I latched onto an offhand comment I overheard the other day, in which a woman said that the painting in her bedroom reminded her every day that she isn’t alone. And for the next few days, I found myself lingering by every piece of artwork in my home, wondering if any of them made me feel that way. Even more so, does any artwork in my home make me feel anything at all? Most of them look cool. The only daily reminder I derive from my art collection is the talent of the artist.
Hilary Mantel’s quote and this overheard comment is a breakthrough for me because there is a huge difference between the people that inspire you and the people who make you feel brave. It’s something that I think you can only really understand once you feel it. Sandra Cisneros work inspires me, but Lee Conell makes me feel like I can be the writer I have always wanted to be.
I know there’s merit in both inspiration and courage, but I’d like to lean more intentionally towards courage.
With that being said, if I could dress my home in work that makes me feel courage, this is what I would choose:
(yes, in a perfect world I would have original book art on my walls hehe)
For extra kicks, books that give me courage include:
The Party Upstairs by Lee Conell
Boys of My Youth by Jo Ann Beard
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Let me know what work gives you courage, if you’re feeling up to it! Thanks for reading as always and enjoy your Sunday :)