I created more time in my day, 

 First name / friend

I wanted to read more non-fiction books but 'never had the time’ for it. 

“I can wake up earlier", I thought one day. So, I did. 

I woke up an hour earlier than usual and I managed to read 69 books last year. It was simpler than I thought.

what I'm working on

Illustrating a new children's book

The book I just finished illustrating, Een jaar met Wifi, is in book stores on June 29 (preview and pre-order here) and a new one is in progress already! I'm currently working on a very special project, and I'm offering you a glimpse of the work on my drawing table…

That's all I can show for now. I will tell you more when the book is further along!

From an abstract landscape 

to six smaller abstracts

I'm quietly working on my painting practice. Last Sunday I created an abstract landscape with paper tape underneath. When I removed the tape it resulted in six smaller abstracts. You see a video on Instagram here.

I was asked if these abstracts will be for sale. They will be! They're about 23 x 23 cm each and I will send you an email when I have photographed them properly. 

In the media

Flair (Dutch magazine) / “Marloes De Vries is het brein achter Flair's strips.” → Verder lezen

Trouw (Dutch newspaper) / Over het missen van Engeland als geprivilegieerde Europeaan (ik dus). Beetje aangedikt door de journalist 😉 → Verder lezen

video

Recharging the batteries in Limburg (NL)

I miss the rolling hills of England, and as we weren't allowed to leave the country we found the next best thing: Limburg. I made a little video especially for you as a newsletter subscriber!

8 things I liked

"I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain."

James Baldwin

01 /  A book about love and hope I am reading SUCH a good book right now, called The Salt Path. It's the true story of Raynor Winn and her husband Moth who start walking the coastline of the South of England after losing their home. 

02 / You need rest, not bullet journals “The huge productivity advice industry made little sense even before the pandemic.” Refreshing article on productivity guilt tripping.

03 / Practical philosophy I was supposed to get philosophy classes in high school but there wasn't a teacher available for six years. Then I went to art school and again we didn't get classes as there was no teacher available. And here I am now, 36 years old and devouring Stoicism which is really hands-on.

04 / Touching picture book A while ago I ordered the book Town is by the sea, written by Joanne Schwartz and illustrated by Sydney Smith. Below you can see a video on how Sydney approached making the illustrations for this book.

05 / Binge-watching If you've been a subscriber for longer, you know I'm obsessed with British TV and especially detectives. Over the past few weeks I've been watching Line of Duty. There are six seasons available, so plenty to see!

06 / Power song Do listen to the conversation between the director and actress in the beginning. It's not about perfection nor hitting every note: it's all about being yourself and that gives you the power to connect with others. Perfect for dancing and belting along!

07 / Elizabeth Gilbert and 3 powerful words  “What are you willing to give up to have the life you keep pretending you want?”. Read it here.

08 / Podcast for artists I've been listening to Art Juice for about a year now and I actually don't know why I haven't shared it before in my newsletter. Louise (Yorkshire, UK) and Alice (London, UK) are great!

EXTRA / What Bram liked My partner Bram wanted to have a say in my newsletter and asked me if he could recommend his favourite video each month. This is the second one, his favourite video of this month. 

That was my June-edition! 

Feel free to let me know your thoughts, your own morning routine, or if you liked this newsletter. You can reply to this email or share it on Instagram (I'm @marloesdevee) so more people might join my newsletter-club 😊

Hope you enjoyed and speak soon!

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