeling

🪄 Get more inspiration

Working with brands and businesses helps me make this magazine dream come true! If I do work directly with a brand, I am very picky about it, and I disclose the partnership to you, my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives a small payment if someone buys a product from a recommendation. This helps fund future creative projects for this publication — thank you!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

Wishing you a delightful summer Friday! I am introducing a new, monthly gift for paid subscribers today. I do not say often enough how grateful I am for you.

There are so many things we subscribe to — streaming services, grocery delivery, etc. — and it feels like the fee we pay goes into the ether with no direct impact.

I want to share that your subscription to this magazine has such a direct impact on my life that it has actually changed it. I know your $5 could go anywhere, and the fact that you choose this dream to support is an astounding thing to me.

Your support has given me margin (for the first time in my life) to produce work I love and feel called to create without maintaining 20 other forms of employment that choke the joy out of creating. You’ve given me confidence. You’ve given me opportunities. You’ve given me my gusto back. You’ve given me community. I really, deeply appreciate you.

I spend more hours than I care to say on each newsletter, meticulously reviewing whether it’s helpful, beautiful, and uplifting for you. I think about you all the time! You are the best! I have dreamed of having a magazine since I was in third grade; you’ve given me the opportunity, and I want to knock it out of the park!

All that to say THANK YOU! I hope you see and feel my efforts to give supporters the best experience possible. I am thrilled that this is my job, and I always hope you can feel through the screen how much I love making things for you.

This is a new monthly dispatch, headed just to supporting subscribers. It will include:

• Monthly wallpapers for desktop and mobile delight

• Color codes for whimsifying your calendar

• *Coming soon* Sneak previews of new greeting cards, and discounts for this community only

• A selection of monthly printables for adding creativity to your home and life! This will include things like: bookmarks, gift tags, art prints, postcards, letterhead, scrapbook/junk journal pages, photo frames, tickets, etc. Very seasonal, and very joyful! (I will also include recs for printing at home or sending off to a printer for cheap!)

I hope this hits you today, right where you need some color!

Subscribe now

WALLPAPERS

I typically put wallpapers for you in the chat, but I wanted to start including them here too in case you miss them! Here is a roundup of the last two months of seasonal wallpapers.

To save on your phone: hold the image down with your finger, and the option to save will pop up.

To save on desktop: click the image, right-click, and select “save images as…”

I hope these make your phones and tech spaces feel brighter. Reclaim those spaces!!

Read more

Sunday, June 21, 1 PM:

The rental car is meticulously packed with frozen dog food and a large suitcase we suspect is over the weight limit. Genevieve is pulling on the leash on the cross walk because we said the word “car” in front of her. She is approaching every car on the street, throwing her head back at us to say, “This one?! Is it this one?” until we get to the small Honda Connor picked up from Jersey that morning. We have yet to have a rental car experience in the city that is not an ordeal, so we tried Jersey. It was an ordeal too. Genevieve whips into the backseat with the eagerness of a 6th grader on a school field trip bus. We depart from home.

3 PM:

A pit stop in Princeton, New Jersey to get lunch turns lengthy. Unbeknownst to us, there was the most picturesque-Americana-Gilmore-Girls-Stars-Hollow-type-of-town-square-festival happening downtown. A little carousel in the town square spun, carnival games with men saying step right up!, and a giant sculpture of a cherry pie sat proudly on the lawn.

It is simply irresistible and so we spend too much time walking around. The smokey aroma of the grill entices us, and we order burgers from a vendor, ice cold water, and sit in disbelief at the magic we happened upon side by side at a picnic table. Finally, we grab an iced matcha that is much too sweet from a soda shop and depart.

9 PM:

We arrive at the steps of my brother and sister-in-law’s home in the dark, clad with a to-go order of tacos from a restaurant down the street and that general weariness even a minor road trip seems to endow. Genevieve begins her vacation in their home. We go promptly to bed, but I mostly lie awake because I know the alarm will ring at an abnormally early hour.

Monday, June 22, 3 AM:

The head-dizzying feeling of 3 AM sounds like a shrill iPhone alarm in a dark room. I feel around for my clothes, brush my teeth with my eyes shut, and we depart for the D.C. airport. A visit to the Capital One lounge is next. As tradition follows, we grab a bunch of free breakfast items and a chai latte before heading to the gate.

The suitcase is indeed over the weight limit, it is discovered. Alas, we board our seats for a 19 hour commute (and 13 hour time difference) to South Korea. I watch Perfect Days on the small seat rest screen and tear up a bit, then I watch Hamnet and weep into the little fleece blanket the airline gave out until my eyes are red. Then I try to sleep (I do not).

Tuesday, June 23, Late Afternoon:

The Incheon airport greets us with sunshine, as we move through customs efficiently, reunite with said overweight suitcase, and go to the curb for a taxi pick up. The hour taxi drive moves us through beautiful landscapes and city views to the front door of our friends’ home, and my favorite street in all of Korea.

Justin and Koheun (and their kids, Will and Lee) became dear friends when we visited two years ago. Justin is a DP who worked on a documentary project that Connor directed where they interviewed North Korean refugees in partnership with a non-profit. The two formed a friendship during the project, and since then, we have spent time with them on every subsequent visit. You know those friendships that have an ease about them? It’s easy to be in their home, easy to have fun together, and we’ve even earned the titles, “Uncle Connor and Auntie Jenna,” with the kids. A badge I wear with the highest honor.

Sweating in the summer heat, we carry our bags up 4 flights of familiar granite stairs to their doorstep and are reunited. They’ve adopted a abnormally cute cat, named Smokey, since the last we saw them. The kids are a foot taller too.

Wednesday, June 24, Unknown Hour:

I wake up in delirium in the guest room. I am a monster. I am nauseous. I hardly slept. I feel with any movement I will vomit. This is my typical day one jet lag experience, so I am not necessarily phased by it, just green. Koheun graciously offers to run down to the pharmacy to get me anti-nausea medicine. I insist she does not have to, but she says it’s right downstairs and the medication is less than one U.S. dollar (crazy). I drink the bottle of it, choke down a quarter of a croissant, and then I am renewed and made whole. Whatever was in the little bottle worked like a charm and I am upright.

Connor and I head out, giddy to explore Gangnam.

We discover a cafe called London Bagel Museum and I become immediately enamored. I grab a matcha, usually on the menu as a green tea latte in Korea, and a blueberry bagel. I spy earl grey cream cheese behind the counter. Korean cafes love a theme, and this one is themed very British, with an emphasis on Queen Elizabeth’s horses. Magical.

We bopped around a few shops in the area. Perfumer H. is a beautiful fragrance store with a tea shop on the second story, overlooking Dosan Park. The park is a beautiful stroll, and an interesting showcase of the history of Korea’s independence movement.

Dearpost is a small, unmanned stationery store open 24 hours, 7 days a week. There’s a very curated selection of card-writing sets. A small self-checkout, and a writing desk. I watched someone pick out a postcard, sit at the desk, write a letter, then mark it with postage, drop it in a mailbox, pay, and exit.

The jetlag begins to set in, so we order some naengmyeon to take back for the whole family. Ice cold noodles on a hot summer day heals us! An early bedtime commences.

Thursday, June 25th, 9 AM:

We spend the morning looking for a place to watch the Korea vs. Japan game, but have little luck with a 10 AM watch time. A mom-and-pop hot pot spot has the game on, so we watch there (Korea loses).

The owner frequently went outside to feed stray cats abundant scraps. We grab an orange iced americano and iced milk tea from Tressed and head over to Justin’s studio to set up for our shoot Monday. Justin is helping us film some creative marketing videos for my first collection of greeting cards.

In the evening, Justin and Koheun host a rooftop BBQ with some familiar friends from our last visit, and some new faces as well. The grill smoke fills the air while the sun sets over the city, and Lotte Tower lights up in the distance. Smokey the cat, evidently a daredevil, tiptoes the edge of the building with no fear.

Friday, June 26, 10 AM:

We venture out to the Starfield Coex Mall. The word “mall” feels like an understatement for what Seoul offers. They are spectacles of retail design, hospitality, and most importantly, air conditioning.

The Starfield Library fills shelves up to the sky with books, and we discover as we browse that there is an international book fair happening at the convention center to the side of the mall. Connor finds the line for the fair and communicates (he secretly knows an impressive amount of Korean from that time he filmed a documentary) to get us green bands, and boom, we suddenly have access to an International book fair.

This feels so timely since I’ve been hosting a Summer Reading Challenge, inspired by the Scholastic book fair of elementary days, here on Substack. I thought of you all as we explored rows and rows of independent publishers’ booths from all over the world. Kind of the Substackers dream, certainly the graphic designer’s dream.

Beautiful covers of books catch my breath, row by row. A publishing house called, “Ghost Books” made me cry. Like actually. I stood in their booth wiping tears away.

I think for a long time, but especially since moving to New York, I have felt an invisible pressure to be cooler with an unbearable weight. If I’m going to be an artist there, I have to be chicer, better, know the right people, be more avant garde, more niche, more edgy. No one in particular is saying that out loud to me, but I feel it on a molecular level at every event I attend, every person who scans my outfit from the shoes up, every brand that won’t respond when I reach out with an idea. I stand in this random booth across the world and materialize the heavy pressure I have been absorbing from my environment.

My work has always been lighthearted. If my soul spilled out onto paper, it would be colors and likely drawings of dogs. Years of darkness, battling waves and bouts of biting anxiety, and my heart’s response is to create sunshine. On the darkest nights I’ve lived, the impulse to create joy has been a balm to grief and pain. A vase of flowers, a color palette, a sleeping cat have all held their weight against strong storms. I’m proof that those small things are essential parts of being human. I’ve seen small things keep people alive. I love to write and draw things that specifically communicate joy and feel I was made to do so. And lately, in the hurricane that is New York City, I had started to think maybe that’s not enough. I’m not enough, perhaps.

I stand in front of a painting of a dachshund in a bathtub, a tea pot steaming, and a pink stack of books. I look around and see people clamoring for this artwork. And it feels like a warm hug. A reminder that because my work is joyful, childlike, feminine, and sweet doesn’t mean it’s less valuable. Just like how I am drawn to these small reminders of joy, so too are others. I can’t believe I almost forgot that.

I feel the weight begin to shed. It’s okay to just be me.

We sit at the majestic food court and Connor eats a pork katsu bigger than I knew possible for lunch. We return home for a quiet evening, watching a silent film in black and white with takeout in tow. I feel a soft wave of peace and relief in my heart.

Saturday, June 27, 10 AM:

This is the day of stationery magic. We found so many incredible places.
The morning started at a cafe called Thanks Oat with an iced oat latte, refreshing apple cider vinegar ade, and a bowl of fresh fruit atop of yogurt. A stream glistens nearby.

Oats Cafe, located in a beautiful home down the road, fills me up with an iced matcha before we begin the search.

Our goal is to find props and pieces for the videos we will be shooting of my greeting card designs with Justin on Monday. Here are the incredible stationery stores we found:

Ploting: Full of trinkets, vintage postcards, pens, other paper goods.

Rihoon Mansion: A wall of leather, colorful planners, and the ability to custom emboss the covers of the journals. I found a tiny baby butter yellow journal on a keychain and the store clerk was the sweetest of all time. She helped me find the right journal and offered the customization for free, and then even tucked a pink pen in my bag just because. She knew I’d like a pink pen, evidently.

Merge: A unique home decor store with puffy coffee mug-shaped accessories as a signature piece. They were sized from key chains to plant holders in all colors and patterns.

Made By: A four story stationery dream. One could spend hours in here. Rows and rows of stickers, cards, art prints, and trinkets. Organized and clean. If you are a big journaler, art-maker, or car-writer, this is the can’t miss spot.

Blackheart Pencil: A retro pencil store complete with pencils and pencil accessories. Tucked away on the third story of a cute building with a bakery underneath.

Poset: Aisles of cards from different artists. I thought I was stationery-ed out, but alas, I walked in here and found a second wind scouring the walls for unique cards.

We go to one of my favorite areas, Seongsu, for dinner. A leisurely walk down the street and I discover Loeuvre, a clothing store that I will now be loyal to forever. I adore everything on every shelf.

After dinner, we stroll to the Han River at sunset. A Korean raccoon crosses our path and it does not have a striped tail but is just as cute. Runners and bikers fill the path alongside the river, while fishermen stand closer to the edge, casting lines on the pink surface of the river, reflecting the sunset. The lookout is a perfect view of the Namsan Tower, city skyline, and rolling mountains.

Sunday, June 28, 9 AM:

A train ride to Yeonnam and a quick brunch.

We visit a friends’ international church in the morning, located in a record shop that only has classic Gospel records fittingly. I meet someone who somehow knew me from a connection back in Florida, and remember the world is very small in reality. Wild.

We head over to Lotte Mall for the afternoon. I am on the hunt for new glasses. I find them and fall in love, but after a quick eye test, they say my prescription is too strong and they would have to ship them in special, which would arrive after we were back in the States. If you are ever in Seoul, you just totally look for glasses as the eye exam is totally free, frames are less expensive, and usually you get them the same day!

At the house, we enjoy yet more takeout, and I catch up on my summer scrapbook.

Monday, June 29, 10 AM:

This is the big shoot day! I have my first 12 greeting cards designed for Feeling! Press. We head to Justin’s studio with all our collected props and coffees for a long day indoors. Our shoot lasts about eight hours. I am there for art direction, Connor is directing and will later be editing the shoot, and Justin is the DP (or director of photography, or simply, the camera man). He’s gotten a special macro lens just for the vision.

Together, it feels more like play than work. Each of the twelve cards has its own environment, so we are constantly creating little worlds, trying different camera movements, and quite literally playing. Watermelon was cut, hands were bedazzled, stop motion animations created, and we wrapped with flying success!

Everything on the (long) list was captured. That evening, we head back to the house and play games with the kids over dinner. Connor starts an early edit because he’s excited, and I finish up writing another Substack. (The footage is magic and I am excited to share films here soon)

Tuesday, June 30, 9 AM:

The morning starts with Le Bon Mariage, a bread and coffee spot, with Justin and Koheun. They advertise “ugly pony bread” but are sold out. I haven’t stopped wondering what it is.

They live in the city, but recently purchased farmland about an hour and a half away to cultivate and give their kids an experience of living in the country. It’s a fascinating lifestyle and I want to read more about it. I convince them to document their farm on Substack, naturally. Fortunately, they started a Substack after our coffee!

From there we depart to Jongno to visit Onion. I think it is the most unique cafe in the city because of its traditional setting. The drink menu alone will inspire me for months.

The remainder of the day consists of exploring museums and historical sites together. We visited the National Folk Museum of Korea, The National Folk Museum Street of Memories, and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History.

For dinner, we visit the magical land of the Hyundai Mall food court. The mall is full of shoppers and diners. We pick up a dessert for the kids on our final night, and head back home.

Wednesday, July 1:

We spend the morning packing up all our things, feeling a little blue to leave. It was such a rejuvenating trip. Creatively, we accomplished what we set out to do. The cards were captured, and a long list of stationery shops was procured so when we do launch the business, I have a list of potential wholesale partners to reach out to directly.

We are so grateful to have friends on the other side of the world that feel so close. I am most grateful for Connor, who is a delight to travel with and spent hours upon hours of the trip alongside me researching and sourcing stationery, on top of getting us around, communicating with taxi drivers, and directing the full-day shoot. It’s always nice to get a big field trip with your best friend.

I left with a sense of newfound inspiration for capturing color, joy, and hope for the work ahead.

JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

🍒 Let’s be internet friends, please! @ jennaisfeeling

🪄 Get more inspiration

Working with brands and businesses helps me make this magazine dream come true! If I do work directly with a brand, I am very picky about it, and I disclose the partnership to you, my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives a small payment if someone buys a product from a recommendation. This helps fund future creative projects for this publication — thank you!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

Hello everyone! I am writing this during a 18 hour plane ride from Seoul, South Korea back to the States. When I land, we are taking a post-midnight 4 hour drive to meet family for a week at a lake together. I cannot wait to jump in a body of water.

