7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #683: Featuring Susanna Chapman
March 22nd, 2020 by jules
Today’s art is from illustrator Susanna Chapman — who, lucky me, is local to me. (She lives in Nashville.) She recently shared this drawing on Instagram — I love the idea of deferred hugs — and I secured her permission to share it here. She also has a time-lapse video of the drawing to heighten, as she puts it, the time-based hug experience. Susanna says the time-lapse video is more meaningful to her, since she misses the time element of hugging people. So, here it is, the drawing in action:
Susanna, who is also a book designer, has also illustrated Laurie Thompson’s Elizabeth Warren’s Big, Bold Plans, coming to shelves in May from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Thanks to Susanna for sharing today!
Note for any new readers: 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.
1) I hope you all are staying well during these uncertain times. My family and I are healthy thus far (and staying in to help flatten the curve, as they say).
2) Typing “uncertain times” makes me think of this tweet I saw this week from author Mary Laura Philpott.
3) Lots of musicians (who can’t tour now) are taking to social media, and my favorite videos thus far have been from Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff. Here she is covering Blondie:
4) Having two big work projects this past week, which is good (because I think work is about to slow way down).
5) Checking in on friends.
6) Good reading.
7) This is, hands down, my favorite kick of the week. It’s from artist Edel Rodriguez:
Dear America, I’ve asked my 81 year old dad to make a new video for your entertainment and exercising pleasure. He sent this from isolation in Miami and asks y’all to STAY HOME so he can keep on dancing for another decade or two, thanks! pic.twitter.com/No5FdQhkS5
— Edel Rodriguez (@edelstudio) March 19, 2020
What are YOUR kicks this week?
Thank you, Susanna, for sharing the deferred hug and the video. We need this right now.
Jules, I agree with kick.number 2 for sure and I loved number 7. His dad has moves.
My kicks:
1. Sitting on my deck.
2. Reaching out to friends.
3. Walks.
4. Books.
5. Sunshine.
6. Twilight Zone on Netflix.
7. This space.
Have a good.week.
Thank you so much for this, Jules and Susanna! Susanna, I love seeing you draw! Can’t wait to show the kids (my 14yo has her calligraphy stuff spread all over the table right now) and turn up the music and dance with Edel’s dad later!
Stay safe, all.
My Kicks:
1/ A cloud of cherry blossoms on our tree.
2/ Soup on the stove.
3/ Kids reading a lot.
4/ Getting work done (some work, anyway).
5/ Birds at the bird feeder.
6/ Playing piano.
7/ See everyone reaching out online, trying to adjust and contribute in whatever ways they can.
Sending good thoughts to everyone! I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. Deferred hugs = very sweet. 🙂 Here’s to finding kicks wherever you can, appreciating what you have, and staying positive and proactive.
Deferred hugs are exactly what we all need right now – thank you so much for sharing Susanna and Jules. Wow am I ever looking forward to that Elizabeth Warren book!
Jules – glad you and the family are safe and well, and thank you for such wonderful links, especially Kick 7 – I love Edel’s dancing 81 year old dad so much.
Jone – hooray for sunshine, deck sitting, reading and reaching out to friends.
Jessica – yay for kids reading, birds at your feeder and soup on the stove.
Little Willow – Hi there! Thanks for the good thoughts sent, sending some your way as well from me and Daisy.
My kicks this week:
1) Sunshine and warmer weather.
2) This SYTYCD video of a samba – which is glorious – and it led me to binge Club Des Belugas music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUxHrMgg8V0
3) this video mix of Club Des Belugas music with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing is fun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgizwqGTA8g
4) I loved the book Counting By 7’s by Holly Goldberg Sloan so much, and was pleased to see it is in development for a movie. I just read another of her books, Appleblossom the Possum, and next up is her book Short.
5) My neighbors on my block – we all wave & check in from 6 or more feet away -feeling very lucky.
6) Daisy is maybe making progress with the buttons – she has gotten to the point where she will go stand by them and whine and look at me, then look at the buttons and look at me again, like “Ok lady figure it out, you know what I want.” So i step on them 1 by 1 til her tail wags the most.(I usually already know what she wants, I am hoping next week she’ll start stepping on them.)
7) Love the more constant texting and calling and checking in on friends and family everywhere. One friend and I do morning texts to stay accountable for yoga/workout habits.
Bonus kick – this is very very silly and yet reduces me to giggles every time I watch it:
https://twitter.com/AdrianCJax/status/1240493665769992197
Bonus bonus – 7 whales spotted today on Oregon State Parks Whale Week live stream!
Thank you Jules for providing a space where we can remember to look for the little or big things that bring us joy. Stay safe and well everyone!
Jone, enjoy your walks, books, sunshine, and television!
Jess, hello to the family!
Little Willow, cyber-hug to you.
Rachel, I love hearing about Daisy’s progress with the buttons. Thanks for all the links, which I’m gonna go watch now.
Stay safe, you all!
THANKS for the reminder of Hurray for the Riff Raff. Magnificent. Perfect for these times.
Too many kicks to sort out just lots of thanks and good wishes to all.
1. Falling in love for the final time (I am 81, he wiill soon be 83, we dated in college. He is a widower, I a widow.)
2. Taking long walks in the woods with said widower,, and his dog Grace.
3. Writing poems with him.
4. Sheltering in place, the three of us.
5. Learning to live in the now.
6. Writing new poems every day. And sometimes wrking n a new book.
Hi, Jane! I missed this earlier. YOU ARE IN LOVE! Hurrah!
And hello to Rob, too!
[…] Today I want to share this sun from illustrator Elizabeth Haidle. It’s in honor of spring coming and the first buttercup I saw in our yard this week. It’s in honor of hopes that we’ll all get the vaccine sooner than we expected, thanks to Biden’s efforts and the news he shared this week. And it’s posted as we note the one-year mark of first coming to terms with the pandemic and heading inside to socially isolate. Whew. It’s been a long year, but the sun is coming out. Soon, we may even be able to hug a friend again. […]