Cornflowers, dandelions, maple trees, and all the rest of their towering and tiny green cousins send out their seeds on the winds, hoping to find fertile ground. Inspiration is much the same. A book, a song, a poem might land in just the right spot for you, on just the right day, giving life to a new idea. On the first Sunday of each month, I send out a handful of seeds that have drifted into my own path, in the hope that their beauty or their poignancy or their curiosity feeds your creativity.
Welcome to August’s seeds! This month had me steeping in even more fairies and fairy tales than usual, and I’m so happy to share these favourites with you.
Magical, earthy, beautiful and sometimes a little unsettling, Rima Staines’ art holds a special place in my heart. There are so many gorgeous stories and paintings on her website, but this watercolour Baba Yaga has always been one of my favourites:
My dad recently surprised me with an aromatherapy pen from Essential Ink. It’s a beautiful red wine colour, with a buttery and smooth texture and a lovely metal filigree cap to house the cotton diffuser. I’ve put lavender in mine, and it’s actually made a difference in my writing practice. If I feel stuck, I close my eyes and take a sniff, and it’s become a sort of mini-ritual to get back on track.
This month I read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, and I inhaled it. Especially in the hazy weeks of August when I’m beginning to dream about knitted sweaters and steaming pots of soup, I love the romance of reading stories set in bitterly cold places, and this one definitely satisfied. Icy winds, salted fish, a wary village plagued by the fair folk, and a main character who is sharp as a tack and endlessly clever in her field of academia, and also hopelessly awkward around other people. Also, footnotes! Such brilliant footnotes! 10/10 recommend.
I also found A Fairytale for Everyone, edited by Boldlzsár M. Nagy and illustrated by Lilla Bölecz, translated by Anna Bentley. This collection of fairy tales (both retellings and originals) celebrates a wide diversity of characters and storylines, and was first published in Hungary in 2020, where its inclusion of LGBTQ characters set off controversy. It includes retellings of well-known tales like Cinderella, Snow White and Bambi, along with a number of new folk and fairytales, and the illustrations are wonderful. From the back cover:
Where brave princesses defeat terrifying monsters and kind-hearted princes love to sew or sing. Where witches guide and protect you, and magic can be found in the most mundane of places.
Wishing you all a wonderful August!