Light Gets In, Venice

"How do I make it last? How can it stay? This feeling of immense joy I feel in my heart here."

- Venice, 2022 diary

Dear Friends,

Finding moments of awe before exquisite vistas comes naturally.

To carry that awe, and the memory of its elegance, with us gives it renewed meaning within our everyday lives.

I remember visiting several gardens in Venice during my last creative retreat to the city. Upon returning home, I became more curious about my own local green spaces. I ventured out to discover a garden not far from my home, that I hadn’t visited before. It has now become a place I enjoy escaping to and being enchanted by every now and then; a place I feel grateful to have access to and find awe within.

If you might have upcoming travel plans, and enjoy this approach to slow, thoughtful travel, with a touch of creative enchantment and self-discovery, I share tips and inspiration in my Creative Travel Deck.

“Light Gets In, Venice”
watercolor

A new subject I’ve been enjoying painting is light and vistas. In Venice, each vista, formed over time, invites a pause within the ever-changing shimmer of luminous water and sky.

Eash sight invokes both a pause and a renewal.

Cities have souls…some, centuries old. Returning to this one always stirs that sense of renewal within; one that the city itself carries.

As such, I am delighted to share that I have some exciting news around how Venice is inspiring my Art in a renewed way. I look forward to sharing that with you in my next letter. If you’d enjoy a preview, I’ve shared a bit on my Instagram.

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This past year brought me many gems and one of the greatest is that I’ve learned my definition of freedom. It is to not let outer circumstances determine my inner state. As such, though the outer climate may feel challenging at large, I always return to this grace. It may not always be easy, but with any ‘practice’ it forms and graces over time.

One way to touch grace within my days is through reading. I often enjoy books that nourish my wanderlust when I’m not traveling. Two books I am currently reading are:

~ Desiring Italy, anthology edited by Susan Cahill
~ The View from Lake Como, by Adriana Trigiani

If you have any travel inspired titles you are currently enjoying and would like to share, I would be delighted to hear.

Before signing off, I would love to close with beautiful reflection on awe; a passage from The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim:

All the radiance of April in Italy lay gathered together at her feet. The sun poured in on her…A tiny breeze gently lifted her hair…She stared, her lips parted…It was as though she could hardly stay inside herself, it was as though she were too small to hold so much joy, it was as though she was washed through with light.
 

Until next time, wishing you many such moments of grace, ease, elegance, and awe within your everyday.

 
Xo
Sophia