Jen's Weekend Drafts: Breadcrumbs and Five-Year-Plans.

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+BREADCRUMBS VS. FIVE YEAR PLANS: I related deeply to this post by podcaster Cathy Heller. I believe in pointing yourself towards big goals — you need the north star — but everything transpires in tiny, fine-grained instances of intuition and opportunity. (There are no big breaks — lots of micro-breaks!)

+MAGGIE SMITH BOOK TOUR: I had the pleasure of attending an event with poet Maggie Smith this week; she’s just released a new book called Dear Writer, which is ostensibly about craft but really about living a rich creative life, rooted in noticing and wonderment. If you have a chance to see her on her book tour, you should; she is witty, wise, dynamic on stage, and I guarantee you’ll leave learning something. I was personally struck by her conversation about “hot” vs “cool” writing, in which she explained that sometimes it’s helpful to write the stuff that’s really hard to write about in the third person, or past tense, so that it’s a little cooler to work with. (Powerful, coming from a memoirist who wrote about the intimate details of her divorce!) She made the point that you can always bring it back to first person present when you’re comfortable with the material. A reminder of the fluidity of writing, its accommodations. The page is not a container! At the event, I watched a young woman take a full page of notes while listening to Smith, and it felt like the most bare-faced, optimistic act I’ve seen in a long time — I was so touched. Major ice cream moment.

+BESTSELLERS: This lace dress (a handful left; it’s truly something special — you can see me in it here!) and my beloved LED red light therapy mask. I shared a lot of thoughts on it here. Use JEN10 for 10% off!

01. TUCKERNUCK WHITE LACE CAFTAN // 02. JULIA AMORY DRESS // 03. CURRENT BODY LED MASK (JEN10 FOR 10% OFF) // 04. SPLENDID LINEN PANTS (30% OFF) // 05. J. CREW LINEN VEST // 06. TARGET RIBBED TANK // 07. THE OUTSET LIP OASIS // 08. FARM RIO TOP // 09. KIDS GARDENING SET // 10. CLARINS V-FACIAL MASK (GOAT) // 11. TRUE BOTANICALS BRONZING DROPS // 12. BR PULL ON PANTS

+ALL JUDGMENT IS CONFESSION: Wow, this quote by Nikolai Tesla: “When you understand that every opinion is a vision loaded with personal history, you will begin to understand that all judgment is a confession.” I’ve heard this sentiment worded a bit differently elsewhere: “When you realize how often people cope by projecting, you learn to take nothing personally.” Extremely helpful footholds when you’re in the throes of unfair criticism.

+NON-PHYSICAL COMPLIMENTS: I loved this list of non-physical compliments to pay loved ones. I found it a helpful audit for myself with my children, too. What kinds of things am I praising in them? What do the patterns suggest about what we value? This reminded me of one of my daughter’s Montessori school teachers, who was always so thoughtful about encouraging the children in the classroom. I noticed she’d frequently say, “Wow, you worked so hard on that,” and “I love the colors you chose!” and “It’s so interesting you picked this shape!” Lots of little words of encouragement focused on their effort versus their output.

+EYEING + BUYING: Can you tell I’m ready for spring break?!

J. CREW FACTORY KIDS POLO (LOOKS LIKE RHOBACK) + LOAFERS (LOOK LIKE LORO PIANA)* // LA VESTE FRINGE COVER UP // QUINCE GIRLS SWIMSUIT // PIPETTE MINERAL SUNSCREEN SPRAY // AMAZON FRINGED UMBRELLA // BRINKER AND ELIZA NECKLACE // MONKEY POUCH // VEE COLLECTIVE TOTE // AMAZON JELLIES // LOEWE SUNGLASSES // FLORA SWIMSUIT

*Lots of incredible finds at J. Crew Factory for kids right now. Everything I like for boys here.

+RONNI NICOLE PLASTER ART: I can’t get over these beautiful plaster “wall candies” by Ronni Nicole. I just signed up for her newsletter in the hopes of getting my hands on one of her limited edition releases this spring. I also find her an interesting follow on Instagram — her thoughts on creative process and the business side of art reveal a beautiful curiosity.