Breathes there the man with soul so dead // Who never to himself hath said, // This is my own, my native land! // Whose heart hath ne’er within him burned, // As home his footsteps he hath turned // From wandering on a foreign strand? // If such there breathe, go, mark him well; // For him no minstrel raptures swell; // High though his titles, proud his name, // Boundless his wealth as wish can claim, // Despite those titles, power, and pelf, // The wretch, concentred all in self, // Living, shall forfeit fair renown, // And,…

“Her heart – is given him, with all its love and truth. She would joyfully die with him, or, better than that, die for him. She knows he has failings, but she thinks they have grown up through his being like one cast away, for the want of something to trust in, and care for, and think well of. And she says, that lady rich and beautiful that I can never come near, ‘Only put me in that empty place, only try how little I mind myself, only prove what a world of things I will do and bear for…

This has been one of those quiet weeks – when the sky is gray and you sit inside working and reading, drinking coffee and wearing warm sweaters. I’ve been inspired to experiment and try new things with my baking (Pumpkin maple spice doughnuts, anyone?), to go out of my comfort zone when it comes to design and websites, and to just enjoy this beautiful, beautiful season. NaNoWriMo is fast approaching, the fun and craziness of next month are already beginning, and I can’t wait for everything it holds. It’s been a good week. {all images via pinterest. clockwise, from top…

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” I love that quote so much; it’s a truth that I’m learning more and more each day. There really are no hard and fast rules to art – if there were, nothing would ever change, people would never grow and evolve into their own unique artistry. Recently I’ve been doing more with my photography – trying to be more intentional with every photo I take, seeing an image in my head and re-creating it. It’s been in that experimentation that I’ve begun to see myself becoming…