Together we made a world

And a peek at new prints for paid subscribers.

“I was here, and you were here, and together we made a world.”

— David Whyte

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Hello there! And welcome to Dandelion Seeds, an illustrated newsletter that’s hand-painted and hand-lettered, from my desk to yours.

Last Friday night, a rather exciting package arrived on my doorstep — a large envelope lined with bubble wrap, containing the prints I had ordered for new paid subscribers of Dandelion Seeds.

Even as I reached for a pair of scissors to open the envelope, I was nervous to see the prints. How would they look? Did I get the color levels right? I’ve always found it hard to go from hand-painted artwork to digital file to a final printed product, and things don’t always turn out as I’d hoped.

But when I pulled away the last layer of bubble wrap and got a look at the first of the three prints — featuring the cover illustration for “Home is a Cup of Tea” — I was delighted to see the prints didn’t just turn out okay. They were perfect.

My original idea was that the prints would be an extra surprise for launch week only, but I love them so much that I’ve decided they’re here to stay.

From now on, anyone who signs up to become a paid subscriber of Dandelion Seeds — whether on a monthly, annual, or founding member level — will receive a 5x7 print. It’s my small way of saying thank you for your support, and I’m especially excited to keep updating the designs with new artwork from future illustrated essays.

I also want to take a moment to thank everyone who’s signed up to support Dandelion Seeds, from as far afield as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Canada — that’s something I never imagined would happen when I started on this journey back in January.

The other day, I opened up David Whyte’s beautiful book, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words, and soon found myself reading his essay on joy.

Not surprisingly, it was full of wisdom and insight, but it was the final paragraph that moved me to tears:

“...to allow ourselves to be joyful is to have walked through the doorway of fear, the dropping away of the anxious, worried self…felt suddenly as a strength, a solace and a source: the claiming of our place in the living conversation, the sheer privilege of being in the presence of a mountain, a sky or a well-loved familiar face. I was here, and you were here, and together we made a world.”

— David Whyte

So much about bringing Dandelion Seeds to life has felt like walking through a doorway of fear — from sharing new essays and wondering how they’ll be received, to making paid subscriptions available last week.

And so I love how David Whyte puts it — about all that’s waiting for us on the other side of that doorway.

Joy.

Purpose.

Community and new creation.

I was here, and you were here, and together we made a world.

Here’s to the worlds we’re making,
Candace