I am so eager to share with you more about my trip to Korea; I took so many pictures with you in mind! We went primarily to have fun and visit some dear friends, but also did some really fascinating work while over there that I suspect you will enjoy. More soon.

Aside from the jet lag, I am feeling creatively renewed and refreshed. I took time to slow down and get inspired, and I appreciate your graciousness over the last two weeks as I’ve written less here. I was doing the work of getting renewed vision for Feeling! and the new chapter that is about to unfold. It’s about to get wild, I think.

We’ve reconstructed my tiny apartment to house an e-commerce “warehouse” of sorts. I’m finalizing greeting card designs, testing prints, making short films, and getting ready to bring Feeling! Press to life.

This stationery company will embody all the things I love to write about here. It will feel like the magazine come to life. I am ready to make something that helps us foster human connection in a time where isolation is trending. I think we will go live in August, and I’m working as hard as I can to cross the launch finish line.

We are back to our Summer Camp series today, and this is a really fun one!

This summer, I’ve tapped back into my curriculum writing days to make interactive, helpful series detailing essential elements of creative work and how to put them into practice. The groundwork was an exercise for overcoming perfectionism. You can find that full post here, and I have some fabulous examples of the exercise here from reader, .

Today we are digging into composition through TABLESCAPING!

To enhance the lesson, I am making this a friendly competition. A really friendly competition. So friendly that you may get something wonderful in the mail. Like brand new goodies for your table.

To win, simply read a bit about composition, get inspired, and follow the directions at the end of this article. The winner will receive a BIG (hint hint) package from me, full of goods from my favorite tableware small business for a deliciously Feeling! table.

Let’s dig in.

Composition refers to the way things are placed in a frame. It’s a universal design term across many mediums. Whether you are film-making, painting, photographing, making a graphic, or setting the table, composition is a key principle to understand.

To compose something well, you need to learn how the human eye processes information.

Once you are familiar with these principles, you can’t help but see them everywhere. They are also applicable in most any visually creative area of life, from Substack newsletter graphics, to hanging art above your couch, to making a bouquet for the kitchen table.

Core Structuring:

• Your focal point: Where does the eye go first? Likely something colorful, tall, or visually interesting.

• Balance: Symmetry vs. asymmetry. In symmetry, you would mirror placements so everything is even. In asymmetry, you try to create more informal, varied weight visually. So perhaps a balance of tall flower stems centered lightly left, but a really bold statement bowl centered right to contrast

  

• Height layering: Consider mixing both low, medium, and tall elements to make a table with varied visual interest.

Read more

Happy Monday to you! This newsletter was especially crafted to leave you feeling lighter than it found you. Please make a delicious up of tea and dig right in!

Back in December, I announced I would be starting a greeting card company called Feeling! Press this year. Starting a small business is tough work in any circumstance (hello, New York self-employment tax, city tax, and state tax) but this decision comes with a loaded bag of emotions, too. I’ve shared before that I previously owned a stationery store that was lost in the collateral of the pandemic and personal loss. Closing my store had a deep effect on my mental and physical being. Like you may have experienced before, it was one of those seasons where absolutely everything felt like it was on fire and I got some third degree burns on my heart.

So, last year, to even utter out loud that I was longing to do something with greeting cards again…wanting to be self-employed and take a risk on my creativity once more was truly like re-entering the belly of the beast. I’ve put on mental Joan-of-Arc-esque armor on to move towards this dream I thought had died, which sounds as dramatic as it feels. I fought the desire for a while, shushing the thoughts with fears disguised as noble self-preservation.

In midst of deciding whether or not to go forward with my dream, wrestling with the really practical aspects of the decision, I discovered some unexpected assurance.

I sat in the lobby of my grandmother’s nursing home with her while Christmas music chimed in the background and a decorated faux tree sat in the lobby aglow. A woman with a walker and a bright red jacket had just sang a bar of Elvis’ “Burning Love” to me for an unknown and unprompted reason. I turned back to my Grandma, who smiled at me. I reminded her I lived in New York now. She remarked I must be very cold up there. She remembers the snow was freezing.

Her family had moved away from New York shortly after her birth, but I realized I had no idea why they were there in the first place. Often, her long-term memory surprises us, so I thought I’d give it a try.

“Grandma, do you remember what your dad did for work?”

A pause.

“He sold greeting cards in New York City,” she said.

I went home and did some digging and found out that yes, my great grandfather was a greeting card salesman in the Big Apple, but further, he grew up in the Brooklyn county I am currently living in. We had no idea.

I found out he worked for Gartner and Bender Inc.

I found a brochure from their company on eBay and for $18, got an original copy that I will frame in our apartment.

Some things are really meant to be.

I am excited to share that I will be opening the online store for Feeling! Press in August, which is rapidly approaching.

My hope is to make a brand that brings back the magic of the written word, drawing us together with intentional connection in a time when optimization and modernity isolate us.

Feeling! Press will merge my illustrated card designs with cinematic story-telling and some creative world-building. Many of the card designs will be accompanied by short films and mini documentaries. If you’d like to be an early supporter, please consider giving the Instagram page a follow. Mini movies will be filling it soon!

I feel proud of the first collection of cards, and am eager to show you soon.

Truthfully, Substack (i.e. you) was a turning point for me in this process. I write because I love to write, but your encouragement, support, and kindness helped aid in the reversal of a slew of negative thoughts I had acquired such as, “no one care about what I make,” or, “my work is not serious enough to matter.”

A true and earnest thank you for your support of this publication. You’ve gifted me a second wind to make something I believe is really important in this cultural moment and is, apparently, in my blood to do!

An Update on the Summer Reading Challenge:

If you are just joining us, welcome! In May, I declared that I missed the Scholastic Book fair and summer reading programs of elementary school and decided to start my own. Over 1,000 of you joined the challenge!

The premise is simple: read 15 fictional books by July 31st. Sign up here, fill out the form below, and then send me an email (jenna@feelingpress.com) with your completed list.

Anyone who completes the challenge and emails it to me before the 31st of July will be entered to win a big prize! One person will win the grand prize. And five additional readers will receive another memorable gift at your doorstep.

The prizes will be special, but the goal is to do something that promotes joy, sticker usage, and imaginative reading which always contributes to our own creativity. Reading gets off of our phones, engaging empathetically, learning through others experiences, and of course stretching brains.

For a boost of reading motivation, I’ve designed you some printable bookmarks! Print the PDF and have access to all the designs. I hope it feels at least a little like going to the treasure box. Feel free to share and make some for your friends too.

Feeling! Bookmarks

10.5MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

I’ve also put together some suggested bookmark pairings and reads, in case you need help deciding on your next book.

1. I Cheerfully Refuse paired with a classic blue stripe.

2. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 1 with pink polka dots.

3. The Great Alone paired with a chocolate swirl.

4. The Houseguest paired with a burgundy and pink stripe.

1. The Sea of Tranquility paired with a lobster bookmark.

2. Crazy Rich Asians with a palm tree gingham.

3. The Maid with a red and sky blue stripe.

4. Theo of Golden with a homey gingham check.

1. The Mysterious Benedict Society with a red and seafoam stripe.

2. Small Things Like These with an arctic blue swirl.

3. Before we Forget Kindness with a chocolate and mint polka dot.

4. Piranesi with a cream (one could almost say marble) polka dot.

If you pair any bookmarks with a book, please post a note and tag me so I can include your pairings in a future post. Happy reading! I am so ready to give some of you the most nostalgic prize of all prizes.

✸ I’ve made a “summer camp” course (because summer camp has a wonderful balance of structure and fun) that teaches you how to live creatively with ease in every facet of life. After completing this series, you will find a personal creative practice you can actually maintain, a collection of very joyful completed projects, tools for moving through fears, and a community of people on the same journey. The first class is out now!

✸ If you are in the mood to really run up your colored printer, I have another page of fun for you to print! Here are blank punch card templates for summer motivation. Fill the top part with a goal, then punch out (or sticker) the blanks until the card is complete and you earn your prize. These are great for personal or family goals that could use a little sparkle magic.

✸ I wrote a straightforward list of eight ideas for making your house, whether its a one bedroom apartment or a two story full of little kids, feel like your summer home.

✸ Pretty much any time Hachi the dog is mentioned, tears fill my eyes preemptively. But I especially enjoyed reading the history within this article by , which left me encouraged. History has a way of identifying the resiliency people possess in a way that relieves me.

✸ One of my favorites, , wrote a piece full of wonderful life-enhancing ideas that serve as a reference for reclaiming downtime.

✸ This is not a read, but a watch! I just watched Wall-E on a plane and had not seen that film in so long. I was astounded by how the message of the film seemed to predict the future. It made me tear up when one of the characters is shaken loose from her screen and remarks, “I didn’t know we had a pool!” and proceeds to splash in it. Last time I was on an international flight I watched Iron Claw and wept in a publicly noticeable way. Should I do Hamnet this time? Just clear out the sinuses?

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Here are 7 Things I use, wear, and enjoy!

1. Terrazzo Cutting Board: If you are planning on hosting some summer dinner parties, this piece serves both as a cutting board and beautiful serving tray.

2. Red Mary Janes: It’s hard to beat a classic red ballet flat for summer. Perfect for bicycling, farmer’s market runs, and trips to new cities.

3. Elevated Chopsticks: Nothing like a pop of color to make your takeout run a sophisticated treat.

4. Perfect gold hoops: These small gold hoops with a little diamond at the bottom have been my favorite pair to wear this summer. As usual, BaubleBar is so affordable for the quality!

5. The breezy top of the summer: This white collared top is more breathable than a t-shirt, but looks so much more put together. Pair with denim shorts, a skort, linen pants, or a twirly skirt.

6. The best whipped body cream: RIP! I accidentally packed this whipped lavender body cream in my carry-on instead of my suitcase and it is now in a trashcan at the Dulles Airport. Will be getting again to replace my loss.

7. Leather bowler bag: Joyn really did make the easiest summer bag to tote around. Plus, it looks like a baguette, which is something I want to be seen carrying!

JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

🍒 Let’s be internet friends, please! @ jennaisfeeling

🪄 Get more inspiration

Working with brands and businesses helps me make this magazine dream come true! If I do work directly with a brand, I am very picky about it, and I disclose the partnership to you, my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives a small payment if someone buys a product from a recommendation. This helps fund future creative projects for this publication — thank you!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

Good morning and happy Monday to you! New York is aglow with a Knicks victory in a way that is palpable in the air. Everyone seems to have a pep in their step, including the multiple dogs I’ve encountered fully clad in Knicks jerseys on their neighborhood walks. Patios are full, summer flowers are blooming, and the city feels more vibrant than ever.

I write often about embracing the seasonality of life. Out of curiosity, which season is your favorite?

As you might surmise from some of my posts, I am a champion of summer. It’s the season of vivid color, cold water, more sunshine, delicious food, and increased gatherings. Even though I work year-round, it still feels like summer vacation to me when June comes around. I find myself more serious about leisure. More bubbly drinks. More reading for pleasure. More exploring. Something about the slow-to-set sun is like an elixir to me.

Feeling: Summer Vacation

How to Make Your House Feel Like a Vacation Home

I’ve been curious if there is a way to foster the feeling of vacation in my own space. I spend most days working from home in a tight one-bedroom apartment. The sun cooks the sidewalk outside while I’m writing on the computer running up the AC bill — which doesn’t necessarily elicit the magical feeling of summer.

I’ve tried out some new practices, decor changes, and found practical ways to make any home — whether a small apartment or a big house full of small children — feel like it’s your vacation home. I’m excited to share my findings below:

1. Accessorize with Abandon

Let’s identify a truth. Most vacation homes have design choices that are a bit weird. Usually, a beach house rental is not firstly described as “tasteful.” It’s more shall we say…eccentric? You’d likely never pick a wooden mountain lion carving for your regular home, but in a summer home, it somehow makes sense. It is the sign of vacation. These quirks are excepted as part of the vacation experience, whether that be large fish art, shell decor, a dolphin shower curtain, or a googly-eyed puffer fish.

Vacation homes have a distinct freedom to accessorize with abandon. It’s expected. For better or worse, the irreverent cheeky decor pieces do make it feel like a summer vacation. I’m not suggesting a mounted swordfish necessarily, but that you micro dose this concept into your space. What pieces do you already have that are quirky and bold? Do you own any dishes, objects, or decor pieces that feel like summer? An old Gurgle Pot? Anything funky animal-shaped? A bold color? It is time to pull these pieces out of hiding and put them on display for summer.

If you don’t have anything funky stashed away, a trip to the thrift store or a local craft fair is going to be your best bet for finding pieces that feel vacation-forward yet still livable. The goal is the piece makes you smile a bit when you pass it.

2. Brew Iced Tea Daily

In Florida, all summer long (which is all year, to be clear), your fridge has a freshly brewed pitcher of iced tea. This is the rule. I grew up visiting my grandparents, who always had a pitcher of iced sweet and unsweet tea at the ready.

I found an iced tea brewer that allows me to combine that deeply rooted feeling of home with my love for loose leaf teas.

Batch-brewing iced tea will change you. You will always have a treat in your fridge that is much more fun to make, better for you, and less expensive than a million cans of other little drinks. This flash chill iced tea pitcher allows you to brew a big pitcher of tea quickly.

I use it with chamomile (add lemonade in there and boom!), iced earl grey (for iced london fogs), chai (iced chai lattes), strawberry oolong, etc. Brewing a flavor each week is a life-enhancing practice! I still get all my loose leaf teas from my favorite tea shop back home, Tebella. My mom took me for tea when I was twelve, I formed a newfound identity as a tea drinker in that instant, and I’ve never been able to find a better shop. It’s the best.

If you are looking for something more creamy, but still quick to make: I have a newfound recommendation! Clevr’s Strawberry Matcha and Chai Chill blends are a delightful kitchen edition. Simply scoop, top with milk, froth, and add ice. I am very particular about things tasting too-powdery, sweet, etc. But I am craving the strawberry matcha every morning now; a new summer tradition.

3. Make Summer Salads a Main Course

Big, giant salads are an essential part of summer. Visit the farmers market for the freshest, darkest green leafy vegetables you can find, and get creative with combinations. Snap peas, beets, rhubarb, homemade sourdough croutons, green beans, okra. Balance crunch, tang, with sweetness. Invite friends over for big salad nights.

Serve in a large ceramic or enamel bowl with a decorative serving set. I think an essential hosting piece is your signature serving utensils — make them fun! This spiral set from small business is a summer hosting staple. (You can also get them engraved which would be a really lovely housewarming or wedding gift!)

Something about a fresh salad feels like a summer indulgence.

4. Make your bed a coastal oasis with striped sheets

Striped sheets make an instant coastal oasis at bedtime. Add a fiction book and you are practically inside a seaside bed & breakfast. If you’ve got striped sheets, put them through the wash and bring them out for the season to create that beachside feeling.

I find myself cozied up and reading books more frequently in the summer, so a lightweight bedding set is necessary for beating the heat but still staying cozy. The striped percale sheets from Parachute actually breathe! My bedding feels soft, cool, and airy. I paired the striped blue percale sheets, and the adobe striped duvet cover for a summer look.

A few other ideas for making the bedroom like a coastal cottage: wash the sheets in a lavender detergent (I like the concentrated one from Seventh Generation), play music in the bedroom throughout the day, thrift some ocean painting with thick oil paint, keep the windows open, and keep a carafe on the bedside table.

5. Add interesting pattern and texture to your lights

Think tiki room: glowing lamps, interesting shapes, funky lampshades, and amber glass throughout.

I wanted to soften my lights, but since I am in a rental and cannot hardwire a new overhead light, I used a Tulip cover to create an interesting lighting feature. The canvas cloth covers the overhead light, producing a warm glow and focal point for the room. The new “blurry floral” pattern feels especially like summer.

Consider warming up your lamps with fresh bulbs or the classic colored scarf drape (LED bulbs only). The Goodwill lampshade isle usually has something interesting to consider, if you are up for a project. Sew on tassels, paint a pattern, or otherwise add a crafty upgrade to your current lighting to produce the feeling of a warmly lit evening at a summer house.

