My Funny Valentine
Quite a few good things, including Album of the Week
Sensitive and provocative. Tender, still steeped in winter germs. The promise of snow is a knife to the cheek. Bulbs brave, like hearts, this new city sunlight.
Valentine’s Day. Never heard a good word said about it.
Perfectly excellent people refuse to concede.
The words most whispered around this day - commercialism, capitalism, disappointment - stick in everyone’s throat. Even the most sincere amongst us feel nagged in to submission.
Dear Valentine’s Day. This is my letter of thanks, to you. For excavating discomfort. Digging the flowers out of the cold stubborn earth of our winter bodies.
Your Anti-Valentine’s Weekend Menu
Some of the best things I’ve absorbed recently are on a mission to tell love stories differently.
Heartburn, by Nora Ephron. Her little autobiographical novel is pithy and painfully perfect. Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and Ephron’s own screenplay do it justice. Out on Netflix now.
Marty Supreme. I was, quite frankly, blown away by the ride. Big screen must. Don’t read anything about it before you go. My lips are sealed.
The Mastermind. A polar-opposite approach to telling much the same story as Marty Supreme. Josh O’Connor is an easy watch. This quietly paced art-heist set in the 70’s unravels surprisingly.
Hamnet. Not quite what I expected from the hype, but I am a huge admirer of the vision and approach of director Chloe Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s very readable novel, and am grateful that my algorithm is now full of her.
Becoming. I watched the Michelle Obama documentary for the second time while flu ridden the other day. The same day Bad Bunny was trending after his epic all-Spanish Super Bowl performance. Two profoundly effective antidotes to hate.
The New Yorker at 100. I finally know what I want to do when I grow up.
The new album by Work Money Death: A Portal to Here. I actually can’t vouch for this at all, but having passed the record in my favourite local record shop I am taking myself off to their listening booth today, because I need to spend time with whoever came up with this band name and album title combo.
A few important thank yous…
Joint thanks from both myself and Mathew for all the amazing support for his new pottery teaching studio in Brighton. He’s received some out-of-crowdfunder backing which has made the project a definite, so for the final month of March before official courses begin in April, Jinks Pottery will be offering pay-what-you-can wheel-throwing taster classes as part of the last push Crowdfunder rewards. Do share if you know of anyone who might enjoy such a thing.
On a similar note, thank you, again so much from us both, to all who helped fund our film camera last year. Round two of filming the little documentary we’re making is next month, and in the meantime I’m using it to make mini social media films about Jinks Pottery to build up my portfolio of these. If anyone needs a film made to tell the story of your project, please do reach out. No charge while I sharpen up my skills!
And a sincere thank you to my dear daughter, who made us both get some paints out, put records on and turn phones off the other day. It was utter bliss and got me back to a project I started last year painting the shells and stones that insist on coming home from the beach in my pockets. I’d forgotten painting also teaches me how to write. One attempt into the unknown after another.
Album of the Week
Has to be….
Monday Evening Shared Creative Space
What? 2 hours of quiet creative time that we hold for each other together online.
When? 7.30 - 9.30pm Monday evenings
For whom? For everyone and anyone who wants some quiet, committed time for a creative project, and finds it helpful to be held accountable for that.
Where? Join here.
Everything about this email is beautiful, delicate encouraging and wonder-filled Agnes ! 🤍 thank you ! The words that you start with gave me the shivers ! I love the images too, particularly the low sunlight reflecting on those windows .. And this stunning little shell drawing… reminds me of a line I heard this week, “protected from this death by beauty” which is so many ways I believe we are. Beauty is not a fluffy all positive add on for when times are good, it is the life blood and the “why” of ANY of this being human. And some of us must insist on bringing it. Beautiful ! Sending love ❤️
this is so lovely thank you for sharing it Agnes! And wish I could take you up on the offer to make a film about what I'm up to out here — maybe in another time when you and Mathew can come visit! I'd love to show you both around and you'd both certainly love it ❤️