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IMPENDING JOY: good things are coming and it’s too late to stop them.
Think: the people who will love you. the winter branches that are already working on their buds. the dog who will kiss you when a moment before you were a total stranger. the first fresh snow of 2027. dozing off somewhere soft. your new favorite song. adoring someone you’ve loved for years and realizing you’re still getting to know them.
I am well acquainted with impending joy’s cousin foreboding. I give my attention and my fingers to keeping its spiritual practice (doom scrolling). I wake up with the sense that something bad is happening before I even know what day it is. I devote myself to drawing a lifetime of worst case scenarios into my arms to try, without even a free hand, to be prepared.
Counting on the worst, sometimes, makes me feel tough, or even safe, out beyond the reach of heartbreak surprise. It feels protective. And perhaps, in some ways or in some times, it is. But what I’ve come to understand is that is simply not true.
Like it or not, anxious or not, ready or not: good things are coming.
And I want to receive every last one of them.
This is the headline piece of my new series IMPENDING JOY dropping this week.
Members will get first access in two days: Fri, Nov 22 at 8am PT (11am ET / 8pm GST) in the member shop.
Remaining pieces will open to the public on Sat, Nov 23 at 8am PT.
A series preview with prices and dimensions will go out to you all tomorrow in an email just like this.
Here are a few companion pieces from the new series:
For first access to the whole collection, join our member community (starting at $3 on Patreon, or become a supporter here on Substack).
❄️ News ❄️
Stickers and notebooks are up now.
Canvas prints are available now through December 8 (or while supplies last).
New original paintings drop soon: members get first pass on Friday, Nov 22 at 8am PT. Remaining works will then open to the public on Saturday, right at 8am PT.
Check our our Gift Shop — a curated collection of art to share.
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art & writing about learning to love this life, for you, by brit