I’m back from a weekend of camping, and also a concert at Red Rocks. Well, Jon Batiste, the artist, described it as a spiritual experience. I felt it! That place, and the 18+ artists onstage with Jon, were magical.
Both camping and the time at Red Rocks restored me. Time away from the studio, among the trees, doing nothing much but wandering around looking at things, hammocking with a book, and making lots of notes in my notebooks. Yes, this was the perfect way to end the summer.
A new word!
I discovered a new word: etterath.
Definition: the feeling of emptiness after a long and arduous process is finally complete - like publishing a novel - which leaves you relieved it’s over but missing the stress that organized your life into a mission.
This is from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows1 by John Koenig.
What a relief to know that there is a word for what I felt this summer. It was like all the air had gone out of a big, bright balloon I had been holding and loving for years.
I heard about The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows and now can’t wait to read it.
Last week didn’t seem to have a lot of marketing tasks on it. There’s still a lot of research that goes into what I am working on now, and a lot of writing.
It’s only two weeks before I leave for Lisbon and for Paris to co-lead Paris Sketchbook.2 I look forward to being out in the world, connecting, sharing about Her Lisbon Colors and also having fun.
What did I manage to do before I weekended?
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