6. Transport to the beach through scent

Okay, all my tips have been fun so far but this one is the most serious summer house tip I have. If you actually want your space to feel like a vacation home, it has to smell like one!

There is a fragrance that can instantly transport you to the beach mentally. I first discovered Vacation sunscreen back in 2023, when I grabbed a whipped bottle of sunscreen, took it to Anna Maria Island, and my summer nostalgia grew tenfold. I have the perfume now too, and it is truly the closest scent to summer I have ever found. Sometimes I wistfully sniff it while it’s snowing outside.

Naturally, I did a backflip when I found out they put their signature scent into a buffing bar in a collaboration with Soft Services. The soap bar has some grit to it, which makes it an excellent exfoliant (great for beach legs) and the smell will transform your bathroom into summer trip. I currently have an unwrapped bar of this soap sitting on my living room bookshelf to make my space smell like Vacation. That’s how serious I am.

The soap bar comes as a two pack and makes a fabulous gift for anyone you are summering with (the soap packing would look cute with a twine ribbon and thoughtful note). I’d add to your list the body lotion to hydrate after exfoliating — it saved my skin this winter, and will save it from sandy-beach-related dehydration too. And finally the hand cream (which serves as a jewelry dish too) is a lifesaver for nighttime hydration repair, and coincidentally smells like a summer resort to me.

7. Put fruit on display, everywhere + bring out the summer reads

The most underrated home decor is fruit. It’s useful, inexpensive, and visually impactful. Pull out some bowls you already have and put lemons, oranges, and citrus on display throughout your space. Enjoy for a while, and then make refreshing iced lemon water. Repeat.

Additionally, go through your bookshelf and begin to pull out and books that feel like summer to you. Put those on display! Use on your coffee table, prominently facing out on the bookshelf, or in a decorative corner. This could be topical, or based on vibrant color, personal memories, or just because a book cover takes you to a summer place in your mind.

8. Open the windows!

Finally, open the windows every morning for a gust of summer energy. In the cool evenings, prop a window open for a bit after dinner and let the breeze in.

To tie together all the summer feelings, I’ve made a playlist that feels like a vacation home:

I asked readers of Feeling! “What makes your house feel like summer?” And here is what you said:

✸ : “Flowers, lots of sunlight, linen kitchen cloths, light colors and curtains.”

✸ : “Going on an early morning walk to try to get outside before the heat of the day. Iced teas of all varieties. Growing up in the south we always had sweet tea in the fridge. Now I make hibiscus ginger lemon tea and it’s perfect for hot days.”

✸ : “Flowers, watermelon and windows open.”

✸ : “Peaches from the peach truck!!!”

✸ : “dinner al fresco under the patio lights, lightning bugs flickering, summer breeze, dinner from the grill, the smell of flowers from the garden.”

✸ : “We don’t have a backyard or balcony as we live in an apartment. So we take our dinners and eat them on the roof.”

✸ : “Fruits and veggies sitting on the kitchen counter.”

✸ : “Open windows and a fresh breeze rolling in. Dining alfresco. Falling asleep to the sound of crickets.”

✸ : “This doesn’t happen so often now that my kids are older, but I love seeing beach towels drying on the deck railing. Colorful reminder of sweet moments on a beach or at a pool.”

✸ : “Open windows and late night breezes. the sound of crickets as you’re falling asleep.”

✸ : “Tuning the Aga off for the 12 seconds that summer in England actually lasts and then putting it back on again with relief.”

✸ : “My farmers market haul on the counter, fresh flowers and the fruit jams I make with in season fruits that I love to throw into my iced matchas for a little sweetness.”

✸ : “Touches of lemon: scent, decor, in the fridge, wherever!”

✸ : “The blinds open (grew up in a mosquito-heavy region, so windows fully open wasn’t an option lol), the doors constantly opening and closing as people ran inside and out, and music playing on the TV.”

✸ : “Drinking my coffee in the yard before everyone wakes up. Cleaning sticky ice pop from my daughter’s water table and filling it up each morning as I water the plants. Pool towels drying on our Adirondack chairs.”

✸ : “Sunscreen finger prints from my kids on the sliding glass door.”

✸ : “My screened porch and listening to the birds with a nice espresso before the world wakes up!”

✸ : “Watermelon, popsicles in the freezer, frisbee in the yard, fruit salads, and fans going.”

✸ : “Hanging out on the porch after dinner. Eating outside. Good tomatoes.”

✸ : “Waking up with the sun and the birds that are singing in the trees blooming with delicate white blossoms outside my window. Summer fruits in perfectly vibrant hues of red, golden, and bright pink, juicy and sweet. picking cherries and eating them straight from the tree. Long nights sitting out on the back porch, barefoot and reclined, talking with loved ones until the sky fades to deep orange. A fizzy drink after a long run in the sunshine. Waking up knowing that each day will be beautiful and holds potential for great joy.”

✸ : “Homegrown flowers in little vases around the house!”

✸ : “Tomatoes, fresh flowers, clothes /swim suits on the line , popsicles , color pallet: blues/creams/yellows/sage, iced drinks on the deck, evening firefly appreciation.”

✸ : “Slightly musty, slightly damp towels thrown everywhere that smell like sunscreen upon closer inspection.”

✸ And in the true words of , “The sound of the air-conditioning unit burning dollars.”

✸ I’ve made a “summer camp” course (because summer camp has a wonderful balance of structure and fun) that teaches you how to live creatively with ease in every facet of life. After completing this series, you will find a personal creative practice you can actually maintain, a collection of very joyful completed projects, tools for moving through fears, and a community of people on the same journey. The first class is out now!

✸ The Summer Reading Challenge is going strong! Email me at jenna@feelingpress.com with your completed list of books. Details about what type of books, how many books, deadline, and prizes can be found here.

✸ I am celebrating the launch of my first published work! My color dot calendar was picked up by a publisher and will be available for 2027. Sometimes online, things seem so simple, but in actuality, there were years of loss and confusion behind them. I shared more about the process of self-publishing for six years here. It's currently available for preorder on Bookshop and Amazon, but after July 21, it will be available in stores too.

✸ The inaugural round of pen pal matching is complete. If you applied, you will be getting a message (via Substack) from me shortly introducing you to your match! If you’d like to be a part of the next batch, make sure you are a paid subscriber and you will get an update when applications are out.

Subscribe now

Here are 7 Things I use, wear, and enjoy!

1. Sailor Necklace: For the full summer-on-a-boat-feeling (perhaps, despite actually being on a boat), this Joiana beaded necklace would pair so nicely with a striped top. I love every piece I have from this small business!

2. Lip Jelly: Tower28 released a lip-plumping gloss that actually works like magic. It’s like air conditioning for your lips! It’s an icy, tingling sensation that feels cool to touch and gives you a noticeable pout. I love the “Only Choice” and “Chill Heat” options.

3. Beach Body Wash: This lime and coconut body wash is an instant vacation in the shower. It smells and feels like the kind of wash that would be leisurely placed in the outdoor shower on the side of a family beach house. Tropical magic.

4. Only Human Perfume Milk: Noyz makes such lovely scents. This one feels like a warm vanilla with a bit of musk and is applied in a “milk” form. A drop or two will do — so the bottle will last forever. A fantastic signature scent investment.

5. Bob Hat: This little French hat is the perfect beach accessory because it covers your eyes juuust right as you read a favorite chapter book. A very Audrey-Hepburn-reads-by-the-shore type of look.

6. Magnet Frame: St. Bingo created a new collection of magnets that will turn your refrigerator into an ever-changing gallery of framed memories.

7. Coastal Interchangeable Charm Necklace: I have not found jewelry this fun in a long time. This necklace includes FIVE summery-coastal charms that you can interchange, combine, or use all at once. It is essentially like buying ten different necklaces for the price of one. Creative options abound!

✸ Back in 2020, I self-published a coloring book called “Pleasant Things.” I pulled some pages out for you to print and color at home. Feel free to share with friends, family, neighborhood kids, or anyone who could use a little something colorful to do this summer. (To save the image on phone: hold down with your thumb and a “save” option will pop up. To save on desktop: click image, and right click and “save.”)

JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

🍒 Let’s be internet friends, please! @ jennaisfeeling

🪄 Get more inspiration

Working with brands and businesses helps me make this magazine dream come true! If I do work directly with a brand, I am very picky about it, and I disclose the partnership to you, my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives a small payment if someone buys a product from a recommendation. This helps fund future creative projects for this publication — thank you!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

This is the first edition of something I’ve been waiting to build for you. The Feeling! Summer Camp series is a multi-week course, exclusively for supporting subscribers.

Over 1,000 readers joined my Summer Reading Challenge, and what I saw confirmed what I already suspected: you (like me) want projects that pull you away from the screen and into real life. You want to make things, maybe even with a sticker chart involved.

So I’ve made a “summer camp” course (because summer camp has a wonderful balance of structure and fun) that teaches you how to live creatively with ease in every facet of life. *Creativity not as an aesthetic, but a daily life-enhancing habit.

After completing this series, you will find a personal creative practice you can actually maintain, a collection of very joyful completed projects, tools for moving through fears, and a community of people on the same journey.

This is for working artists who want their creativity back, aspiring creatives who are having trouble getting started, and anyone who wants to reclaim the ease of making things like they did when they were a kid.

The camp will function like a cohort, with exercises, feedback, a shared collection of your work, and group projects! I’m offering it to paid subscribers only to make the space more personal. Here is a glimpse of the camp schedule, so you know what to expect:

And here are some features each lesson will include:

• Beverage Cart: A complimentary coffee or tea recipe for enhancing your at-home café

• Promptings: Topical questions for journaling

• Introduction to the Topic

• Lesson

• Assignment: A hands-on way to master the subject

• The Gallery: Sharing work from readers

• Group Project: Questions to debate and consider together, bringing stronger connections together

Before February, I was an entrepreneurship and design-thinking teacher and curriculum writer. I started in the classroom with middle and high school students, helping them understand the principles of being a designer and developing their own creative ideas into sustainable small businesses (we even made a student-run coffee shop). After moving to New York, I continued working for the program as a curriculum writer after receiving a grant to write the curriculum for what we had cultivated in the classroom.

All this to say, I have been missing using this part of my brain, and was thinking about ways my experience in education could benefit my readers.

The idea struck, as they often do, suddenly and without warning. I knew I should make a series teaching a lifestyle of creativity. I hear from readers that you don’t want to buy more things or pin idealistic visions, but long for a practical how to live creatively. So I am using my background in curriculum writing and teaching to get back in the classroom. With you!

This course is designed to serve you well, from lesson one to the finish line! You can hop in and out of topics as they interest you throughout the series. However, I recommend completing the full course, as each lesson builds on the previous to reach the ultimate objective: developing practical, repeatable skills for a lifestyle of creative living. It is going to be an incredible time, and I am so excited to create alongside you.

I will jump into lesson one today! This is accessible to all paid subscribers.

Combatting Perfectionism through Creative Journaling

Materials needed today:

• One journal

• One really great pen (but more colors permitted, of course)

• Your most powerful mug

• Matcha powder

• Earl Grey tea leaves

• One kettle

• A small whisk

• Imagination

Read more

Good morning and happy Monday! I’m ending a back-to-back spree of hosting family this season. Early spring in New York brought a wave of family visitors, which is a great excuse to eat at all my favorite restaurants.

My husband’s birthday is in May, and it’s my favorite holiday. Months ago, in passing, he mentioned what a special time it was in his life when all his siblings were under one roof and would sit on the couch on weekend mornings and play a video game together. It’s a time that’s over now, he remarked wistfully. His older sisters have young children, and his younger brother is newly married and finishing school.

Perhaps it would be over if he had not married a member of the sentimental birthday mafia.

Secretly, I called up each of his siblings, and they all agreed to show up at our apartment door unannounced to be with their brother on his birthday weekend. It was the surprise of a lifetime, and perhaps as the family grows and evolves, an opportunity that will not present itself again.

Connor does this thing where he malfunctions a bit when he’s surprised, and this gives me some sort of fuel for living. I had them wait in the lobby of our building and arrive in five-minute increments so the surprise just kept going.

We played games on the couch, like they did growing up. Card games, birthday cake, and coffee shop visits followed.

It’s been a redemptive spring, full of a busy pull-out couch and lots of washing towels and sheets.

Hosting comes with cleaning. And I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of “spring cleaning.” Why does the season prompt a clean-out instinctively? Even if it wasn’t a cliche, I think I’d still randomly start purging and deep cleaning with the close of winter. Why?

Today, I’ve organized real-life incredible cleaning tips from you (thank you!), created a cleaning supply index, and made two vastly different playlists for your next cleaning lock-in.

I made some printable summer bucket lists for you! They are all the same (with different color options) for your choosing.

I’ve also made some color palettes for sprucing up your digital calendar for summer. Here is a YouTube tutorial detailing how to actually change the colors of your calendar. I frequently put new palettes out in the “Notes” section of Substack, which is a great reason to browse on the app.

One of the perks of being a paid subscriber to Feeling! is a monthly collection of phone and desktop wallpapers. I am a big proponent of leaning into seasons. And each month marks a refresh for your digital spaces, too. If you are a paying subscriber, I will have the full June wallpaper collection for you in the chat today. For everyone else, here is a teaser of one desktop wallpaper and one phone wallpaper. Feel free to save and use — a little summer gift to you!

Subscribe now

FEELING: CLEAN!

Welcome to the spring cleaning edit. If you have the itch to purge, clean, and re-orient your space this season, you are not alone. At its best, the process of cleaning can feel cathartic, and dare I say, creative. Readers of Feeling! have incredible advice for making cleaning feel less like a chore.

Cleaning Tips from Readers of Feeling!

Q: Does anyone have any housekeeping or cleaning secrets they are willing to dish?

On Structuring Cleaning Rhythms:

✸ : “I have all of my daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly chores programmed into a spreadsheet, then converted it to the daily calendar that gives me a checklist of what I need to do every day. Then I don’t have to use my brain at all to think about the million housekeeping items!”

✸ : “I have only a couple of things as someone who has grown up with a clean-freak mother (love her sm) and has adopted the clean-freak mindset:
- baskets/bins are an actual lifesaver!!! Also, pretty shopping bags can be fun to put stuff in!
- I use Notion for all my organizing stuff, and that goes for cleaning too. I have a whole weekly and monthly checklist, and have recently added a nightly “closing shift” into my routine.”

✸ : “I try to clean one thing each day of the week so I can enjoy my weekends and not use up an entire day for chores.”

✸ : “The five-minute rule: if it takes five minutes or less to do, do it right away! It makes tasks less overwhelming and clears the ‘to-do list’ cluttering the background of my mind (think making the bed, unloading the dishwasher, putting away laundry from a drying rack, tossing old food from the fridge, etc.)
- have a weekly rhythm for laundry
- make the bed every single day—it’s the easiest way to make a room look instantly clean (same goes for propping up pillows and folding blankets on a couch)
- have a home for everything—that way, everything has a place to go rather than creating miscellaneous visual clutter.”

✸ : “I used to try to clean the whole house in one day, usually sacrificing an entire weekend. After growing careers and growing children, that was just not an option. Every day I try to clean one thing. Everyone in the house gets something too. We are an equal opportunity household! I’ve had to let go of my perfectionism so that I could actually enjoy my home and my life. Nothing is typically clean all at the same time, but it gets done, and my kids learn life skills in the process.
A few things I live by:
-Keep bath cleaner and shower scrubbers in the bathroom. I scrub the bathtub before I get in, and my husband is responsible for the shower. I wipe down my sink after I use it every day.
-Baskets for everyone’s stuff. They take it to their rooms and put it away, ideally daily, but I’ve relaxed on that a bit ;).
-The kitchen is, of course, the most used area of the house; we clean it every night and put the dishes away. It’s a group project, so it doesn’t fall on one person.
-Non-toxic cleaners, so I feel good about my kids using them.
-Every week, I try to get rid of five things. I know that sounds weird, but with five people in one house, two being children, there are so many random trinkets and items that accumulate. I always have a donate box by the garage door, and I fill it!”

