Little Notes of Truth

Postcard Principles

Earlier this year, I read something about the painter Lord Frederic Leighton. Known for his grand, luminous works like Flaming June (an all-time favorite), he apparently also made smaller, more intimate pieces - pocket-sized scenes painted for his own pleasure:

“They’re almost like holiday photographs.

Leighton called them ‘little notes of truth’.”¹

I really liked that phrase. In a world weighed down by books to read, podcasts to listen to, courses to take, etc - the idea of “little notes of truth” feels like a breath of fresh air. Simple. Uncluttered. Charming. Light.

I borrowed it as a kind of creative and intellectual compass, pairing it with another bit of guidance from The School of Life:

“Part of getting an idea to stick is to reduce it down to its essence. To stand any hope of staying with us, a thesis needs to be brief. We need ideas to fit on the back of postcards.”²

I love little notes.

I love good ideas.

And I love postcards.

Today, I want to share that love with you - in the form of a few of my own.

Enjoy,

I could keep going - once you start making these, it’s hard to stop - but I’m traveling with friends, and right now feels like a moment to be with them.

So I’ll turn it over to you:

What’s one “little note of truth” you’d send yourself?

1. Lord Leighton’s Leisure-Scapes, Dr. Rebecca Marks

2. A Replacement for Religion, The School of Life