Happy six months (and one day) to À La Carte!!! When Victoria of SFGirlByBay DMed me last year to suggest that I start a newsletter I thought absolutely not. Did I even like writing? Did I have anything to say? What would I be contributing? How could I possibly think of something to write about every week?!
For a while the seed she planted was buried in the back of my mind. I started doing One-On-Ones and found that we all struggle with and need a lot of the same things: getting and staying inspired, translating and understanding that inspiration, making things that reflect our points of view, feeling like our jobs didn’t satisfy our creativity. It got me thinking about how creative fulfillment comes in many forms and that the pursuit of it takes work.
So I started writing about it! And it turns out…I LOVE IT. Love!!! Like, it’s my favorite part of each week. Even when I’m writing about something silly, ie. napkins or tomatoes, I find so much enjoyment in every part of the process. What started as a “bite-sized newsletter” has turned into a full-blown *thing* with columns and interviews and its own little brand world. I’m really proud of it, and I think I might just be getting started.
In short, thank you for being here and supporting it by way of subscribing, sharing, liking…it all means a lot and really encourages me to keep going. In celebration of ÀLC’s half birthday, I’m offering annual subscriptions at 25% off until Sunday, 8/6. They’re normally $60 if you pay by month and $50 if you pay by year, so at $37.50 it’s basically free for the next 48 hours. Girl math!
Anyway, let’s get into it, shall we?
Creative suggestion: I’ve been saving this topic for the right time, and with what seems like everyone on a vacation this summer and a long weekend in the not too distant future I think now might be it. This week’s creative suggestion is a thing I sometimes do when I travel, especially if I’m going somewhere I haven’t been before, and it’s stuck with me longer than any souvenir I’ve picked up has.
On day one of a vacation I start taking quick photos of pretty much anything that sparks my interest. It could be my hotel key, a street sign, or some crumpled up trash on the ground in a good color. ANYTHING. These aren’t beautiful photos that I plan on saving or sharing, they’re just snapshots of the things that I noticed (I obviously take intentionally-framed, meant-to-save-forever photos too, but I try not to be too fussy with these.)
At the end of the trip, usually on the last day, I go through the hundreds of photos I’ve taken and look for any themes among them: a particular color, a style of lettering, a common subject matter, or something else. Often I notice a theme starting to appear halfway through the trip and I’ll keep an eye out for it. If I have time, I’ll buy a little memento on the last day to remember what I saw, like a pen in a certain color or a book with a patterned cover. Once I’m home and I’ve saved everything I want to keep, I delete all the photos of random garbage that are clogging my camera roll.
Traveling tends to pull me out of my normal patterns of thinking and opens me up to new ideas, so identifying and capturing those ideas before they flit away helps me stay inspired long after I get home. When I went to Spain in 2019 I found myself gravitating toward emerald green, and the next week in Paris I was drawn to line drawings of faces. On a trip to Florence I took a million photos of florals, both in printed and actual flower form. And while it’s been a minute since I’ve been abroad, I’ve still found themes on my domestic jaunts, like boat-related stuff in Minnesota and gauzy white fabrics in New York.
I’ve seen versions of this from other people via Instagram, too: Kiana Toossi shared a round up of type treatments and Anna Albury posted photos of hands from each of their (separate) trips to Italy. As much as I benefit from doing the process myself, I also love seeing what catches someone else’s eye on their own travels. If you’re going on vacation soon, try it out and let me know how it goes!
Personal recommendation: My cookbook club cooked from Andy Baraghani’s The Cook You Want To Be last weekend and every single thing was a hit. The borani, flatbread, halloumi, chickpea cacio e pepe, fennel salad, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes were absolute bangers and I can’t wait to work my way through more of the recipes. I made orange blossom panna cotta for dessert and it also killed, if I do say so myself.
I’m starting to save the books we cook from to a Bookshop list in case anyone is curious! And if you want to host your own cookbook club let me know — maybe I’ll write about how we do ours soon.
Person to know: I came by artist Meghann Stephenson’s work on TikTok a while back and fell in love with a painting of a pair of nyloned legs in silver mary janes that I couldn’t believe was not a photograph. She hasn’t shared a ton of work on Instagram or on her site, but what she has put out there is so lifelike, sort of surreal, and incredibly beautiful.
Follow Meghann’s Instagram or TikTok for more (she also has really good style!) This post sharing the palette she used for one of her pieces versus the painting she created is some grade-A artist content, if you ask me.
Happy Friday, thanks for being here, and if you haven’t already upgraded and are thinking about it, now’s the time, baby!
x
Ali
Yes please re: the cookbook club. :)
I am catching up on your older versions after subscribing a few weeks back and just loving your writing and tips! j would absolutely love to hear more about your cookbook club and how it works!