✸ : “Really want to see this article as someone with ADHD and a tendency to make my house explode, but what I started doing since I know is
- doing things immediately, especially when they don’t take long (putting away dishes, taking out trash…)
- Do small parts every day instead of doing a big clean at the end of the week. The big clean makes me feel overwhelmed and exhausted
- Get a cordless vacuum cleaner, it makes things so much easier
- Make cleaning nice: I got myself a carry basket with the supplies that makes it easy to carry.
- Make cleaning easy: have supplies in different parts of the house (I have separate supplies in my office to make it easy to clean the space and the end of the week)
- For short spurts, I use timers and try to be faster than the timer. I also like to use a D20 dice to keep the amount of time random, so it keeps changing up”

✸ : “I used to stick to the schedule my grandmother followed:
Monday - Laundry
Tuesday - Ironing-I used to pick another chore since I didn’t have a lot of ironing, or you could fold clothes that day
Wednesday - Mending-I don’t need to do much mending, so that day is for things like making appointments & doing household paperwork, etc.
Thursday - Marketing-I save all my errands for that day
Friday - Baking/Food prep
Saturday - Cleaning
Sunday - Day of Rest
It really works! You feel like you accomplished something at the end of the day because you only focused on one thing.”

On Cleaning Tools:

✸ : “A good set of gloves motivates and makes me feel unstoppable (particularly for the toilet, my least least least favorite!!)”

✸ : I love the baking soda + lemon kitchen sink wash, and boiling water down the drain to kill any gnats!

✸ : “Ditto to this but use the baking soda/lemon juice combo to get sticky labels off of glass jars to reuse them 🍋 no more impulse cups or glasses purchases lol.”

✸ : “My husband recently bought a cleaning brush attachment for our drill to scrub the stubborn hard water spots off our glass shower door. I was skeptical at first as it felt a bit over the top, but…it has been a game changer!”

✸ : “I have a handheld blower that uses a drill battery. I blow everything from top to bottom as my first step of cleaning. Crumbs on the counter onto the floor, fallen petals from a bouquet, dust or hair on woodwork, dog hair off the leather couch, and it will even blast non-embedded hairs off pillows. Dust on the toilet seat or leftover hairs in the bottom of the shower are blown out of the shower. Pollen off my grill, dust off my dashboard and car screen, the list goes on! I blow my dog outside after a good brush. I can’t stop blowing. Then everything is loose on the floor and ready to vacuum!!”

✸ : “Minimal cleaning products for the majority of my cleaning efforts: a refill box of Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap to make all-purpose spray in a reusable glass bottle, baking soda, and vinegar, gets nearly every job done without chemicals and with minimal waste.”

✸ : Swifter all areas like baseboards blinds and furniture anything with dust then take use really hot water in a bucket with your cleaner of choice and wring out a cotton rag that’s all cotton (not a microfiber cause it collects debris and holds on to it and causes scratches) it out really well to wear it’s damp then wipe the area then follow with a soft dry rag to wipe if needed. Also, never wear shoes in your house, it ruins your floors, and always wear slippers cause the oils on your feet will ruin your carpet. If you do this, your carpet will stay pristine for yrs.

✸ : If you have pets, get a robot vacuum. It’s incredible how much cleaner the entire house feels.

✸ : “I bought one of those Bissell steamers, and it makes cleaning the showers MUCH faster and easier. There’s a grout attachment for scrubbing and a squeegee for the glass doors.”

✸ : “I leave a scrubby brush with a soap compartment attached to the top of it in my shower (see photo attachment of this one I got from IKEA for 2 euros). Every time I have showered and the shower is steamy, I quickly give it a scrub down and a rinse. It cleans it so much faster and easier and keeps it at a general level of cleanliness, which means that in between your deep cleans, it is still sparkling, shiny, and hygienic! Highly recommend!”

✸ : “OH my coworker told me to wipe baseboard with a DRYER sheet, and it puts a dust-resistant layer on it to prevent dust from coming back, so you have to do it less often.”

On mindset:

✸ : “It’s often the little extra tasks we keep putting off that actually make home FEEL clean — wiping down the baseboards, cleaning the bottom of the oven, dusting the top of the fan, wiping down the whole microwave. But once I do these, I realize they took far less time than I thought and make my home feel so much better!”

✸ : “Clean the kitchen every night before bed, no matter what!”

✸ : “The FlyLady taught me that I can do anything for 15 minutes. I shortened that to 5 minutes. When I’m tired, stretched thin, and just want to decompress, I tell myself 5 minutes. 5 minutes of loading the dishwasher or putting away laundry. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in 5 minutes!”

✸ : “I set a timer on my phone for 10 minutes and power through any chores that will make the space feel better. Empty dishwasher / tidy & wipe down counters / put a load of laundry on. It’s amazing what a timer does to give you a motivation deadline!”

✸ : “High to low: start with cleaning what’s high up, then move to lower surfaces. Works especially well for me when cleaning bathrooms. For example: start with mirrors, then countertops, then trash cans, and lastly, toilets. It’s a game-changer for me, especially cleaning at the restaurant I work at.”

✸ : “I’m someone who has struggled to adult in this way. But one thing that works for me is using the time the coffee is brewing in the morning to pick up the house. Just putting papers away and shoes back where they belong, etc. It helps!”

✸ : “I like to have ‘cleaning parties’ with my husband where we light a candle, play some music, have a fun drink, and clean! My college roommates and I also used to do this every week, and it makes things so much more fun:)”

✸ : “My washing machine has a short program of 30 minutes. I start it, and then I convince myself that I have guests arriving when the washing machine ends the cycle :)) it works, I do it fast, without thinking and without taking breaks, 3-4 times per week. is not perfect, but it works :)))”

✸ : “For the 5-10 minute bursts, I like to put the kettle on to boil instead of just setting a timer - it adds an element of surprise to when exactly the burst is over! Plus, I make tea or coffee after. And on the weekends, I have “puttering time” which is for putting things away, doing minor repairs/upgrades, or whatever other little thing will make my home a tad better!”

✸ : “After a shower, while the bathroom is still a little steamy, use whatever washcloth or towel is ready for the laundry to wipe down surfaces. Just that little bit of dampness and the cloth is often enough to tackle most surface grime and makes a soap/cleaning spray necessary less often.”

✸ : “My current cleaning hack is to regularly have people over haha. It’s the best way to motivate me to *thoroughly* clean the house!”

✸ : “Realise this isn’t for everyone since some people like a maximalist aesthetic, but my husband and I have spent years purging our belongings. We just moved back to London and sold SO MUCH STUFF while packing. For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel the weight of needing to tidy up because there just isn’t anything to tidy up. Can 100% recommend simply letting go of that extra stuff cluttering your space. It has been freeing.”

Granna’s Advice:

Sorry to you all, but I do have a favorite reader of this magazine, and it is my Granna. I asked her for her cleaning wisdom, and she delivered:

‘Everyone needs a Buddy....Grandpa is mine....always helping...inside and outside.

My advice...deep clean one or two rooms at a time as you lightly pick up and tidy up the other rooms.

Sometimes I will set the timer for 30 minutes (sometimes less) and fly through room to room just doing the most important thing in each.

Don’t have a designated chore day...just keep at it day by day.😊😉 its worth it. Clean and order are both good for the soul.💕”

Playlists for Maximum Cleanliness:

I’ve made two playlists with incredibly different vibes for your next cleaning party.

Cleaning Supply Index:

1. Preston Lane Palazzo No29 All-Purpose Spray: Absolute cherry-scented perfection. I think Preston Lane cleans my kitchen counters the best, and it never leaves a smudge.

2. Method Wood Mop Spray: Another cherry-almond scent that I have always found to make my floors shine, and make the entire house smell amazing.

3. Ouai x Dedcool Laundry Detergent: Rose-forward laundry concentrated formula that leaves my clothes smelling like a beach vacation.

4. Koala Eco Kitchen Counter Spray: Actual citrus magic, for making it smell like you just cut open a fresh orange any time of the day.

5. Dirty Labs Concentrated Detergent: A power-pusher for stains with a coastal scent. Incredible for transportation if you visit a laundromat or are going on a trip.

6. Seventh Generation Lavender Laundry Concentrate: A homey favorite that always gets stains out and makes my space smell amazing as linens are tossed in the dryer.

1. Koala Eco Bathroom Cleaner: A natural way to keep the bathroom fresh.

2. Preston Lane Terrace View Dish Soap: An incredible scent that feels unique and smells more like a luxury home fragrance than a cleaner. I love the squeeze bottle!

3. Spring Laundry Detergent: A woodsy-leaning, refreshing scent that makes my clothes smell like they are from a sophisticated clothing store.

4. Beach Sage Laundry Detergent: Classic detergent for making your clothes and linens smell like a never-ending vacation. Balanced and not floral. Gets stains out.

5. Xtra Milk Laundry Detergent: A light fragrance that lingers in the fabric of your home. My favorite scent.

6. Room + Linen Spray: To embellish linens, I follow up the detergent with spritzes of this spray to make the scent really come to life!

✸ The Scholastic Book Fair is soooo back. Over 1,100 readers have signed up for the Summer Reading Challenge! What does it entail? Read 15 fiction books before the end of July, fill them out on the form included in this article, and email it to jenna@feelingpress.com to be entered to win a very spectacular prize. The prize includes a very generous gift from Book of the Month. Join the challenge and learn more here. Readers, how are you doing on your goal? *You can enter the challenge for 15 books, and also enter your kids for 30! Hope it makes summer even better!

✸ I had the joy of launching a new series interviewing designers, small business owners, and artists that I admire. Each interview will include a beautiful video as well, so you can actually see inside the lives of these incredible makers. My first interview went live on Friday with Shae Studio. I had the privilege of exploring her little Italy apartment, where she handmade ceramic lava lamps. Meet Shae here.

✸ I am celebrating the launch of my first published work! My color dot calendar was picked up by a publisher and will be available for 2027. Sometimes online, things seem so simple, but in actuality, there were years of loss and confusion behind them. I shared more about the process of self-publishing for six years here.

Thanks to your kindness and support, it's currently the number one best seller and the “Calendar” category on Amazon! I'm learning a lot about publishing, and now know pre-orders are essential for book shops to see demand, so they will order your product. And so I cannot thank you enough for your early pre-orders and kind words. I am blown away! It's currently available for preorder on Bookshop and Amazon, but after July 21, it will be available in stores too. I will need your help hunting them down because I will have no way to see where it will end up! (The great Feeling! summer book store scavenger hunt, anyone???)

Here are 7 Things I use, wear, and enjoy! (By the way, have I ever shared the inspiration behind the name of this section?)

1. Cropped Jeans: The best way to do summer denim is a light cropped jean! This pair from Sezane is the perfect blend of light stretch but structured shape. I love pairing this wash with ballet flats or sandals.

2. Beachy Bag Charm: I've been looking for the perfect summer trinket bag charm to add a pop of color to my darker leather bags. It is my favorite season after all, and I want it to feel like Summer in every aspect of my life while it lasts! This paracord bag charm from Bauble Bar features a gold fish and a pearlescent shell charm for a subtle beachy feel.

3. Shorty Pinky Sweater: This piece from the small brand Du & Berry might be my favorite summer top! It's a soft, lightweight cashmere top with a super fun bow accessory at the collar. It actually comes with both a gray and a pink string for an interchangeable accessory. I am blown away by the quality, but also how breezy it feels even when it's hot outside. I've found it to be perfect for events where I want to dress up a bit more, but don't wanna sweat.

4. MOOOOO SHOES: Cow pattern mules are on my summer wish list! This pair from the New York brand, Margaux, absolutely feels like a seasonal staple!

5. The Cast Iron Game Changer: I've recommended it before, but I want to emphasize how much this cast-iron pan has changed the game in the kitchen for me. I am not sure about the science of this, but I feel my food tastes better when I use it! The pop of color is a fun feature on the counter. And truly, the best over-easy eggs I've ever made come from this surface.

6. Photo Frame Bag Charm: Small business, Have a Nice Day, created a photo frame bag charm so you can interchange feature photos and hang them on your bag. This would be a perfect gift for someone to capture a favorite memory, and definitely an incredible back-to-school gift for high school, middle school, and college students who want to hold onto a summer memory.

7. The Best White T-Shirt Ever: I now have two of these white t-shirts from Sézane, so I always have one to wear! It's a 100% cotton tee, and the best white t-shirt I’ve ever owned. My reasoning: the fit is flattering, the fabric is thick, so it doesn’t get all weird and see-through-y, and the sleeve and neckline hems have a slight scallop. Will be wearing it every day this summer.

   ---

Later this week, a new series will launch about creating a lifestyle of creativity! Just in time for summer! Can’t wait to share more!

JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

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🪄 Get more inspiration

Working with brands and businesses helps me make this magazine dream come true! If I do work directly with a brand, I am very picky about it, and I disclose the partnership to you, my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives a small payment if someone buys a product from a recommendation. This helps fund future creative projects for this publication — thank you!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

When thinking about the long-term impact of my magazine, I wish to see a wake of small businesses positively impacted by the publication. I want to connect you to artists, designers, and dreamers who are making tangible beauty. And I hope you will choose to support them in any capacity — from leaving a comment here about their work (that they will certainly read!) to following them, to purchasing their work and loving it forever! It is a difficult and demanding path to be an entrepreneur.

If there is anyone who can show them warmth, genuine encouragement, and enthusiasm, I know it’s the readers of Feeling! Please work your magic!

Welcome to the first edition of the re-imagined Design Digest column. I hope reading and watching it feels like a perfectly-temperatured latte of your choice. Cozy up, and let me introduce you to Shae!

The Chinatown market was abuzz as usual on a weekday morning. Rolling carts and produce baskets filled the street while the mist from a vendor hosing down plants filled the cold air. I watch as the markets come alive, and we cross the street.

Connor carried the camera, while I wrapped the tripod in my arms. Our heavy coats shuffled loudly up flights of mosaic-tiled stairs in a red brick building in the heart of Little Italy. When the apartment door opens, color floods the hallway. My eyes adjust to the colorful landscape tucked behind the unassuming door, and my jaw drops slightly.

There is Shae, human sunshine clad in a pinstripe denim jumpsuit. Her handmade lace earrings dangle as she speaks, and warmth seems to radiate off of her as she kindly offers us water. Shae pivots slightly toward the kitchen, revealing Mooshu, a beloved rescue cat from Staten Island, on his perch on the corner of the couch. He allows me to stroke his head, and I feel honored. After I have thoroughly acknowledged Mooshu, my eyes wander through the apartment where every single item looks unique and handmade.

It is a wonder to walk in a space that feels like you’ve never seen any of the pieces before. I quickly realize this is because Shae has made nearly everything in the space herself — hand-sewn photo slide lighting fixtures, hand-stitched pillows, upcycled tables, and a small army of dancing ceramic lava lamps in every windowsill.

Meet Shae, the artist behind Shae Studio, and the creator of the most beautiful ceramic lava lamps you will ever see.

Here is a peek inside her magical world, and an exclusive look into how she produces her iconic groove tubes inside a one-bedroom apartment:

Assistant to the Chief of Surgery to Full-Time Artist

Shae grew up on Long Island with the dream of working in the medical field. She worked as an assistant to the Chief of Surgery at a cancer research hospital in New York. There, her days were full of technical precision and emotional heaviness, especially during COVID. Though she felt passionate about her work, the environment weighed on her and prompted her to consider what she wanted the rest of her life to look like.

Feeling a call toward creativity, she enrolled in night school to study graphic design and grad school for communications design. Shae describes herself as a “bad graphic designer” because every school assignment made her want to work with her hands instead of on the computer.

Her dad gave her a cheap lava lamp from the mall (Spencer’s, to be specific), which she had perched in her small apartment. She found herself staring at it constantly.

"I looked at this thing I was so enamored with and thought this has the potential to be so cool. There's nobody out there caring about the lava lamp and wanting to see it be the best version of itself."

As an experiment, she covered the base in air-dry clay to make the piece more sculptural. After posting a picture of the modified lamp online, her friends lined up to buy one. There was a gap in the market, she recognized.

