Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

★★★★☆ In this non-fiction book, the author, a journalist, goes undercover to see if she can make a living working a series of minimum-wage jobs. She travels to different cities and works as a domestic house cleaner, waitress, hotel maid, dietary aide at a nursing home, and sales clerk at Walmart. She sometimes holds multiple jobs at once and works seven days a week to be able to afford food and rent.

The Girl in the Window by Renee Pawlish

★★★☆☆Trapped in an unfulfilling life, Amber watches from the window as her neighbor’s good-looking husband, Caleb, leaves for work every morning. He knows she is watching and the two share knowing waves and glances. It’s the most exciting thing happening in Amber’s life aside from refusing to sign the divorce papers served by her abrasive estranged husband.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

★★★★☆ In Looking for Alaska, Miles “Pudge” Halter leaves his hometown in Florida to go to boarding school. He doesn’t have many friends at his current school and is seeking excitement, companionship, and the “Great Perhaps” by going away to Culver Creek. He quickly bonds with his roommate, Chip “The Colonel”, and Alaska Young, the school’s most famous prankster who lives in a nearby single.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

★★★★☆ In Essentialism, Greg McKeown explains why we should all be relentlessly prioritizing and only spending time on the essentials. He encourages constantly checking in with yourself and asking, “Is this the very most important thing I could be doing with my time?” If the answer is no, it gets removed from the schedule.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

★★★☆☆ In Madeline Miller’s retelling of the Iliad, we see the story of the great Greek warrior, Achilles through the eyes of his friend Patroclus. After being exiled from his homeland, a young Patroclus meets Achilles.  We follow Patroclus and Achilles as they grow up, train together, and ultimately, join the quest to capture Troy in honor of the kidnapped Helen of Sparta.

Behind the Curtains at the House of Busatti Headquarters

One of the most inspiring things you can do as an artist is to develop an understanding of and appreciation for the process behind creative pursuits outside of your own field. From analyzing the colors to appreciating the techniques, there is always something new you can take away from experiencing art from different kinds of creators and makers.