Tools & Talismans #64 Alisha Sommer

The beauty of simple rituals. I don't know that I ever really thought about each individual item and how they in turn help create the structure of my day. But the first thing I do, before I even begin making my warm water with lemon, is light some incense. It sits on the windowsill and curls in front of my nose while I slice and peel and gather the lunches for the children. This mug is one of many that floats around the house and in the car—never empty. As much as the burning of incense signifies the beginning of a new day, so does the first cup of coffee. And it's usually integral to the first photograph I take each day. Which leads me to the camera. I've had it for just a year now and it is incredible how big of a piece it's played in my creative life. It has not only changed the way I see the world, but taking pictures has also made me a better writer — really, a better everything. These Pilot G2 pens with a medium point are the only pens I write with. They are inexpensive but the ink is good and smooth. Any other pen just won't do when it comes to translating the heart. And then this leather bound journal. I buy them from Barnes & Noble 3 at a time. The leather is strong and the interior pages are this antique white color and thick and unlined which allows for all kinds of dreams and ideas and feelings to be captured.

Alisha Sommer • Writer. Photographer. Seeker of Beauty & Light.