Beach Book Club: Joy in the Little Things by Kerrie Hess
We’re delighted to announce our Beach Book Club read for April is the beautiful new book Joy in the Little Things by the inspiring fashion and lifestyle illustrator Kerrie Hess. In her new book Joy in the Little Things, Kerrie celebrates the best, most important joys of all – the little pleasures – in this guide full of ideas and inspiration for tapping into your own happiness and creativity. To celebrate this launch, we chat to Kerrie about the inspiration and creative process behind Joy in The Little Things, below.
What was the inspiration behind your new book Joy in the Little Things?
The book started out more as a fashion and beauty title but as I wrote and sketched away I realised that it was moving in a different direction... It was just becoming all about the small things in life that bring joy; than just about style. Daily rituals, gratitude and mindfulness are really the main themes in there. As well as a little dose of fashion and beauty!
Can you share with us a little bit about the creative process behind your book?
It really started with writing, then sketching from my own text. It was an interesting process, and it really allowed me to be a lot more open, honest and even vulnerable than I can on a medium like social media. My publisher kept mentioning how much she loved the really personal moments in the text, which helped me open up further. Then painting all of my favourite things was a real delight!
Does the creative process differ to the way that you would usually create your artworks?
Only in the sense that with this being such a big project, involving 250 illustrations; the way I worked on it was to set up all of my paints and supplies and just go deep into several days of painting at a time. I found that helped me stay in the painting zone and also saved time not packing up each day! I did the same with writing. If I was writing, I would write for a several days at a time. I always find getting into a new medium is the hardest thing, but once I am in it, it all seems to just flow. I found turning off my phone for these creative days helped too! As well as not multitasking. Focusing on one thing at a time was the key.
In the past year especially, it seems like we have all had to learn to slow down and find joy in the little things - how do you find joy in your every day life?
Yes absolutely! And even though this book started in Feb 2019 it still feels really relevant. (If not more so now!) I slowed down a lot myself in 2020, aside from working on the finishing touches of this book and shooting for my Art Masterclasses. Otherwise I did take some time to just slow down, enjoy a stroll around my neighbourhood and eat banana bread in the sun! These simple and small moments of pure joy (that we sometimes are too busy to notice) is really what Joy in the Little Things is all about...
Joy in the Little Things by Kerrie Hess is available now from kerriehess.com
