I haven’t done this in so long that I feel compelled to catch you up on all of my favorite things since … mmm … 2018. But I’m not going to do that to you.
These are some things that make my work easier, life more joyful, give my brain a workout, help me destress or defrizz, and fill my tummy with yumminess.
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Categories
Watching
I watched Ellsworth Kelly: Fragments a few years back and rewatched it this year before going on my art pilgrimage to Kelly’s Austin.
I am not unbiased—a true Kelly fanatic here. But … I recommend this film, more than any other because it shows how an artist sees the world and how abstract art evolves from life.
You can stream it on Kanopy with your library card.
Kanopy is one of my go-to channels for art documentaries. The others are Art21 and Louisiana Channel.
Top-tier art galleries like David Zwirner also have great videos on contemporary artists.
Speaking of Louisiana Channel … These are two favorite videos discussed in my Accelerator salon in 2024.
Reading
I read some good books this year, but there are two that stick with me.
All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley.
I loved this because it was a personal journey of the discovery of art by a museum guard. It wasn’t by a critic or art historian or someone writing about the market value of art. It was about ART itself, and it was a gift to see the art through his eyes.
The Dream Colony: A Life in Art by Walter Hopps, Deborah Treisman, and Anne Doran.
Walter Hopps grew out of the West Coast to become one of the most important curators of the 20th century, so I was thrilled to find this memoir written shortly before his passing in 2005. It reads as if he was telling an unpolished story and that’s because he was—preferring to tell those stories than to write them.
After a chapter or so into it I was beginning to doubt that it would be any good, but my hesitation quickly disappeared. The pages were full of adventure and proof of what a curator would go through to fulfill their vision and get their art.
Drugs, CIA operatives, overnight installations, a Turkish strong man, and some of the best stories I have read about Robert Rauschenberg. I didn’t want it to end.
Honorable mention: Get The Picture by Bianca Bosker. Really … So so good. It just hasn’t stuck with me like the other two.
Writing
Readwise App
Do you take notes when you read things? Write in books? Me, too!
But then I don’t do anything with those notes. I have index cards, journals, pencil scratches on pages, and more. They’re all separate in hopes that I’ll one day find them and make them useful.
This year I discovered the Readwise app.
It syncs your highlights from Kindle, Instapaper, Pocket, iBooks, and more. And you can highlight Web pages using the associated app, Reader—especially useful for saving items you want to read later.
And … get this! All of the notes are imported into my Notion.
I still haven’t quite grasped what it all means to my workflow, but I’m sticking with it.
AI
This was the year that I started paying for ChatGPT and its AI became a much-valued member of my team. (Though nothing in this article was written with its help.)
I have also experimented quite a bit with Google’s NotebookLM, which is great if you have a lot of content and want help only with what you have already created (and not referencing any outside sources.) Steven Johnson is the one to explain it to you.
Zen Art Supplies Journal
I’m so grateful to Cynthia Morris for introducing me to this Zen Art Supplies journal a number of years ago.
I have a preference for lined pages, but I have grown to love the dotted grid and am especially fond that the pages are numbered. And they have great color choices!
Use the Index in the front to keep track of important pages.
Typing Shortcuts
I love TypeIt4Me text expander for typing shortcut keys on Apple devices to automatically fill in text wherever I am typing (MacBook, iPhone, or iPad ) I only installed it once on my MacBook, and it works across my devices 😳.
If you want to explore other options or don’t use Apple products, search for “text expander app reviews” or some such thing. I really don’t know what I did without this! As soon as you start using it, you’ll find all kinds of ways to use it.
My stored text includes calendar appointment links, zoom links, repeated email content, podcast intro, promo, and outro starting points, emoji sequences, and all kinds of other URLs.
If you use Apple, you can type something into your computer, copy, and then paste it into your nearby phone or other Apple device. So much easier than typing on a phone.
