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What I Learned From..

Where sharp thoughts and messy learning collide. For the intellectually restless, the margin-scribblers, the readers and writers who refuse to think in a straight line.

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Close-up of a historic garden bed with clusters of bright yellow yarrow and tall purple salvia blooms surrounded by green foliage. The flowers are vivid and distinct, revealing subtle variations in shade and texture against the sunlit leaves.

[WILF] Georgia O’Keeffe & Ochre

Welcome to What I Learned From…If someone forwarded this to you because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “Exact realism does not equal awe. I had to create an equivalent for what I was looking at—not copy it.” ― Georgia O’Keeffe Photo Credit: Elisa Doucette What I Learned From … Last month I took a trip to Fort McClary, one of those old stone-and-cannon sites here in the northeastern US that practically dares you to abandon your phone and remember...
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The Shopping Trolley Test (you’ll pass. probably.)

Hey Reader, Let’s say you just finished grocery shopping. It's hot, you're sweaty, the parking lot is a war zone of bumpers and badly aimed SUVs. Do you: A) Return your cart like a decent human B) Roll it toward the corral and pray it makes it C) Leave it loose in the wild to go scratch someone’s car and ruin a teenager’s day Because the first TikTok I ever made was filmed from my car while I watched multiple people just…abandon their carts in the wild. One left theirs diagonally between two...
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Close-up of colorful pencil shavings scattered across a white surface, with curled spirals in red, blue, yellow, and natural wood tones. Remnants of tools well used.

[WILF] Sharpened pencils & dull tools

A graphite-deep dive into creative rituals, resistance, and why dull tools prove you’re doing the work. Welcome to What I Learned From…If someone forwarded this to you because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “Each pencil hides inside it thousands of drawings. The artist's job is to discover and make these views of new worlds visible.” ― Alejandro Mos Riera Photo By: Kaboompics.com What I Learned From … In third grade, we all wanted to empty the...
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The lake was blissful. Until the cops showed up.

Somewhere between the unicorn float and the flashing lights, I made a decision. I didn’t expect to end a blissful lake day by calling the cops, but there weren’t many other options. A few summers ago, my Dad and I took The Niblings (my niece and nephew, for the new folks) to a popular lake in a nearby state park. Gorgeous lake views, a clean swim area, new floats for the kids shaped like fantasy creatures. (Word Nerd Fact: Did you know that Brits call swim floats “lilos” cause you lie on them...
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Four large black cauldrons boil over open flame, with steam rising and fire roaring beneath them. A hand stirs one pot with a long-handled ladle. The intense heat and chaos evoke both ancient kitchens and the creative process: unmeasured, elemental, and a

[WILF] Cooking Without a Recipe & Writing Without Rules

Samin Nosrat’s cooking mantra works for writers too: Salt, fat, acid, heat. The elements of fearless creation. Welcome to What I Learned From…If someone forwarded this to you because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” ― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly Photo by Kyla Rose Rockola What I Learned From … The first time you open Salt, Fat,...
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A stone lighthouse glows steadily at dusk on a rocky outcrop, connected to the mainland by a curved cobblestone path. The sea is calm, the sky soft with clouds, and the light cuts quietly through the blue,like a beacon meant not to shout, but to guide.

[WILF] Lighthouses & Findability

What lighthouses, ancient libraries, and scribes can teach us about visibility, creative work, and staying findable without shouting. Welcome to What I Learned From…If someone forwarded this to you because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.” ― Anne Lamott Photo of Petit Minou Lighthouse in France by Petr Slováček What I Learned From … I name all...
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Pamela Anderson sits cross-legged on the floor, flipping through yellow legal pads from a storage bin, surrounded by clear plastic tubs filled with journals and notebooks. A quiet moment of sorting through a life once lived in the margins, echoing the ess

[WILF] Pamela Anderson & Yellow Legal Pads

Pamela Anderson’s yellow legal pads reveal a truth: some writing isn’t for readers…it’s for survival. Welcome to What I Learned From…, a curious little newsletter full of essays, advice, and rabbit holes for writers who want to sharpen their craft without losing their edge. If someone forwarded this because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “For someone like me, it is a very strange habit to write in a diary. Not only that I have never written...
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A red brick tenement-style building with elaborate ornamentation and two iron fire escapes zigzagging across its facade. The structure features arched windows, decorative brickwork, and castle-like towers, blending functionality with unexpected beauty. A

[WILF] Urban Walls & Writing in Tight Spaces

What do brick tenements and balcony plants have to do with writing? More than you think. On decorating the margins and making space for your voice. Welcome to What I Learned From…, a curious little newsletter full of essays, advice, and rabbit holes for writers who want to sharpen their craft without losing their edge. If someone forwarded this because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “She wasn't doing a thing that I could see, except standing there...
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A person wearing a jacket and beanie walks alone down a winding dirt path through a green, hilly landscape. They carry a black-and-white polka dot shoulder bag, and the sky above is overcast with patches of light breaking through.

[WILF] Ursula K. Le Guin & Sharp Pointy Sticks

What if stories weren’t meant to conquer? Le Guin’s carrier bag theory, a sweaty 5K, and what it means to carry meaning without needing to win. Welcome to What I Learned From…, a curious little newsletter full of essays, advice, and rabbit holes for writers who want to sharpen their craft without losing their edge. If someone forwarded this because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “The world is a woven basket. Every stitch counts.” ― A.D. Posey...
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