October reading and other inspiration

Hello friends! Here's what I found inspiring during this month.

Reading:

Tove Jansson by Paul Gravett. I couldn't skip this book as Tove Jansson is one of my most beloved artists. There are quite a few sketches of Tove that I have never seen before, and in general, this book feels very inspirational. My only regret is that there are only 112 pages, so it ends very quickly.
The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest. I wish I read this book a few years ago. It's about self-sabotage, building resilience and leaving thoughts and behaviours that no longer serve. Lots of thoughts came out during this book and I'm glad I found it. I believe there are lots of things and ideas that are helping me and I think I might want to re-read this one in a few months.
Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers by Lina al-Hathloul and Uma Mishra-Newbery. I bought it because of the wonderful illustrations of one of my favourite illustrators Rebecca Green, but when I read it I realised how much I love this story! It's about a girl who wanted to fly but wasn't allowed to because she's a girl. Very empowering, moving and absolutely beautiful picture book.
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I read this one 4 years ago, but recently my friend got me a beautiful hardback copy so I started to re-read it again. The only thing that stuck with me very deeply from the last time was the morning pages. I absolutely love them as they help me to free my head in the morning, stay more focused, and grounded and even figure out some things I couldn't do otherwise. This technique (alongside yoga and meditation) is the one that changed my life a lot. So I feel that this book is exactly what I need right now to move further.

Watching:

The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). I can't believe I didn't see it until now, I loved it sooo much! I read only the initial 7 books of Harry Potter and even though I watched Fantastic Beasts it was a completely new and unexpected part for me. Now I hope I will find some time this year to rewatch all the films again.
Inside the Mind of a Dog (2024). It's a lovely Netflix documentary about dogs, especially the ones that are growing up to be service dogs. Plus, it seems our spaniel Charly loves to watch those too as he looks at the screen more often trying to understand what's going on :)
The Secret Garden (1993). I am in love with the atmosphere of this movie. The castle in Yorkshire, the stunning garden, the old British vibe, the tale itself - everything there is just so good! And there is an amazing actress Maggie Smith (she played Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter).
Robin Robin (2021). Beautiful stop-motion short animation about Robin who was raised by mice. I love this kind of animation with needle-felted figures and surroundings and it was a pleasant surprise to find this lovely short on Netflix.

What else I found interesting during October:

Picture Hooks What's Inside illustration competition. They accept two images, that should show some character before and after opening the parcel. Open until 9th December 2024 and is free to participate. More details on their Instagram.
For those who are in Britain or who visit it sometimes - I recently visited Sandymouth Bay Beach and I loved being there a lot! Highly recommend this place for picturesque hiking or just painting, meditating, reading, or whatever your soul desires. The nature there is just stunning and I felt so alive there!
I can listen to this forever.

I hope you find something interesting to read or see here. Have a lovely rest of the week!

Anna