And then the “Groove Tube” came to fruition.

Unexpectedly, a video she posted restoring a lava lamp her cousin found on the sidewalk took off online. Hundreds of people were asking for their own concrete lava lamp. She didn’t start out with a ten-year business plan. Sometimes, entrepreneurship is simply taking the next natural step forward.

So Shae got some pink rubber gloves and started building this business for real. Her first batch, made of solid concrete, launched in May of 2025.

Since then, every release she makes sells out within minutes.

A 500 sq. ft. One-Bedroom Apartment Becomes an Art Studio

Each lamp takes about four weeks to produce by hand. Combine Shae’s background in medicine and science with her artistic eye and “everything is figure-out-able” spirit, and you have Groove Tube magic.

She has the creative process down to a science, literally.

Concrete casting in the kitchen is first. She created her own silicone mold designs thanks to “YouTube University.” Hand-mixed concrete is poured into molds to harden for hours. The concrete forms air-dry in her apartment (resting on dice to prop them up) before she uses a custom-rigged sanding box to sand the concrete (also on the kitchen island).

Then the sealing and painting process takes place. She has a full palette of available colors for custom orders. Cozied up at her coffee table, she wires each tube by hand. Shae sees ugly cords as a design problem and makes cord covers from textile waste to complement each piece. She sews the salvaged textiles herself, of course.

Finally, like any good designer, she prototypes and tests her product. Lamps sit near her window for a couple of days so she can observe the flow of the wax and confirm that the color and movement look just right.

While the process is time-consuming and tedious, Shae is committed to keeping the joy of it all alive.

“A lot of people who hand-make things and find their product in demand hit a slippery slope of over-promising and then not liking the fun part anymore. I'm aware that phenomenon exists."

How refreshing to make something that does not have to scale. Not everything has to be manufactured. Not everything has to be huge. We can make because we love to make. We can set a limit on what we can physically produce, and stick with it, preserving the fun of the art itself. It was refreshing to hear her perspective in a world that says more more more!

“I still love making them and enjoying the process. That’s what I want to protect.”

How Objects Make a Space

After watching concrete be poured, and molds gently get burped for bubbles, we sat back down. Inspired, I dug a little deeper. Why objects? Why not furniture, or something more grand in the scheme of a designed space? Why do you think that objects are so important?

"Objects set the tone entirely. I was so guilty after grad school of furnishing everything from Ikea. Mass-produced pieces where you could find a similar apartment anywhere in the world. What attracts me to handmade objects is that your space feels unique and bespoke. The human touch is there."

I gaze around the room again. She’s right. Every piece has an interesting story, and therefore, the entire space feels distinguished by the narratives. Nothing is repeatable. She’s meticulously thrifted antique pieces, modified furniture herself, quite literally created her own decor, or purchased items from another artist. The process of making a home feel “human” does not have to be expensive, but it will take time.

We discuss how going slow with design ultimately creates a richer, textured home. I laugh and mention that throughout my life, I want to pick items in my home that my grandchildren will really want one day. Not because they are pricey, but because they have never seen anything like it anywhere else.

I think HGTV made us think we should move into a house, decorate it hastily, and then live in it for a very long time, exactly as we originally decorated it. But Shae draws out the conclusion that home can be much more interesting if we choose to make it so. A slow build-out is more flavorful.

“How do you select objects for your home?” I ask.

"You can't buy trendy. You have to buy lifetime: timeless. It's all gut. I look at it and feel joy. That's the filter."

Noting her small space, she adds,

“Everything has to have a purpose: to bring joy or be functional. The trick is storage, storage, storage, and resisting the impulse buys. Sometimes things are cute but they're not for you to live with."

Tips for Enhancing Your Space with Objects:

• Start with vintage. Thrift before buying new, and you will find pieces with history that no big box store can reproduce.

• Buy from artists. Just one handmade object with personality (like a Groove Tube!) can anchor an entire room.

• Be slow. The best homes are built over years (we all know this). Resist the narrative that they are built within weekends.

• Think heirloom over aesthetic.

• Consider function AND joy. If deciding whether or not to buy a piece, make sure it checks both boxes.

• Edit all the time. Your space can constantly change and grow, that’s an exciting thing!

• Cord covers are an underrated detail! Shae taught me this one for sure.

And now, the Hard-Hitting Magazine Journalism You’ve Been Waiting For:

How to Support Shea Studio

Shea’s website is the central hub for all her creative projects. Since she makes everything herself, you will order a product no one else in the world has. Completely one of a kind! They are released frequently, in limited quantities.

Whenever new Groove Tubes are released or custom Groove Tube orders open up, she announces via Instagram. Things sell out QUICK! So make sure to follow along to get your dream Groove Tube. I have an inside scoop that the next batch will release in mid-June.

If you admire her work, have become obsessed with a certain groove tube design, or something about her story inspired you, please leave her a comment here to read. I’d love for Shea to check the comments like they are fan mail!

Leave a comment

P.S. If you didn’t watch the video on your first pass through, go back and watch it to feel this story come to life. It’s so fun to see Shae in creative action (burping concrete molds).

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🪄 Get more inspiration

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

Happy Monday to you! Today, I bring exceedingly exciting news that I have had to keep to myself for way too long.

I am officially published! After six laborious years of producing my own calendar annually, I’m thrilled to share that a publisher has picked up the 2027 Color Dot Calendar!

It is now available for preorder at Bookshop, Amazon, Hudson Booksellers, Wal-Mart, and soon to be at Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Target.

Meet The Joy of Color, the most colorful calendar on the market, with a story of hope behind it:

At the end of 2019, I sold my first “Color Dot Calendar” in my stationery store with no idea that the world's landscape would shift at the start of 2020. The lockdown hit, and in its wake, my little store was shut down before it barely had a chance. I purged most of my inventory and decided to close up shop, but a rallying cry from customers came forth. They wanted another color dot calendar.

I guess in the midst of collective hardship, the monthly color palette flip brought a lot of people a lot of joy, and they didn’t want a year without it on their wall. The fact that anything I make could be a comfort to someone in their own space is the highest honor I could think of, so I figured out a way to keep it up.

The calendar is the sole tradition I maintained from my storefront, and the only physical product I have made for years. Despite no longer having a warehouse or a team to help, I’ve self-published calendars annually for 6 years to maintain the beloved “calendar club.”

I’ve bribed many a friend with pizza to pack orders. When I was a teacher, a group of high schoolers helped me ship them all after school for a week. I’ve filled every inch of my apartment with hundreds of prints, packing tape, and boxes until it was unlivable. My grandparents even packed and shipped orders with me last year. It’s been a great time, but also a costly one. Printing prices skyrocketed, and I had to raise prices steadily over the years just to break even. Last year, they were $40 plus shipping because I was a solo producer.

I am THRILLED to share that the price is now $16.99, because I have a group of publishers behind the product. I am so relieved to have reduced the price, and am more proud than ever about the quality of the product itself.

This year, the design is a more traditional square calendar with a smooth and durable print finish. Each month features a palette, a seasonal bucket list, and a full spread of dates with space to write within. It’s the best one I’ve ever made.

In addition, they will be available globally in stores! The calendar releases on July 21st, and then they will be out in the wild on store shelves.

I will need your help spotting them! I have no idea which stores and which regions they will appear in, but maybe we can make some sort of map together if you catch a glimpse of one on your indie bookstore run or local Barnes & Noble.

This is my first published work, so I am new to all the ins and outs, but I have learned one significant thing about the publication process. Although it feels a bit strange to preorder a calendar so far in advance, preorders are the most significant determining factor for booksellers to place an order. Basically, if a book (or calendar) has a good number of preorders, booksellers feel more confident about carrying it in their store.

So if you’d like to help my grand scheme of a mass color dot takeover, preordering is the best way to support! Plus, you’ll likely forget about your order and be delighted by your past self when it arrives at your doorstep in July.

I found a photo of myself and the first edition of the calendar, when I was 21 years old. I got a little emotional when I realized she and I still pick the same nail color. I wish I could tell her that things would get so much better.

A Note On Sticking It Out:

While it appears cute and colorful, the calendar process often felt like the farthest thing from cute and colorful. Six years of losses and few gains, late nights packing after a full-time job, deciding each year if I could swing it again, and navigating the annual emotional reminder that I no longer had the store I had started with.

I think much of the language on the internet, especially in the creative entrepreneurship space, makes frictionless, instantaneous growth seem like the dream path forward. So much so that when things were not easy, I thought I must have failed.

But I don’t think efficiency and creativity are all that compatible.

I guess I wonder if it were that simple, is it even worth doing? Going faster always appeals to me, and yet always produces something I’m not that proud of.

If it takes six years, is it worth it to me? What if it takes ten? Or twenty? Or more? And if I answer a resounding, brave, “yes,” then I have likely found the very thing I should keep doing

And in that case, I can feel that freedom. I have time. If work is challenging me, if it feels difficult sometimes, that is an indication that I am growing. And growth is supposed to feel like friction. Creativity is supposed to stretch you, embrace you, and challenge you once more.

At some point, probably in a puddle of tears, it finally clicked that the work had to be about the joy of doing it, not the results. (It’s still clicking, honestly. Working on not measuring myself in the metrics I make up for myself.) I love the act of writing this newsletter so much that if it disappeared overnight, I’d hope I’d pick it right back up because I love writing and designing.

Note to younger me: you don’t need to go faster, you only need to work. Be so absorbed in learning, trying, testing, and developing actual excellence in your skills that you don’t have time to compare yourself or your work to anyone else. Just make, and have peace about it. You have more time than you think.

Cheers to things that take time. Meals that aren’t instant taste a lot better.

And thank you to those who have diligently supported so many iterations of this colorful reminder of joy, my little calendar. Your delight compounds mine. There really isn’t anything more significant to me about work than knowing it is living with you and making you feel a sense of joy. That some color, some words, something I made gave you a moment of hope.

Celebrating a new chapter for the project with you, because of you!

✸ The Summer Reading Challenge is going STRONG! Over 950 readers have signed up to read 15 fiction books before the end of July in order to be entered to win a very spectacular prize. A new hint: the prize includes a very generous gift from Book of the Month. Join the challenge and learn more here. Readers, how are you doing on your goal? I’ve only finished one book so far, but it seems some of you are chugging through much quicker! Be sure to check the Feeling! chat for lots of reader recommendations and motivation. *You can enter the challenge for 15 books, and also enter your kids for 30! Hope it makes summer even better!

✸ If you are longing for summer, start in the kitchen. Here are some of my favorite recipes for making your home feel like a beach bodega (including a playist to really bring it all together).

✸ If you need some more encouragement about good things taking time, read this.

✸ When home feels a bit stagnant, or the summer heat is keeping you indoors, I wrote a guide for making your space feel more creative to help you set up your space for more imagination.

This week, I am taking you on a “7 Things We Love” adventure in my camera roll! A slice of life lately.

1. Birthstone Necklace: I found Joiana Jewelry online and was immediately enamored with the birthstone collection from their small business. I think the oval framing of the gem, with a beautifully vibrant color hugging it, felt so different than anything I’ve seen before! I have the ruby stone with the silver cuff. The package arrived with an adorable “make a wish” birthday candle. The whole experience would make a spectacular birthday gift.

2. Dual Colored Pencils: Why have one color when you can have two? The new Caran d’Ache x Paul Smith pencils glide like butter on the page. I’ve been taking the little tin of pencils, my sketchbook, and an iced chai to the roof to work on greeting card designs.

3. My first-ever press-ons: I keep my nails pretty short, so I didn’t think press-ons were for me. My friend Maddy took me to Chillhouse, and as we browsed beautiful designs, she said a sentence that changed my life: “You know you can just cut and file them?” No, I actually did not know that for some reason. That very obvious thought had never occurred to me in all my years. So here I am with a homemade $16 Chillhouse manicure that I can’t stop looking at.

4. Tortoise Shell Sunglasses: This is my friend Naz and I, waiting on the train on the hottest day of the summer so far. Unbeknownst to us leisurely folk, this was the day of the Coney Island Marathon. We couldn’t fit on a train because every square inch was packed with runners. So we let one pass, and were determined to sardine in the next. We survived smells we shouldn’t have had to. But I did get to sport the best pair of sunglasses in this unfortunate series of events. I absolutely love these frames from Krewe because they are timeless, durable, and I like seeing through the color of the lens (something I am picky about).

5. Bag of the Summer: The Joyn Bowler Bag is my favorite for toting around for a quick errand. It enhances every outfit I have! I also love Joyn’s brand story and learning about their making process. The interior of the bag is block-printed by hand on fabric in their workshop at the base of the Himalayas.

6. Chunky Shell Ring: I keep wearing this statement ring because, despite the NY rainy days, I am declaring it summer. Shells, salt air, and sunshine, please. It’s maybe the most compliments I’ve ever received on a piece of jewelry — and it’s only $28!

7. Breezy White Summer Top: This top has a big color, ruffles, and bows, so it’s very worth having in your rotation. I love pairing it with denim or flowy linen pants.

The Farmers Market Index

I need your expertise! Summer is almost here, and I am creating an index of farmers’ markets globally, with your best recommendations. You have good taste, so I need your help here.

I want to highlight and uplift small businesses that make incredible food you love. Please, briefly think of your very favorite market vendors, and then refer to the comments to contribute your entry.

Include: The city/location of the market, the name of the market if you know it, the name of the vendor, and what we should order from them. (The more entries you have, the better! The more details, the better!)

I am going to turn your assistance into a beautiful guide for easy reference in an upcoming publication.

Leave a comment

Thank you all for your thoughtful words. My favorite part of making this newsletter is talking to you directly. It means a lot to me when you leave a comment, thought, or feeling. Truly, the best place on the internet!

Thank you, Hailey Howe, for your lovely work on Feeling! Magazine Graphics! You made this Monday Letter magical! We will all miss you on your maternity leave!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

🍒 Let’s be internet friends, please! @ jennaisfeeling

🪄 Get more inspiration

Working with brands and businesses helps me make this magazine dream come true! If I do work directly with a brand, I am very picky about it, and I disclose the partnership to you, my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives a small payment if someone buys a product from a recommendation. This helps fund future creative projects for this publication — thank you!

Read more

The Feeling! Summer Reading Challenge

“I do not think there will be any novels or romances…in fifty or a hundred years from now. They will be supplanted altogether by the daily newspaper.”

— Jules Verne, 1902

Book of the Month recently published a study titled “Nobody Reads Anymore,” addressing the widespread assumption that Gen Z is the least-read generation.

Despite disparaging headlines, one look around a subway car, and you will see books filling the hands of twenty-somethings.

I saw voracious reading from a large number of my high school students in the classroom. Not to mention my own bookshelf, which is full of books I can’t wait to read.

I’ve had a hard time reconciling the data, reports, and flashy headlines about a reading crisis, when, generally, it seemed a lot of young people I encountered were buried in a book.

In their research, Book of the Month includes data detailing a history of generational literary panic (starting back in 1902) and concludes boldly, “Gen Z will read more—not less—than previous generations.”

How did they come to this conclusion? Some really interesting points:

• Americans are buying more fiction than at any time in history

  • “Readers across the country bought more than 762 million print books in 2025, according to Circana BookScan. That includes 184 million books in the adult fiction category alone—66 million above the 2019 count.”

• Brick-and-Mortar bookshops are so back

  • Over the last five years, the number of indie bookstores across the U.S. has grown by 70%, according Fast Company.

• #BookTok on TikTok has garnered 370 million+ views on TikTok, revealing that even in short-form content land, viewers are shopping for long-form media

After years of reading non-fiction primarily, I started to long for the feeling childhood books like the Tales of Despauraux or From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler gave me, and found myself in the fiction aisle of the bookstore.

Whatever your relationship with reading is, I’d like to transport us all back to the one place that made reading feel magical — the school book fair.

Remember the fragrance of Smencils, the rubber erasers shaped like puppies, and the take-home catalog of the book for sale you circle and highlight with anticipation (mostly horse books).

Better yet, do you remember participating in the summer reading challenge? Did your school do that? If you read a certain number of books, you’d get a free pizza. And that was all it took to get me to read books all summer. I’d like to bring that back.