Pro Tip: From Jenny Blake (I think!) I learned to start my shortcuts with a semicolon because (1) I rarely, if ever, use that punctuation anywhere and (2) it allows me to continue using abbreviations without confusing them with the text expander.
Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History
My go-to podcast for masterful storytelling about things I had no idea I was interested in is Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History.
These are some that stand out to me:
- The Season 8 series on guns (2023)
- The season 5 episode about the would-be biography of Howard Hughes (2020)
- A Good Walk Spoiled from season 2 about why he hates golf (2017) —It will also have you questioning your admiration of Bob Hope
De-stressing and Coiffing
4-7-8 Breath
For the last couple of years I have used a rented vagus nerve stimulator to help with mind-gut health.
I have only recently discovered the practice of 4-7-8 breathing to do similar. It’s much more affordable!
I use the Insight Timer app, but I thought it might be helpful to hear it first from the inventor of it himself, Dr. Andrew Weil.
Curls
I realize how lucky I am to have a full head of hair, but there are many days when I wish the goddesses had been a little less generous with the curls.
I have fought them my whole life, and now I’m just resigned to them.
I’m so happy that I clicked on that Instagram ad from TreLuxe. I love most everything I’ve tried of theirs, especially the Untie The Knot (leave-in conditioner) and the High-Definition Styling Gel.
This looks like a good starting kit. But I also like the hydrating cream in this bundle.
Speaking of curls, I also went down a rabbit hole in Geena Marie’s YouTube channel.
My silver hair is much more unpredictable and frizzy than those gorgeous locks she has, but I really love what I learned from her.
Eating
Duqqa (Dukkah) is a Middle Eastern blend of nuts, seeds, and spices that originated in Egypt.
I started making it from a much more complicated recipe, but have switched to this much easier version from The Mediterranean Dish.
You should definitely check out her recipes while you’re there. Another favorite of mine is her Quick Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic and Thyme.
You can put duqqa on anything—like sprinkling it on a bowl of hummus—but my favorite way to have it is on buttered toast (here’s my gluten-free bread of choice) or avocado toast.
Photo ©The Mediterranean Dish
Then there is Tahini Dressing, a recipe I make at least once a month and comes together in a jiff.
It’s great on salads and on Mediterranean bowls with a rice or quinoa base.
I adapted my version slightly from Cooking Light and have a PDF for you (no optin required).
Drinking
Ever since I had one on my last night in Florence 2 years ago, I’ve become slightly obsessed with sbagliatos, a word meaning “mistake” or “broken” in Italian, as in “it was a mistake to use prosecco instead of gin in this negroni.”
Um … No. Nothing about this should be considered a mistake.
It’s a gorgeous color and absolutely delicious.
This photo is my first sbagliato at La Ménagère in Florence. Here’s the recipe I follow.
And, of course ..
The.
Famous.
Eggnog.
Recipe.
You didn’t think I was going to leave it off the list just because I share it every year?
It’s not for you if: you are sober (stay that way!), you are okay with eggnog in a carton, or you’d rather not hassle.
This is a hassle that is worth every drop and calorie.
Download now (no optin required).
4 thoughts on “My Favorite Things in 2024”
I enjoy your emails especially the holiday version, Alyson! So, thank you for them, and for the level of sharing and caring in them.
That said, I don’t look forward to holiday emails in general while I’m separately missing what seems to be a dying tradition…of Christmas cards with a note received sent by snail mail at this time of year. Oh well.
Best wishes to you and yours for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Cay: Yes to real mail! But why just at the holidays? I say mail people throughout the year when you’re thinking of them rather than sending 100 flashy cards at once.
Thank you for another year of creative joy! Yes, you got lots of joy into this December email.
I’ve given your books as gifts, have linked to your podcast, sent your emails to fellow creatives and boosted all I can!
I want everyone to feel the excitement of a creative life while putting systems in place to move them forward.
Thank you, thank you!
Veronica Anne Martin
Wow! Thank you so much, Veronica. This means the world to me. I appreciate your sharing.