Mari Andrew’s My Inner Sky is a stunning hardcover encouraging us to turn inwards and find the beauty in everyday moments, a much-needed pause in our endlessly digital lives. The moments in between where we are, and where we wish we were.
Mari Andrew
You’d recognise Andrew’s art style from Instagram, or her previous book, Am I There Yet?. The cover of this new book is a gorgeous sunset, the bright yellows and oranges fading to a deep purple and blue towards the corner. Andrew uses chapters focused on different times and seasons to ground her writing, jumping off into personal essays.
She applies her thoughtful eye and paintbrush to the world around her, taking in those tiny details we miss while glued to our phones. One of the first chapters includes a list of cute moments she witnessed while living in New York, then turned into a beautiful map of the city a few pages later. Andrews’ artwork blends a simplistic drawn style with a control of watercolour and tone I envy.
Andrew also documents her struggles, like the complexities of grieving for an estranged parent, or a rapidly developing chronic illness. Andrew encourages readers to rethink and reframe — we constantly want to be moving on to the next exciting thing, while the present has its own beauty. This was written pre-COVID but still resonates, especially as the world moves in and out of isolation.
‘When I finally gave up positive thinking for present thinking, that’s when I really began not only to get comfortable with this transitional period, but to see the beauty in it.’
Andrew doesn’t shy away from her own moments of frustration and unkindness — she’s very honest about the less than glamorous reactions that dating and rejection bring up (see The Parrot Smashing Incident later on).
If you need a moment in between the chaos and ‘always on’ rush, this is a beautiful read that will bring a few minutes of quiet to your day. Perfect for fans of Andrew’s artwork and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.
—My Inner Sky by Mari Andrew (Allen & Unwin) is out now.
My Inner Sky
On embracing day, night and all the times in between
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