Welcome to the Feeling! Magazine Summer Reading Challenge.

Anyone can enter. Participate by reading 15 books from now to July 31st and logging your reads in the chart below:

Feeling! Summer Reading Log

403KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Guidelines for the Challenge:

• The book must be fiction to count.

• Audiobooks are allowed.

• The reading log must be filled out with 15 books you actually read and DM’d or emailed to me by midnight EST, July 31st.

• Those who complete the challenge will win a small prize.

• Five people who complete the challenge will be randomly chosen to win a VERY unique prize. It might be the craziest Substack thing I have coordinated. Just trust me, it will be a nostalgic delight that you do not expect.

• One person who completes the challenge will be randomly chosen to win the ultimate prize. To be announced soon, but know it is insanely good.

• Accountability, check-ins, and book rec swaps will be happening in the Feeling! Group Chat via the Substack app. This is a communal challenge. You may make a new friend!

If you’d like to participate, sign up here.

And if you’d like to read more of Book of the Month’s fascinating “Nobody Reads Anymore” campaign, click here.

*Hot tip: Start by identifying a list of 20 books you want to read, and listing them on the log. That gives you a clear direction to complete the goal. It also gives you a chance to balance your list with different lengths of books (some shorter reads, some lengthy) so you don’t get discouraged at the get-go!

If you need a jumpstart on fiction titles, here are some of my personal favorites:

One Sentence Teasers:

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray: Set in a playful, lavish, aristocratic society, a man’s dark secret deteriorates his fanciful facade.

2. Theo of Golden: This story feels like a warm cup of coffee — an elderly gentleman changes a community forever through his persevering kindness.

3. Flashlight: A mysterious family drama spanning continents and decades, all beginning with a father who suddenly goes missing on a walk alongside his 10-year-old daughter.

4. Small Things Like These: Set in a snowy holiday landscape, an Irish man wrestles with the hypocrisy of his coal-mining town and his own family while contemplating whether or not to do the right thing, or what the right thing even is.

5. Daisy Jones & The Six: A reckless yet beautiful Daisy Jones is serendipitously paired with a rock band, “The Six,” to create sensational seventies stardom, but can they sustain the fame, drugs, and emotional dysfunction?

6. Pachinko: An epic historical fiction following a Korean family who immigrates to Japan in the 1930s. (Note: this one has some gritty stuff in it, but it is considered a masterpiece for a reason. Be mindful that it is not as light-hearted as other suggestions, but a significant and incredible read.)

7. Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A cozy coffee shop allows visitors to travel back in time, only for a brief moment.

8. Piranesi: An infinite labyrinth, with beautiful, infinite rooms to explore — but who else is there?

9. The Maid: Like Amelia Bedelia for grown-ups, this story follows a quirky and often lost Molly the Maid as she is the key witness to dark happenings at the Grand Regency Hotel.

10. *The Mysterious Benedict Society: Children take bizarre tests to become inducted into an institute for unique, curious students, but they discover something lurking underneath. (This is, perhaps, my favorite work of fiction of all time. If you are going to pick one from my list, I say read this one. I read it in 5th grade, then read it again recently, and it was even better as an adult. I LOVE the timeless, thoughtful writing style.)

I asked you all what your favorite fictional reads were, and put together the top ten of the most repeated answers:

I took all your answers and organized them into a spreadsheet, with the author’s name and any notes you provided about why you loved reading it!

For your reference, you can view the full spreadsheet of 100+ books here:

Book Suggestion Spreadsheet

The Trinket Section:

The best part of the book fair was actually the trinkets you did not need. I put together our very own trinket section to enhance your book fair experience:

1. Color duo pencils from Caran d’Ache have my color-selection seal of approval. I feel like it’s a set of highly curated colors that I always wished I had in my pencil pouch.

2. If you had to carry your need-to-read book stack in a tote, it should be this tote. The Alex Mill custom tote bag feels like it belongs in the aisles of an independent bookstore, doesn’t it?

3. This “do not disturb” bookmark would make a smile-producing gift for your friend who always has their nose to a new paperback.

4. Joiana makes phone wristlets with clear beads that appear like a decadent string of bubbles.

5. Every well-done trinket section has some arts + crafts. The best part about the Joyn block print kit is that you can use the set on ANYTHING. Mix colors to make your own custom hues. Invite friends over to make your own bookmarks, stationery, or journal covers together.

6. The rosette gift tags could be used to label your favorite books. Consider crowning some works of fiction “staff picks” on your bookshelf.

7. Serious book reading requires a change of scenery. Baggu makes this very handy padded picnic blanket, the best companion for beach or park reading hours.

8. In addition to a blanket, a little denim French hat couples well with a riveting mystery read in the sun.

9. Are you at the age where you have a favorite lamp company? Well, apparently, I am. Because everything Gantri designs catches my eye. This wavy lamp is my idea of a perfect nightstand reading light.

10. Cake erasers. I think that’s all I need to say.

11. The Gelato pen is the Levenger pen design I have! Without science on my side, I will just tell you it makes me write better.

12. Finally, in hoping to channel the feeling of a bookshop/café joint venture, use this Dona cardamom rose concentrate to whip up a signature latte. (Oh! I got a code for this one! Jenna25 for 25% off!)

1. Few things echo the feeling of a grown-up book fair like butter-shaped bookmarks. Never lose your place or your fix of dairy.

2. Small business, St. Bingo, makes adorable fridge magnet frames in all sorts of lovely color combinations.

3. A charm necklace is the trinket that births new, exciting trinkets. Joiana has a digital charm bar, where you can select any chain or necklace, and many beautifully designed charms. I am a big fan of the little fish and the birthstone.

4. If we ever establish a uniform journal for readers of Feeling!, it would look a lot like these metallic leather journals with star details.

5. Martina’s Tiny Store is a haven for trinket-loving and stationery fiends. The Library Card notepad is a fabulous way to embellish your personal book collection.

6. I am declaring this knit cardigan as the official sweater of the book fair. It’s on the list to accompany the stacks of books you will be reading, as there is no cozier option possible.

7. If you were a Smencil dealer in elementary school, I have exciting news for you. There is a sophisticated version of this wonderful scented pencil invention for adults. Caran d’Ache has a pack of premium perfumed pencils made in Switzerland. I have this exact set. I describe the scent as pine forest and delightful Oxford-style cologne.

8. Adorable small business, Have a Nice Day, makes precious photo frame keychains for your bag. Fill in with a photo booth picture or a favorite snapshot of your cat for a personalized bag accessory.

9. Levenger pens are my favorite premium pen without the luxury price markup. I absolutely adore their tortoise shell options, and personally use one for everything. They feel exquisitely waiting in my hand, and the ink glides smoothly on the page.

10. It is hard to imagine a trinket department without a chunky statement ring. The white shell ring from Bauble Bar is an affordable and lightweight option for finger flair.

11. It’s hard to read on the go without your fresh Earl Grey on the go. Fellow makes thermoses that do not spill in your bag and keep your drink iced or hot like you just picked it up from the coffee counter. This is the only thermos I will put in my purse, because I trust it.

12. I found an Etsy maker who produces colored leather journals with complete customization. Any color, band color, and a selection of adorable charms are available for embellishment.

✸ I made printable color palette notecards that help you piece together your spring wardrobe. It was SO fun to style outfits based on the color selections, and I hope it sparks some ideas for anyone who feels blah about seasonal dressing. Plus, the end of the article includes a big discount for Nuuly, the clothing rental company that all the featured pieces are from!

✸ Did you catch the new branding for Feeling! Magazine? I detail the creative process and reveal the full logo set and purpose behind the design here.

✸ Batch-brewing iced tea will likely change your kitchen forever. Here is a guide to making your own iced tea, and a recipe for yuzu chamomile iced tea for the summer.

✸ If you are planning a birthday soon, either for yourself or someone else, I have made a guide for making birthdays feel more magical to help you in the planning process.

A Poll About Modern Friendship

I am working on our matchmaking pen pal service and an editorial write-up on friendship. I have a poll about friendship that I would really appreciate your help with! I want to hear from you directly. Every answer is completely anonymous. If you have a chance to review the questions, it will help guide me in this process.

I appreciate your help! I have two questions in the comments, if you are willing to weigh in on your personal experience.

Leave a comment

My favorite part of making this newsletter is talking to you directly. It means a lot to me when you leave a comment, thought, or feeling. Truly, the best place on the internet.

Thank you, Hailey Howe, for your lovely work on Feeling! Magazine Graphics! You made this Monday Letter magical!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. Substack is nicer than Instagram, haha, I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

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🪄 Get more inspiration

Read more

Happy Monday to you! Today, I’m thinking about how sometimes, we bet on the right things. We took a gamble in hope, and we were right all along.

It is my seventh wedding anniversary today, May 4th.

We were married at an age that makes people gasp when I say it; quite young. But today, I sit and stare at the ring on my finger with joy and deep satisfaction that I bet on the right person. Sometimes, we just get it right.

Inevitably, our lives are full of betting on the wrong things; sometimes this comes as a horrible, unforeseen surprise, sometimes we should’ve known better. This is part of being alive. And while the times we get things wrong make for great television and riveting paperbacks, the times we nail a life-altering decision on the head don’t always get celebrated for the miracle they are. We should probably celebrate much harder when we pick the road that proves itself right — whether that be a person, a position, a place, etc.

I could write a million words about the person Connor is. His work ethic, his ever-growing stack of books & how carefully he reads each page, the smell of his coffee each morning, how he dances on a dance floor (with fervor), how he handles people who wrong him, how he cares for every living thing, his green eyes, the way he articulates thoughts with such care, and his hand reaching for mine in the crowded streets. But I’ll save them all for myself today.

I think about how many funerals we will hate to go to together. How many nights we will hold each other. How many times we will do our dishes. The homes we’ve never seen that one day we will thoughtfully arrange our things in. The color of our children’s eyes. The way our hair will turn grey and how we will have a quiet house, but all the same memories to relive.

I hope to do so many big, exciting things in my life. But the one I am most looking forward to is experiencing an ever-deepening lifelong love with him.

XO

Announcing a new look for Feeling!

Another thing I am betting on is Feeling! I’ve wanted to make a magazine since I was in elementary school, and last year decided the risk was worth taking. Feeling! has been on Substack since 2023, but last year I started pretending it was my job until it actually became my job. Despite this, I’ve never gotten around to actually developing a brand for the publication.

I am a graphic designer and have drawn plenty of logos for others, but for some reason, I never could get my own design down how I liked. I knew what I wanted, but sometimes you need a talented eye to help pull together your concepts because you are in too deep. So I asked, Hailey, who is my graphic design superstar and has been helping with Feeling!’s graphics since September, to take a stab at it. And she made everything more wonderful than I could’ve imagined. I’m excited to show you!

The design problems:

• I felt my current placeholder logo didn’t pack a punch. I wanted something more timeless. Something that would work in print, and across a few different business ideas I had.

• The colors were more playful than I wanted. I was ready to commit to my very favorite, red, in all its vibrant glory. I wanted red to lead the charge, and a muted blue to partner with it.

• I think I had just outgrown it — I felt disconnected from the design — and that means readers would too.

The inspiration:

• Vintage print Postcards

• Old movie credits

• Archival New York signs

• Print menu designs

• Antique greeting cards

The final results:

Hailey took all my pain points and all my inspiration and created something I absolutely love. Here is the new Feeling logomark:

We’ve maintained the “!” as the main character she is. The overall type is custom-made and unique to the publication. I want it printed on my forehead backwards so I can look at it every time I look in the mirror. I love it so much. I can see it on a print magazine! Can you imagine that? Here are the variations of the mark:

If you like it, tell Hailey in the comments! She is incredible!

As I was putting together this reveal, I thought through a few things I prioritized in the rebrand process that may be a timely help if you are working on your newsletter branding. Here they are:

• Start with inspiration outside of Pinterest, in order to preserve a unique vision. Start with art books, a trip to the library, a museum visit, or browsing packaging at an antique store. Take photos and save them together in an album!

• Good brand design answers these two questions: What is your business’s purpose? Who is your target customer?

• Articulate, in writing, who exactly your readers are. What do they like? What lights them up? What are their hobbies? You need to design for them, not for you. Make sure you have a thorough understanding of who you are trying to attract to your brand.

• Lead with color. Strong color tells a story. Pick a few and stick with them for all your graphics. Often, in brand design, you have a primary and secondary color, supplemented with a dark hue and a light hue — a family of 4 to five brand colors.

• Simplicity and clarity are key players. Don’t get lost in the design sauce.

• Put personality into the small details: illustrated icons, a mascot, custom dividers, titles, etc., and your readers will feel it.

Half-Off Sale for 24 More Hours

Last week, I announced a one-time-only half-off annual subscription sale that ends today. I am leaving the sale open an extra 24 hours because some readers had a difficult time with the link. We problem-solved and discovered that it only works on the desktop version of Substack using this exact link. Sorry about any confusion — I have little control over the Substack checkout logistics!

I hope this gives you more time to opt in, in case you were having trouble. If you run into any issues, feel free to send an email back or a dm on Substack.

I have kept my monthly rate for subscriptions at $5 since 2023, which is the lowest Substack lets you go. Since I’ve kept my subscription rate so low, I’ve never offered a sale.

But for one week, I will do this massive sale, and then I will never do it again. Here’s why:

I am building something new, and I’d really like to make it accessible to you. If you’ve enjoyed this publication for a while, this drastic discount is a way to jump on board for the best experience possible.

This is the cusp, the perfect time to join in, because so many new features are coming out (starting in May).

The paid annual subscription ($25) will offer:

• Access to the new “Hosting with Feeling!” column, all about how to do the human parts of hosting

• Full access to the “Design Dive” column, which includes how-to guides for designing your space with intention

• Access to the up-and-coming full-service graphic design and digital design workshops

• A membership to our card-writing matchmaking service (launching in May), which included exclusive discounts to Feeling! Press products)

• My entrepreneurship diary of sorts, detailing this new brand launch from behind the scenes, and direct access to “office hours” for any of your burning creative small business questions

I am grateful for your support every day, work hard to create a publication that is of value to you, and I am hopeful that a half-off discount will allow as many readers as possible to join in the party without a strain.

Here is the link to get the sale price.

The stack of fiction next to my bed is growing, thanks to Book of the Month! I think I’m a better writer whenever I’m in the middle of a good fiction book, so my goal this year was to read more fiction. Book of the Month’s subscription allows you to choose brand new fiction works, exposing you to new writers (and new favorites) consistently. This month, I picked Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer, which is a moving and sometimes really funny story about the enduring friendship between two very different women in the midst of a terminal diagnosis.

Readers of Feeling! can pick up their first copy for only $5, and a free cute boat tote here. Perfect for toting your hardcover around!

✸ I think parties need more play. But, there is a strategy to picking a board game that doesn’t make everyone immediately check out. I wrote out my strategy and my tried-and-true board games for livening up any gathering.

✸ Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching, and I have made you a very thorough list of gift ideas, including a chunky birthstone ring and custom candy boxes.

✸ I recently interviewed the CEO of my favorite fragrance brand, Dedcool, about how a fragrance is designed through the lens of feelings. Her experience of making the intangible, tangible is a fascinating read.

I made a Mother’s Day gift guide full of some really thoughtful gift ideas, but wanted to slide in a few more favorites for your consideration, as the holiday is coming up on Sunday.

I know Mother’s Day can hit a wound, a loss, or a pain point for many. I know the sting holidays can have after you have lost a loved one or are navigating a familial fracture. I often write about the principle of giving away what you don’t have (giving friendship when you feel lonely, giving away joy when you feel depleted, etc.), and I think it carries across this holiday as well. It’s an excuse to give a mother whom you know some supplementary love and care. A woman who was like a mother to you, a friend who has recently entered the throes of motherhood, a coworker who loves to talk about her kids, or a veteran mom whom you admire. They could all use a thoughtful note of encouragement, and maybe a gift, too.

