AMANDA KETTERER

A few weeks late, but with plenty of glimmers to share — 23,000 people, paintings finding their people, wonderful artist friends, and a whole lot of gratitude for the people who helped make it possible.

And I'm starting with something that happened because of last week's email... Last week I sent an email about having one of those weeks where I couldn't seem to find many glimmers at all.

I wasn't sure I was going to write a Glimmers email this week. It's been a difficult week, and if I'm honest, I didn't really feel like finding five lovely things to share with you. Everything felt a little too much.

One thing I've been thinking about this week is how life is constantly asking us to let go of one thing so something new can find its way in. Sometimes that's a difficult goodbye. Sometimes it's simply trying a different routine, meeting new people or saying yes to a small change that ends up feeling just right. There can be sadness and gratitude sitting side by side, and somehow they both make the ordinary moments shine a little brighter. Here are a few of the glimmers that

I've noticed something this week. Every one of my glimmers seemed to carry the same quiet thread running through them... hope. Not the loud, dramatic kind, but the gentle reminders that beauty, kindness and possibility are still all around us. Sometimes they're found in extraordinary moments, and sometimes they're as simple as a roast potato or climbing into a warm bed at the end of the day. Whatever form they take, I hope these five glimmers help you notice a few of your own

Some weeks the glimmers feel easy to find. Other weeks, they ask you to look a little closer. This has been one of those weeks for me. I’ve found myself feeling a little flat as the reality of preparing for the Affordable Art Fair starts to sink in. Deadlines have a funny way of bringing both excitement and pressure, and there is a lot of faith involved in being creative. You put time, energy and money into something long before you know what it will become.