Just like alchemy turns ordinary metal into gold, sketching can transform life’s ephemeral moments into lasting, eternal memories — I’ve come to call this extraordinary process the alchemy of moments.
That was the lesson we carried home from Aiguá: To never be afraid to head somewhere new, and to always — no matter where we find ourselves in the world — search for the beauty in simple things.
Markets have always had a way of drawing me to them. No matter how big or small, each market has a way of unlocking that place for me, letting me get to its very heart as I witness the local community coming together.
Throughout the 40 Days of Moments project, I kept my eyes peeled for magic — because that’s one of the greatest lessons this project taught me: When we are on the lookout for moments, the universe provides them.
It was only by thinking about the birds that I could pin down what it is I love so much about the Northern Lights — that the lights are as animate and awe-inspiring as any creature in the universe; they’re alive.
When I’m sketching, I listen more; I see more; and I remember more from each moment. As though it were a dreamcatcher, I love how my sketchbook helps me catch more moments from my life.
A love for simplicity is one of the greatest gifts my time in Asia gave me—or as Rilke wisely once said, a love for “the small things…great and immeasurable.” This short story from Nepal is in praise of such simplicity.
The same symbols, the same landscapes and forms—it all keeps returning, doesn’t it? Our only job, then, is to take note, live with intention, and keep searching for the ways that life gives our journeys shape.
Being a pilgrim depends less on our means as it does on our mentality: To take our time with a journey, to not rush our destination, and to create space in each day for discovery, saying only—In Slow We Trust.
Although I loved witnessing the world wonder of Machu Picchu, the greatest wonder I felt in Peru occurred on a much smaller scale—the scale of single slices of pineapple and of simple gifts, given simply.