Here are a few more ideas to complement the full guide:

1. The beaded phone wristlet from Joiana is another gift that hits the useful + elevated sweet-spot. It’s an exciting accessory for the mom who constantly takes her phone out to take pictures.

2. These lightweight oval gold stud earrings are a timeless silhouette at a really great price point. For classy moms, these will become an everyday staple.

3. I’ve recommended Soft Service’s really amazing nighttime hand cream many times because it works wonderfully and is in the best-designed vessel I’ve ever seen. It’s a pump that serves as a jewelry dish too. They outdid themselves by releasing a “Mother of Pearl” version of Theraplush hand cream in a shimmery new vessel. It’s something mom will absolutely use, but wouldn’t think to treat herself to something so luxurious. The best kind of gift (actually useful, but elevated).

4. If you have a tea/coffee/sweet treat kind of mom, Dona’s cardamom tea concentrate is a gift they will actually use every drop of! Combine the concentrate with foamy milk for a decadent latte treat that takes seconds to whip together. Pair with a bar of dark chocolate, and you are set.

5. You can ship fresh white orchids in a box from UrbanStems. The package arrives, magically, intact and fresh, like you just went to a greenhouse down the street and picked them out. This is a great option if some distance separates you from your recipient, but you want to gift something fresh and thoughtful. They also have really lovely Mother’s Day bouquets that are on sale all week, guaranteed to arrive for the holiday.

   

6. For statement-jewelry-kind-of-moms, the shell statement ring is perfect for summer. It’s funky, also super lightweight, and would be complemented well with some

7. If you are looking for something a bit fancier, I will introduce you to the brand “Flamingo Estate,” and their luxury rosemary clary sage hand soap that smells like it came straight from a garden and arrived at your doorstep. They also sell fabulous soap bars (the peppermint is my favorite) if you are going for a bathroom-to-spa gift set.

Launching next week, all paid subscribers will have access to subscribe to the Friends of Feeling! Match-Making Service. There will be a brief “application” period where you can apply to be included in the program.

The idea is that handwritten notes, kind words, and thoughtful intention are ever-increasing in importance and essential to life. I want to help connect you with a new, one-of-a-kind friend!

The application will include questions about what you value most in a friend, your interests, communication styles, etc.

Not a robot, not an algorithm, not AI, not a spreadsheet, but a committee of coffee-fueled New York girls will be reviewing every application, printed out and on a coffee shop table somewhere, and making matches by hand, giddy about the new friendships!

My friends and I will review every application and bring our various perspectives to help match the best potential friends. My committee includes an HR worker, an ed tech consultant, a marketing manager, a graphic designer, and more really thoughtful and interesting people who value friendship highly. After you have a match, you will be connected via email, where your pen pal relationship can begin!

Members will also be the first to receive snail mail discounts from Feeling! Press, launching this summer, to fuel their pen pal journey.

Out of curiosity, I asked the Feeling! chat “If you had to summarize in a few words, what’s the most important quality in a good, long-lasting friend?”

Here’s what you said:

: Mutual Respect and encouragement
: Shared Humor
: Someone who can be your container in the times your thoughts, worries, dreams, and hopes need to be held, and someone who in turn trusts you contain them.
: Someone who sees you holistically, believes in and supports your growth when you inevitably stray from who you want to be
: Safety to be your true self
: Consistency
: Generosity of spirit. Someone who accepts no relationship is perfect. There will be ebbs and flows in every friendship, but no matter what they respect you and think fondly of you.
: Compassionate, curious, and funny
: Genuinely kind to you

There were so many more great answers. See them below:

Thank you all for your thoughtful words. My favorite part of making this newsletter is talking to you directly. It means a lot to me when you leave a comment, thought, or feeling. Truly, the best place on the internet.

Thank you, Hailey Howe, for your lovely work on Feeling! Magazine Graphics! You made this Monday Letter magical!

P.S. Telling my Substack friends before anyone else…new secret Instagram for the upcoming greeting card business is here. Substack is nicer than Instagram, haha, I would love to have you join the journey and see some familiar names!

JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

🍒 Let’s be internet friends, please! @ jennaisfeeling

🪄 Get more inspiration

In 9th grade, I transferred high schools. This sounds pretty standard, but I implore you to remember what a middle-of-the-semester switch would feel like to a 14-year-old. I was listening to indie alt music to cope, I was lining up my outfits (and new personality) with meticulous uncertainty; it was a spiral.

Sticky with Florida humidity, my flat-ironed hair absorbed a slight crimp as I walked from the front office to my English class on my first day.

My newly printed schedule smelled like ink and looked like hieroglyphics.

“E208”
“Athletic Building”
“D22”

Where were all these places? The day felt like wandering through a labyrinth where everyone was already friends.

Then, the dreaded lunch bell. I planned to find someone I recognized from an earlier class and ask if I could sit with them. My English teacher also seemed really nice, so maybe I could just go find her if all else failed.

The chirpy lunch bell rang, and the floodgates opened. A rush of students filled the space like an interstate collision. I froze. All my plans flew out the window. I was glued to the floor, looking at the tables filling up with strangers, a pit in my stomach. Just as fleeing to the English teacher’s classroom started to sound really good, a girl touched my arm. “Jenna, right?” I nod in terror. “Do you want to come sit at our lunch table?” I nodded again. And so I sat there for a whole year, with my first friends.

What was the difference between her and every other kid in the lunchroom? I’m sure so many kind-hearted students walked right past me. Why did she stop?

She was intentional. She stopped her routine and noticed me. Beyond a fleeting wave of empathy, she made a conscious effort to see me and do something.

When I think about what kind of host I want to be, or really, what kind of person I want to be, I aspire to be as purposeful as that thoughtful fourteen-year-old in a lunchroom.

We can all remember a time when we were invited to something that felt intentionless. Have you ever arrived at a party and the host didn’t even notice you arrive? The space feels uninviting and cold, even if it is full of people. It’s hard to articulate why you feel so unwelcome, but it leaves you with that raw feeling of a new kid at lunch. There is no certain place to sit, no one is looking out for you, and little thought is given to the guests’ experience.

Elaborate themes, tablescapes, and Pinterest boards seemingly contradict this picture of a thoughtless host. Yet, they can produce the same feeling in your gut. Beautifully designed doesn’t equate to warm. This is because the true intention of hosting is outside the menu and tablecape.

Hosting in any capacity — from a dinner with friends, to a birthday party, a brand event, or a murder mystery night — is a form of temporary magic. You create a moment that can never be repeated. You can host on the same holiday with the same people, but year by year, it is different. Even with the same formula, you have different results. You only get the present briefly.

If you’ve lost a family member or loved one, you find a new appreciation for how important each gathering actually was. At the moment, it felt commonplace, but looking back, it was all very precious.

And behind all of the temporary magic of gathering, intentionality is the key ingredient. It is a conscious concern for those around you that moves you outside your routine, and often inconveniences you in a way that leaves you better than you were before.

If you are looking to infuse intentionality into your next gathering, here are some practical ideas to implement:

Use Real Plates

One of my favorite writers on hosting, Edith Schaeffer, lived in the Swiss Alps. She had a quaint table outside their chalet where any wanderer could come sit down for a hot meal if they were hungry. She insisted they eat with a tablecloth, a real plate, real silverware, a lit candle, and flowers in a vase. It was dignifying and necessary, she contended.

When did we all get so rushed? Our grandparents didn’t use paper plates. Even dinner was incredibly thoughtful, down to the doilies on the tables. And in a world trying to sell you a lot of things, I think worthy investments include: a really good tablecloth for all occasions, durable plates, a versatile vase, and some cloth napkins. Bring out the real stuff to show your guests care. They are worth washing dishes. Even the tactile material pushes us to slow down and move with purpose.

Design communicates intention, so have fun with it too!

Make Namecards

I think sometimes we don’t want to seem bossy or demanding as hosts, but we neglect something our guests really want: some basic direction. A namecard shows, in a simple yet impactful way, that you anticipated your guests.

You considered their presence at the table in a practical manner. This adds a spark of creativity to your table, too. You could make a design yourself, hand-lettering their name.

Or — you could use mine! I created five summer dinner party designs for you to utilize for hosting. They were designed with love and drawn by hand to enhance all your tables this coming season.

I printed them through Avery, which is the 90-year-old printing company that invented the adhesive label! This is the brand I have used for printing my snail mail addresses, home labels, and creative packaging for years.

I ordered my colorful designs as “tent cards,” printed on smooth, thick cardstock. Now I have a drawer full of custom name cards in various designs that I can pull out at any future gathering to enhance the guests’ experience. Whether it’s a small group or a large one, the name card adds that extra thoughtful effort that guests will carry with them long after the night ends.

Here is a PDF for the hand-drawn files, my gift to you! You can seamlessly order them here, as a custom-printed 2x3.5” rectangle card, or if you have a printer at home, you can order this printable template and print it yourself.

Feeling! Namecards 2

956KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Make an effort to lead the conversation somewhere good

The conversation and the company are arguably the most important parts of getting together. That is what everyone will remember, after all. Just like you make an effort to cook a meal or make a delicious drink to serve, be effortful in stewarding rich conversation.

You don’t have to take charge or try to have any agenda for the night. Just ask more questions. Lead by asking.

Here are some prompts to keep in your back pocket for your next get-together:

• What song instantly transports you back to childhood?

• Describe the most comforting meal someone has ever made for you.

• What is the most memorable restaurant experience you’ve ever had? What stood out?

• What was the big drama that happened at your high school?

• When you were a child, who did you think was the coolest person you knew? Why them?

• Which make-believe villain or monster would actually scare you the most in real life? And which one do you feel you could take on in a fist fight scenario?

• What is the most unbelievable day of work you’ve ever experienced?

• What is the worst advice someone has ever given you?

• What is your favorite scent? Weird answers only. (Mall fountains, nail salons, gas pumps, produce aisle, etc.)

• What is a meal you’ve been making or craving lately?

• Who is someone in your life who has been challenging you to see things differently recently?

• Have you ever gotten lost? Who found you?

• What’s something in your routine that has recently filled you with joy?

• What’s a life skill you think should be taught in all schools?

• What movie has made you cry the absolute hardest? Why do you think it got you so bad?

• What genre of movie would your life be? And who would you cast to play you?

• What is a recent moment that made you feel like a child again?

• Who was your favorite teacher growing up? Why?

• What is your favorite movie to watch on a plane?

• Have you ever had an accidental near-death experience? What happened?

• Who was the first person you ever remember having a crush on? Where are they now?

• Where is the best place you’ve ever traveled? And where was the worst?

• What’s a fear you used to have but overcame?

• Have you ever befriended a stranger on a trip?

• As a host, describe your dream dinner party and your guest list.

• Who at the table would be a better candidate for a Survivor contestant? (Defend your choice)

• What is a job you’ve never tried but think you’d be really good at?

• When someone comes to you for help, what are they normally asking for help with?

• What do you do to make a bad day feel better?

• What is the most page-turning fictional book you’ve ever read?

• What is something you think everyone should try at least once in their life?

• What kind of place would you most like to live in?

• What’s something you had to work really hard to unlearn?

• What’s something you frequently take for granted?

• What color is your personality? (But everyone else answers for you)

• What is a skill you’d like to really master?

• How would your close friends describe you?

• What is something not a lot of people know about you that you believe is significant?

• What’s a mistake you have made more than once?

• What do you feel you are being taught in this season?

Be the type of person who invites the new kid to their lunch table. Notice others, invite them in, repeat. Your ability to welcome guests to a table with a name card especially for them will leave a feeling they will remember for years to come. I sure do.

A One-Week-Only Celebration:

I have been trying to think through a way to thank you for your support and simultaneously invite you to join this next exciting chapter of Feeling!

I have kept my monthly rate for subscriptions at $5 since 2023, which is the lowest Substack lets you go. Since I’ve kept my subscription rate so low, I’ve never offered a sale.

But for one week, I will do this massive sale, and then I will never do it again. Here’s why:

I am building something new, and I’d really like to make it accessible to you. If you’ve enjoyed this publication for a while, this drastic discount is a way to jump on board for the best experience possible.

This is the cusp, the perfect time to join in, because so many new features are coming out (starting in May).

The paid annual subscription ($25) will offer:

• Access to the new “Hosting with Feeling!” column, all about how to do the human parts of hosting

• Full access to the “Design Dive” column, which includes how-to guides for designing your space with intention

• Access to the up-and-coming full-service graphic design and digital design workshops

• A membership to our card-writing matchmaking service (launching in May), which included exclusive discounts to Feeling! Press products)

• My entrepreneurship diary of sorts, detailing this new brand launch from behind the scenes, and direct access to “office hours” for any of your burning creative small business questions

I am grateful for your support every day, work hard to create a publication that is of value to you, and I am hopeful that a half-off discount will allow as many readers as possible to join in the party without a strain.

There are so many great publications on Substack, and I am very grateful you would ever choose to support mine. To join Feeling! with this never-happening again offer, click here.

FOR JOY-SCROLLING:

🐚 Read more thoughtfully created articles here

🪄 Shop all my favorite things

🍒 Let’s be internet friends, please! @ jennaisfeeling

🪄 Get more inspiration

A note: Working with brands and businesses helps make this magazine dream come true. If I do work on a paid basis with a brand, I disclose the partnership to my readers. A few of the links I included in this article are from ShopMy, which gives the curator a little payment if someone buys a product from their recommendation. If you shop from my links, you directly support my creative work. Thank you!

In December, I announced that I was creating a greeting card company. On the surface, this news seems straightforward, or fun even. But underneath the glacier of the colorful announcement are years of working through loss, grief, and having to (impatiently) wait for my imagination to turn back on after a prolonged season in survival mode.

I’ve shared with you many times about losing my stationery store in the collateral of the pandemic, and worse, losing a loved one unexpectedly at the same time. The late-night grief felt like a hollowing out of my guts, a loss of an ocean of tears that makes me still wonder if I have enough water in my body now. I’ve described to you before what it felt like to be in my early twenties and having to light fire to the thing I dreamed about the most; we’ve commemorated, related, and experienced this type of loss together.

My colors, my bend toward hope and joy, down to how I decorate my apartment and prepare a latte, are responses toward my experience of tremendous loss. Sometimes, it’s so bad, you have to just do one day, one hour at a time. And in that state, I found that very very simple things were a balm. A fresh bowl of oranges on the counter, believe it or not. One call from a friend. A delicious Earl Grey, the way I like it. I needed, desperately, to have things in front of me that pointed to a greater hope. Not in a way where you need to buy more things, or that objects are a solution to pain, no, but in a way where having beauty around me uplifted my heart when it needed every boost it could get.

I started drawing these little things, writing about how to fill a day with that sort of sunshine, and found a wonderful group of people who understood the need for intentional, stubborn hope in this microscopic lifestyle level. Hope is a muscle to strengthen, a conscious decision to choose an alternative to despair, a sort of daily surrender, a focus on delighting those around me, and giving away what I felt I was lacking. It’s an effort toward beauty, intentionality in designing our own homes, from the rug color to the way we shop for groceries. And then ultimately, hope extends outside of us in how we live in our communities, from the way we feed someone hungry to the plants we grow in the ground.

Feeling! Magazine was started by a stubborn version of me in 2023, who lost her big dream, but started writing again.

I’ve now wept tears of joy for this reconnection to creativity I thought I had lost — and further, a reception from you that is touching, heartfelt, and surprising. Every week, I am excited to write, design, and connect with you. This is a miracle, because this is not at all how I used to live. A million dreams woke up again in me.

I am starting with Feeling! Press, an e-commerce greeting card company that I am opening this summer, from my 700 sq. ft. apartment.

The written word, now more than ever, holds a power that transcends centuries, oceans, and deep wounds. Words keep people alive. Handwritten notes preserve our humanity in a time where we often have no idea if we are reading something written by coding bots.

I am excited to make Feeling! Press your favorite place to pick out thoughtfully designed cards that inspire you to write more.

I am knee-deep in start-up mode, but here to give a report from the trenches:

Logistics: The largest hurdle to starting, specifically in New York, is how to ship and store my product. I researched storage units, third-party shipping partners, dropshipping — all of it. Ultimately, I’ve made a call that feels a bit absurd, but somehow right. I am going to turn my apartment into my shipping unit. I want to keep overhead costs as low as possible, have maximum control over the packaging experience, and not have to lug supplies back and forth from a unit.

