On creative evolutions

And the kindness in a cup of tea.

“It is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world.”

— Mary Oliver, “Invitation”

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Dear friends,

This week, I have the honor of landing in your inbox twice. On Tuesday, I shared a new illustrated essay, “The Dutch Word for Gift,” about a small but meaningful moment of kindness that happened recently here in Antwerp.

Today, I’ll be going behind the scenes of the story, in a follow-up essay just for paid subscribers of Dandelion Seeds.

When I thought about what aspect of the story I wanted to explore more in-depth with you, I couldn’t stop thinking about one of the illustrations I’d created — my painting of a cup of Turkish tea, or çay.

And what I kept reflecting on was how this one cup of tea can tell the story of my journey as an artist — because this wasn’t the first time I’d painted Turkish çay.