Everything I've Been Reading, Cooking, & Wearing This Summer to Fuel My Creativity

A life-changing book, substacks I devour, and summer camp-inspired dressing.

Outfit linked here

I wrote in the spring about the realization that my creativity had been swallowed up by work—and my longing to return to making things even when they don’t feel “productive” (that one’s here if you want the whole story).

Here’s what I didn’t fully understand at the time: naming it was the easy part. Actually living it takes a whole summer (or a lifetime… baby steps).

Because it turns out, reclaiming creativity isn’t something we can just turn on and wait for inspiration to strike. It looks like watercolors with my kids on the patio when we’ve all had too much screen time. Improvising an herb-packed sauce to elevate our roast chicken dinner. Reading for pure pleasure, baking because it makes the kitchen smell good, putting on an outfit I love even if I’m not leaving the house. Small things that might feel pointless, but it’s what makes summer feel like summer.

So, here’s what I’ve been reading, making, wearing, and loving lately—you could call it an “unofficial summer creativity toolkit.” Or just, everything that’s been making me feel most like myself again.

WHAT I’M READING:

My reading material varies drastically based on time of day. AM is for spirituality and learning, midday is when I catch up on articles and Substack, and evening is pure escapism to help me wind down for the night. Currently:

MORNING:

The Body Keeps the Score. I’ve heard about this book for years, and for some reason it took me until now to pick it up (maybe I was subconsciously afraid of what I might learn?). I’ve been dealing with a lot of tightness and tension in my neck and shoulders over the past few months, and I’ve started to wonder if it’s a reaction to the trauma from my car accident two decades ago. It’s been SO interesting reading through it with an open mind—and when I shared I was reading it on IG, many of you sent me messages about how this book had changed your life.

MIDDAY:

I’ve been reading through my Substack subscriptions while I eat lunch lately and it’s become one of my favorite parts of the day. Particularly enjoying: Wearstlerworld Kelly Wearstler’s dispatches from her design projects and overall fabulous life), Even Better (Shira Barlow, MS, RD’s down-to-earth wellness wisdom and lots of simple recipe ideas), Health Gossip (interviews that go deep on “health” with interesting people), The French Woman ( Garance Doré’s personal essays that always make me lol) and The In-Between (Geri Hirsch’s well-curated lifestyle and links from someone with all-around great taste.)

Also loved this article on having a “European summer” at home.

EVENING:

So random, but I was craving a mystery/thriller and downloaded a sample of Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell and was hooked within 10 minutes. It’s kind of intense for bedtime reading, but I love the level of suspense. Also fun that it’s the first book in a series so I can keep it going.

WHAT I’M MAKING:

Blistered shishitos over the romesco sauce; the lunch I eat almost every day.

Romesco sauce to put on everything: I’ve been blending up batches of this, and it’s truly addictive and so simple: 1 roasted bell pepper, ⅓ cup roasted almonds, a squeeze of tomato paste, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp paprika, splash of red wine vinegar, pinch of salt & pepper, and ½ cup olive oil. Blend it up and serve with grilled meat, veggies, or as a great dip for crudité. I keep it in the fridge at all times!

Alison Roman’s semifreddo studded with fresh blackberries from the farm stand. I made this when I wanted something sweet but didn’t want to go to the store, and was delighted to find that I had all the ingredients hanging out in my fridge. It’s from her cookbook Dining In (highly recommend), but I also found the recipe reprinted online here.

Still on my open-faced lunch kick: Toasted sourdough topped with avocado, cucumber, this smoked salmon (my obsession), and a handful of fresh dill or basil. I’ve been leveling it up with a drizzle of these basil + chili oils that add the most incredible flavor to just about anything.

Current summer ritual: pour a glass of this rosé while I’m making dinner. Something about it makes the whole process feel less like a task and more like the evening has officially started.

Grilled carrots: sounds weird but I promise it’s so good! I’ve been buying bunches of small carrots from the farm stand, but if you get larger ones from the grocery, halve or quarter them so they cook evenly. Toss with olive oil, salt & pepper, then throw them onto a hot grill until slightly tender and charred. So good over the romesco sauce above, or with lots of fresh herbs and pumpkin seeds, or tossed into a salad.

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

I ordered these watercolor supplies so the kids and I can go outside and paint in the afternoons when we’ve had a bit too much screen time. Watercoloring is my favorite because you don’t have to be “good” to create something really beautiful - it feels so freeing because you really can’t mess it up!

Summer and bracelet making go hand-in-hand for me (anyone else??) and these are the cutest kits that are probably intended for younger kids, but Phoebe and I are obsessed.

I’ve been setting up my work environment to spark creativity (this is underrated but so important):

• First, I’ve been trying to monotask as much as possible (aka: only doing one thing at a time). Not only am I able to do a better job at whatever I’m working on, but I also enjoy the process so much more. So for example, while I’m writing this newsletter, my notifications are off, and my inbox and other tabs are closed.

• I settle into a comfy chair (or let’s be honest, my bed), light my favorite candle, and pop in my AirPods with this playlist. This helps me block out noise, but just as key for those of us who WFH, signals to other people in my house that I’m in work mode.

CURRENTLY WEARING

I’d describe my style this season as “classic beach day-meets-summer camp nostalgia”, and I’ve been wearing the same handful of things on repeat:

• Simple flattering swimsuits with a button-down thrown over the top.

• My favorite rollneck sweater in the summer weight, thrown over my shoulders or layered with a fitted crewneck tee, boxers, and leather sandals.

• Also living in this oversized tee tucked into barrel-leg jeans (people stop to ask me about these), usually with this baseball cap thrown on and these sunglasses, always.

WELLNESS EXPERIMENTS

Last month I attended a conversation circle hosted by my friends Sacha and Alex, with a hormone doctor to answer all our questions about what actually happens to our bodies in our 40s as we head into perimenopause. I went in a little nervous and left inspired—there’s something about speaking vulnerably in a room full of women all wondering the same things that takes the fear out of this type of thing.

I’m also starting to pay real attention to the metabolic side of my health—my energy, the afternoon slump, how I actually want to feel in my body this decade. One thing I’m trying right now is this supplement that boosts your body’s own GLP-1 naturally—I’ll report back once I’ve used it a while. I’m not interested in a quick fix - more small experiments to see what habits actually make me feel my best.

LISTENING TO

Jay Shetty’s interview with Lucy Kalanithi (her husband was the neurosurgeon and author of When Breath Becomes Air)–such a reminder not to take a single moment, person, experience of this precious life for granted.

How to Stay Productive and Relaxed—my whole goal right now, so many good takeaways here.

Daybreak playlist is the soundtrack to my summer—prepping dinner at golden hour, afternoons at the table with watercolors everywhere, the slowness I’ve been craving. Most of what I love doing lately feels like the songs on this playlist.

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ps. We’re Hiring! We just had a new role open up at Camille Styles that I wanted to share here—I have a feeling the right person is part of this community!

I’m looking for a Managing Editor for camillestyles.com — part-time, about 12 hours a week. You’d own the editorial calendar, work with contributors, write and edit, keep the site feeling fresh and interesting. I’m looking for someone with great taste, editorial experience, works independently, and wants to run something with a team rather than just check boxes off their to-do list.

If that’s you (or someone you know), send a note to jobs@camillestyles.com with more info on you, your experience, and what you’re currently working on. Would love to connect!