The boys coloured our paving stones before bed. The surface isn’t ideal, but they attacked the project like adding colour was their job. They don't care if there is rain in the forecast. They don't care if their time is limited or if they should continue or stop tomorrow.

My daughter made 37 paper boxes for the fun of folding their shape in different colours. Sometimes she finds something to put in them. She isn't thinking of monetizing her confections. The production makes us both laugh, as if their proliferation were as random as mushrooms after a rain.

I need these constant reminders because I'm an adult, careworn and worried. I take encouragement I can find it, like sips of tea: “Every artist has a different journey, and you'll have to figure out yours - you'll have to determine how much you can endure. Because the roadblocks, doubts, and insecurity are all part of living an artistic life.” (Jenna Fischer).