So, in perhaps the most challenging home design task I’ve ever had, I am trying to figure out how to maintain the homey feel of a small apartment while dedicating space to a shipping facility. The simplicity of working from home cannot sacrifice the feeling of peace in our own space, so we will have to strike an innovative balance. Stay tuned. (This is hard!)

Designs: The first 20 cards are conceptualized, many sketched, and will be turned into digital versions soon. I’ve selected the first printing partner I’d like to try out, and now I’m spending evenings designing.

Brand build-out: I was absolutely stuck for a while. I knew what I wanted in terms of visual branding, but couldn’t do it for myself because I was too in the weeds (in my head). Hailey, who you are secretly familiar with because she does a lot of graphics for this newsletter, developed a brilliant new logo for me. Hallelujah.

In the process, we are rebranding Feeling! Magazine’s visual identity too. Next week, the new logo for the magazine will be unveiled! Hailey did amazing work, per usual, and it is my dream logo!

A One-Week-Only Celebration:

I have been trying to think through a way to thank you for your support and simultaneously invite you to join this next exciting chapter of Feeling!

I have kept my monthly rate for subscriptions at $5 since 2023, which is the lowest Substack lets you go. Since I’ve kept my subscription rate so low, I’ve never offered a sale.

But for one week, I will do this massive sale, and then I will never do it again. Here’s why:

I am building something new, and I’d really like to make it accessible to you. If you’ve enjoyed this publication for a while, this drastic discount is a way to jump on board for the best experience possible.

This is the cusp, the perfect time to join in, because so many new features are coming out (starting in May).

The paid annual subscription ($25) will offer:

• Access to the new “Hosting with Feeling!” column, all about how to do the human parts of hosting

• Full access to the “Design Dive” column, which includes how-to guides for designing your space with intention

• Access to the up-and-coming full-service graphic design and digital design workshops

• A membership to our card-writing matchmaking service (launching in May), which included exclusive discounts to Feeling! Press products)

• My entrepreneurship diary of sorts, detailing this new brand launch from behind the scenes, and direct access to “office hours” for any of your burning creative small business questions

I am grateful for your support every day, work hard to create a publication that is of value to you, and I am hopeful that a half-off discount will allow as many readers as possible to join in the party without a strain.

There are so many great publications on Substack, and I am very grateful you would ever choose to support mine. To join Feeling! with this never-happening again offer, click here.

And I’ll see you all next Monday for the new branding reveal!

I am giving you an early introduction to the Feeling! Magazine, new brand colors. I am enamored with them, and want to simultaneously paint all my walls in their hues and dress only in these colors. Do you have a favorite?

I have a running list of creators running small businesses that have caught my eye. Today, I am sharing some of my recently discovered favorites with you.

Soft Good is a jewelry studio producing this sort of elevated whimsy that marries the sophistication of heirloom pieces with a full dose of sparkly magic. She produces incredible necklaces, rings, bracelets, charms, and even bespoke engagement rings. This award ribbon necklace allows for full customization of material, chain, and charm.

Pink Lemon Ceramics is a Charleston-based studio, offering these vivid and uncommon sculptural candle holders for your wall. They would make a wonderful stand-alone statement or break up a gallery wall with something visually interesting.

Joiana Jewelry offers these beautifully crafted birthstone charm necklaces. The shape of the gem with the accompanying colorful hug is a style that feels refreshingly new. I am bookmarking this for all my friends’ birthday gifts.

SonderHaus is a brand that combines two of my favorite things: colorful clothing and stationery. If you are looking for something to wear this summer that is breathable, not just denim shorts every day, SonderHaus’ new collection of gingham pants is a perfect option. The color selections have my seal of approval.

Hattie Buzzard makes jewelry that feels like a candy shop. Truly remarkable color combinations, materials, and compositions. I love a statement necklace or bracelet; I am always looking for them. I feel like this brand has figured out how to design pieces in a way unlike other brands. Everything they produce, including phone wristlets, feels unique to them.

Joyn is my favorite tote company for a number of reasons. Each canvas bag is block-printed by hand meticulously, and you can tell. The quality of thick canvas and thick ink prints is evident the minute you open the package. Their spring polka dot collection is an absolute wonder.

Goldie Ceramics has a floral-forward spring collection out right now. Perhaps known for her brightly colored pieces or the sipping features of her ceramic cups, each collection feels cohesive to the brand, yet fresh enought ot make you shuffle around the cupboard to fit one more mug.

✸ I am hosting a giveaway with Herman Miller that will end on 4/30. You can enter the competition on this post, and one reader of Feeling! will walk away with a FREE Sayl armchair. And better posture for it, haha!

✸ I think parties need more play. But, there is a strategy to picking a board game that doesn’t make everyone immediately check out. I wrote out my strategy and my tried-and-true board games for livening up any gathering.

✸ Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching, and I have made you a very thorough list of gift ideas, including a chunky birthstone ring and custom candy boxes.

✸ I recently interviewed the CEO of my favorite fragrance brand, Dedcool, about how a fragrance is designed through the lens of feelings. Her experience of making the intangible, tangible is a fascinating read.

Hello! I am here to enthusiastically share some things I am loving in my creative start-up phase.

1. I got a large Moleskine sketchbook that houses all the mock-up sketches of every greeting card design. Lately, I’ve felt compelled to start everything on paper before I go digital. It’s made a significant improvement in my focus and productivity, and reconnected me to the little girl who used to color in her notebook for hours at a time.

2. I will confess I have never been a pencil girl. I am a gel pen and marker kind of person, but my mind may have been changed. I got Blackwing colored pencils, and they are wonderful. The brand is notorious amongst stationery lovers, and so I thought I’d give it a try. I now fully understand the hype!

3. Connor gifted me a gelato ballpoint pen from Levenger Pens, and I just stare at it sometimes in my hand with awe. The brand carries delicious tortoise shell and terrazzo-esque pens and prices that are surprisingly affordable for the luxury pen space.

4. This is my woven shoulder bag, which I bring everywhere with me. It is full of three notebooks, solid perfume, 5 lip glosses, and probably crumbled napkins from a coffee shop. And it holds it all with ease. The woven texture elicits more compliments than any other bag I carry.

5. I will be wearing these linen track pants for long writing days when I need to be comfy, but also grocery runs, park picnics, and really anywhere out-and-about this summer. They have a breezy, linen fabric that fits true to size. I like that it is a piece more elevated that athetic pants, but still delightfully casual.

6. New York oat milk matchas are running at a crisp $8.50 these days. So I’ve become quite the expert at making my favorite drink at home. Dona, based in Brooklyn, makes my favorite matcha, if you are looking to make your own lattes at home.

7. Herman Miller’s Sayl chair has singlehandedly saved my back. I searched high and low for a work-from-home chair that could actually support me, but wasn’t an eyesore. It is a worthy investment to have ergonomic support, but with a bit of Herman Miller’s classic midcentury design flair. You can also enter to win one for free here, before 4/30!

✸ FREE ADVICE!

I asked the Feeling! chat if they had any creative entrepreneurship questions to phone in this week. Here were your thoughts:

Q from :
So excited to see your creations. I have a few questions!
1. Because of tariffs, are you using printers in the USA or internationally? I’m trying to find printers for my business, and China has the best gold foil options, but the tariffs make it so unreasonable!
2. Is it better to do seasonal drops or themed drops (if that makes sense)?

A: When I had a brick-and-mortar stationery shop, I used a printer down the street from me. Being able to talk about ideas in person was a benefit. There is a simplicity in saving time and shipping costs by being able to have an in-person conversation and pick up samples when needed. I plan to print in the USA this go-round for the straightforward reasons: simplified conversation and bolstering another small business!

I love that second question. I think it depends on what product you sell and who your customers are, but usually, successful product launches are a combination of both seasonality and timely themes.

Q from : I always look forward to seeing how other creatives handle the behind-the-scenes part of their businesses - how they plan their time, stay organized, coordinate schedules & launches, balance responsibilities, and so on.

A: I love to hear about this from others, too! I have a blue notebook that holds my days together. I write everything in it. And I operate off a daily handwritten to-do list with a highlighter, marking things off as I go. My schedule is kept on a custom-colored Google Calendar. I try to move through things with a “one day at a time” mentality. I have a lot of project-based work, and often, the projects overlap. Every hour is about making small dents in big things over time.

Most days are spent behind the computer at my desk, dog walk breaks, homemade matcha stops, dinner with Connor, and a brand event in the evening. Weekends are for writing, cleaning, catch-up, time with friends, and I’ve been trying to categorize days of the week as a “writing day” or a “design day,” where my primary time focus is on one or the other. Turns out, I’m rather temperamental and have to play by ear what the focus will be each day. Every day is quite different, dictated by deadlines, meetings, and events, but I really like that!

Q from : How do you balance wanting to stay competitive in a market that is becoming overrun by mass-produced AI slop with not wanting to devalue your work or cheapen your process just to keep up? As a fellow creative, it can personally feel exhausting and daunting to look at the current creative product landscape and feel like I have any chance to keep up, but also not wanting to do things poorly just to try to stay competitive.

A: I understand how you feel, and I bet so many others do too! I try to spend very little time focusing on or studying the current creative product landscape, and if I do, I only look at people, brands, and projects that ignite a creative optimism inside of me (i.e., it leaves me feeling more equipped to do my work than when I found it).

I am not worried about competing with AI, because I understand my readers are not interested in quick & cheap work.

My best advice is to spend minimal time scrolling, strive for true excellence in your work (even if that costs you time), and reference material that is timeless and distinctly human (museums, music, classic movies, even deep conversations with friends, etc.).

No one can be you, and no one can have your unique perspective. And in an increasingly artificial world, I’m betting on the value of human connection rising tremendously. Keep creating with a sense of hope about what could be and what you could uniquely change. Also, get really good at your craft. Read books, watch tutorials, get better and better. It’s not about keeping up; it’s about producing work you are proud to make.

Q from : Hi! I’m new to your Substack, so I’m not sure if you’ve already talked about this. But do you sell through other stores or brands as well? And if so, how is that process? Thank you!

A: Yes, I will be offering greeting cards wholesale! I have relationships with some small business owners I will be reaching out to them personally near the time I launch the brand. Faire is a great platform for finding new wholesale partners. I will also be going door-to-door in New York with samples this summer and asking shops if they’d like to sell my cards. Catch me sweaty and determined on Orchard St.!

Q from : What keeps you inspired? Especially in the early moments of building your brand! I definitely second-guess every substack I post and feel a little low on my own mojo. What keeps you going? Inspired?

A: I, too, often feel low on my own mojo. I think this is part of doing something you care about. I have to constantly remind myself that it is good for something to take time. Good things take time. I produce consistently, even when I get in my own head or feel daunted by the numbers. I have done this long enough to know there are ebbs and flows, and my feelings should not steer the ship, or I’d never post anything at all.

Always come back to the joy of it. Are you creating something you would love to create without sharing it online? You have to love it, it has to bring a sense of joy, or it’s very difficult to sustain — at least in my creative experience! I write about things I love and feel inspired by, which helps me stay afloat through waves of self-doubt.

And if you are not feeling any joy in the creation process of your work, it’s a good time to step back and get curious about why you are making it at all. I had to do that at different points, and it’s unpleasant to get the mirror out, but that kind of precise reflection helps you refine focus.

Q from : For entrepreneurs looking to do most of their own branding/packaging design/etc, what would you recommend keeping in mind in order to have a beautiful brand without needing to have all of the graphic design skills?

And! What are some surprising ways that entrepreneurship can positively impact other areas of your life?

A: Source ideas from timelessly excellent design. Start with packaging at antique stores or old book covers at the library — take pictures and create a gallery. As you are refining your personal style, start with inspiration outside of Pinterest, or else you may unintentionally make a copy of someone’s work. Adobe Express and Canva are both excellent design tools for getting started!

Good design is clear and communicates what you need it to — don’t get lost in the aesthetics. Oh, and compelling color combinations are essential!

For part 2: The freedom in my schedule and flexibility in my work style are fabulous perks of being self-employed. Now, to be fair, I work 10+ hour days often, even on weekends. So I am working a lot, but I love it and want to! I like that if I feel a little sick or tired, I can work from bed or take a day to recover. I can work from the train, the beach, an airplane, the couch, or my favorite coffee shop. I also like setting up my own metrics, goals, and projects. I am the kind of person who made a lot of new goals at work that no one asked me to, and drove everyone else a bit crazy about it — so now that I am back to being a full-time entrepreneur, for better or worse, I feel like a horse out of its stall, I can RUN!

Thank you all for your thoughtful questions. My favorite part of making this newsletter is talking to you directly. It means a lot to me when you leave a comment, thought, or feeling. Truly, the best place on the internet.

To join Feeling! with this never-happening-again offer, click here before Monday, May 4th.

Thank you, Hailey Howe, for your lovely work on Feeling! Magazine Graphics! You made this Monday Letter magical!

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The first time I saw my apartment was on move-in day. It was a lovely, sunlit, small white box in the sky. It felt smaller than the pictures I had memorized from the listing. I timidly watched it shrink as we filled it with our boxes and belongings.

The superintendent handed us the keys, showed us a few things, and the door shut behind him.

It was just us. We caught our breath. The sun faded across the walls. I felt like a little kid. Stranded in some unfamiliar place, far from everyone I knew, far from familiar street names.

Connor and I ordered takeout from somewhere we didn’t recognize and pushed two cardboard boxes together as a table. We sat criss-cross, eating off the boxes. Between bites, we pointed to the walls and schemed where things would go. Our things are the only familiar part of this whole endeavor, after all. We dreamed of the life we would live, the new chapter we’ve found ourselves in. We guessed which window the dog would prefer to look out. The potential was palpable.

We found the box with blankets and made a bed on the floor. No bed frame yet, no couch, no mattress. It was a true inaugural night in New York City.

In the weeks that followed, we tried many arrangements to fit a living, dining, and working space in our small home. Arranging, living, re-arranging in a constant loop. A small space becomes a canvas for experimentation, as every event, even simple daily routines, disrupts the delicate balance of placement.

Behind the chaos and clutter of our space was an anxious heart. I was in a pivotal moment in my work. I had transitioned from a full-time in-person job to a fully remote curriculum writing fellowship. Not only was my high-intensity, people-filled work setting gone (14 hours away), but my new position also had a time stamp. I knew it would end after one year…and then what?

We watched the leaves fade to orange with wonder as boxes began to empty and disappear. We finally got a mattress, then a bed frame, and our belongings began to find their places.

I’d often run through the exact same conversation with Connor each night. What will I do after the fellowship ends? I still had many months to go. It’s probably all going to work out. But it may not! What will happen? Do you know? I don’t know.

I had been in education for four years, after closing my small business during COVID. My very reasonable and safe plan was to find a job in education in New York when my position ended.

But something strange and sparkly was looming inside me.

What if I reopened that box I had buried my dreams in? It was a nauseating thought. There was a lot of grief, bad memories, and hurt packed in with those dreams.

I decided it was best to keep the box tucked to the side.

But sometimes ideas chase us despite our best efforts to play it safe.

One idea, in particular, wouldn’t leave me alone.

A magazine.

I had wanted to make a magazine since elementary school. I had a stagnant Substack sitting there. I had an itch to write again. I’d jot down ideas in a notebook for articles, but never actually write them.

The spring sunshine arrived, and we had settled into the space. Our apartment had come together colorfully, and I figured out ways to still host friends despite the confined space. It began to look like us, and even the city started to feel right. Simultaneously, something in me shifted. I started to believe the ideas I had been avoiding could possibly work.

I had a reckoning with myself. Who is stopping me from making a magazine? Who is stopping me from making an editorial schedule, pretending to be an editor, and just going for it?

I would give myself until the end of my full-time job to burn the candle at both ends. I would keep my job and build my dream in the evening train commutes, weekends, and early mornings. I was going to try hard.

This meant the apartment had to change, too.