Mari Andrew (Writer and Illustrator)

I’m SUPER excited about today’s contributor, illustrator (and my personal hero) Mari Andrew. I first discovered Mari’s work on Instagram and I’ve been totally obsessed with her drawings ever since! If you are a single woman (or even if you're not), you need to look at her site right now! Seriously. Do not pass go. Head straight over there. I’ll wait . . . You see what I mean?? Spot on! She has a real knack for capturing relationship woes so perfectly! I’ve been reading and collecting her work for a while now. I send her drawings to friends after a rough break up and they send them to me whenever I’m feeling blue. They’re like the visual equivalent of a good friend. Very inspiring!

Here’s one of my favorite images. A friend sent it to me recently after a man broke my heart and I lost the ability to do handstands. True story.

This one makes me laugh out loud! It's so me. I'm an expert at sending wacky emails.

And then there's this one, which isn't about romantic relationships, but is still super awesome!

Anyway, I love too many of Mari's drawings to post them all here. I could do this all day! Instead, you should just click here to check out her work on Instagram and then scroll down to read all about her inspirations! ~Erin

Listen

I've been listening to Ethiopian jazz musician Mulatu Astatke as I work on the book I'm writing. I need to concentrate but also feel inspired—and this soothing, upbeat music fits the bill! The song "Tezeta (Nostalgia)" is my favorite. I wept when I first heard it.

Read

Kimothy Joy (@kimothyjoy's) Instagram account. She has some great little bios of remarkable women, and a lot of reasons to hope.

Watch

The film Gimme the Loot. It's my go-to comfort movie. It lifts me up when I'm feeling down, and mellows me out when I'm excited. It's really a perfect movie, and it suits any mood.

~Mari