Creative Altars
From the Desk of Caitlyn Barone
Creative Altars: From the Desk of Pointy Hat Press is a collection of musings, memories, and creative seeds from the desks of Pointy Hat Press co-founders, Caitlyn Barone & Kristin Lisenby. In this series, two witches share their current inspirations, works in progress, and other glimmers of everyday magick. Questions for Pointy Hat Press? Send a DM or leave a comment for Kristin and Caitlyn below.
From the desk of Caitlyn Barone…
Lately, I’ve been using collage and divinatory tools to process themes and concepts alongside my artwork. In the Literary Coven Book Club, Kristin and I are still peeling back the layers of Slewfoot by Brom, exploring themes of monstrosity and survival. Learn more (and join the book club!) here.
A recent card pull and this week’s muse, “Forgotten” from the Supra Oracle. The description for this card reads:
Long, long ago...This is how the story of the forgotten begins anew. It is an invocation to the fathomless reaches of the ancient past that allows us to live in both the past and the future simultaneously. This chant to the forgotten calls forth a secret spirit filled with every grace, every detail, every last consideration for the Life Incredulous.
Long, long ago it welled up from a soundless and far away spring, where it flowed through the world, filling every gap and chasm with all the incredible, intuitive knowledge of its eternity.
Somewhere along the way though, we lost this knowledge
— we let it slip away from our consciousness. But at night, in our dreams, it moves as it ever has, ebbing through all the lost creatures, civilizations and ancient wisdom to our minds as we sleep, and to distant worlds beyond. Our souls drink from this fresh, everlasting stream without being called to - it just happens - and we set out anew each morning seeking the world we forgot.
I had the privilege of teaching a webinar, “Grimoire Building,” for Tamed Wild’s Tenth House community. We discussed the power of keeping and creating magical texts and treating our grimoires as magical objects. The book Art of the Grimoire by Owen Davies is a beautiful resource, rich with historical information and full-page color images.
The costumes in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein are *chef’s kiss*. I’ve been reading about the inspirations behind these garments.
A few of my recent drawings exploring texture and composition. I highly recommend experimenting with different paper - for example, I’ve started drawing on toned pastel paper. I love the muted colors, the texture, and it holds the ink incredibly well.
This color palette.
In my (minimal) free time, I’ve been giving my home some overdue love and care. Cheers to the magic of fixing, updating, cleaning, and rearranging.
Biblomancy with poetry books…
“Oh, hawk, what’s your damage —
are you here to pick the bones
of the years I laid waste to
like I never loved a thing? So be it.”
from the poem, “Self Portrait with Hawk & Armada,” Emily Skaja
Thanks for reading Creative Altars: From the Desk of Caitlyn Barone by Pointy Hat Press! Pointy Hat Press is a place for fairy tales and folklore, reimagined. Follow us on Substack and Instagram, sign up for our Moon Letters, and consider adding our original fairy tales to your library. You can also find us telling stories and talking about our latest creative quests on the Pointy Hat Press podcast.
Very inspirational