A Runner’s High

A Runner’s High

by | Aug 26, 2021 | Substack

Remember the crisp feeling of a paper map in your hands? With GPS apps readily at our fingertips, paper maps are needed less often, though maps in the form of artwork are still quite popular. Maybe the colors are easy on the eye, or an artist got creative by rethinking how to draw it out. Perhaps it is a vintage feel that draws us in.

I love making maps and a group of friends joined in a mapping exercise this summer to create a map of our camp in Maine.

This Island Map was created by Sandra Bazany-Taylor (@bazanytaylor).⁠

Each of us drew upon our imaginations to draft what we thought the map should look like. And, behold, we all came up with very, very different renderings of the site.

Do you like creating maps or using maps as artwork in your home?

PS: Creative maps are one of the many topics in my newest Substack newsletter, out today! Visit robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe to sign up to get this month’s issue, plus an exclusive bonus essay, for community members only.

Circles, Cycles, and Cartoons

Circles, Cycles, and Cartoons

by | Jul 29, 2021 | Substack

Last week a color photograph fell out of a book in Maine that showed my family, sitting in the sun on wooden chairs around a hotel pool in Antigua Guatemala in the ‘70s, a dormant volcano in the background – just like this photo.

Today I work with a university in Guatemala to develop a new course about food systems design. In the process, I’m adding another layer to my story that began to unfold in the
‘70s. I am in the process of designing a meal for their students and for a university conference; I work with a chef and gastronomist to design a food experience that reflects Guatemalan culture and geography.

Some stories bear repeating and most repeat in spite of ourselves. We think that life rolls forward in unexpected ways, always accreting new stories. I’m discovering that our stories are always in motion, even if the threads disappear for a time, sometimes a long time.

I’m following this thought of how threads from our past weave into our future in my next Substack newsletter (out next week!), and how we don’t notice events in our lives coming full circle until we pause and reflect.

Be sure to sign up for my email list to be notified when the July issue goes live next Thursday! As a member of my Substack, you get access to my full exclusive content library of short essays, artwork, and complex global topics that aren’t published elsewhere: https://robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe

What are “Smell Maps”? And other interesting finds

What are “Smell Maps”? And other interesting finds

by | Jun 24, 2021 | Substack

Summer is in full bloom here in Maine and I’d like to share a view from my window (at night) and much more in this issue of my next Substack newsletter – out today!

In this month’s release, we dive into the nostalgia of vintage foods, how one designer creates “smellscapes” with maps, plus other unique things I found interesting (and feel you might find interesting, too).

You can sign up for monthly access for less than your espresso macchiato, here: https://robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe

Are We Done Belonging?

Are We Done Belonging?

by | May 13, 2021 | Substack

One of my film projects has to do with cheese, which, naturally, includes plenty of cheese tastings for research.

Eating cheese for work? Sign me up! you might be thinking…but you may be surprised to hear that this is both a blessing and a curse.

How? Cheese tastings can go one of two ways: trying cheese that is delicious, creamy, and melts in your mouth, or…let’s just say, cheese that sends its wet, moldy sock scent into every corner of your house…

I’m sharing one of the most unique and delicious cheeses I’ve tried (and recommend) from these tastings in my latest Substack newsletter, which is my second issue.

Additionally, in this next issue, you’ll read about my random interests, reads, films, and curiosities.

You can join the community for as little as what your daily espresso macchiato costs (or sign up as a founding member and receive a free digital color art print) here: https://robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe