Illustration by Isha Khanzode.

Illustration by Isha Khanzode.

Instagram Account: Jill’s Creative Club

Jill Wignall is a London-based teacher and artist who has a knack for making DIY masterpieces out of just about anything that happens to be around—tiny shells, bits of twine, scraps of wood, what have you. She’s also VERY prolific: She draws, paints, takes photos, keeps notebooks that document her regular bike rides and nature hikes. (I know this because we are friends.) There are weeks that are so hectic that even picking up a pencil and writing something out by hand feels a little overwhelming to me, and I’ve often wondered: How does Jill do it? Seriously. Recently, she’s been letting the world in on her secrets/habits through Jill’s Creative Club, an Instagram account filled with quick and easy-to-execute drawing prompts, words of encouragement, and philosophies on bringing creativity into your perspective and daily life. If you’re a fan of Creative Prompt here at Rookiemag.com, I highly recommend joining up with Jill. A couple of my favorite prompts of hers include “draw an object you are grateful for” and “draw a random act of kindness.” Jill and one of her partners in creative crime, Daniel Brereton (a director who’s made videos for folks like Connan Mockasin and Metronomy), also just put together this inspirational video on how to take creativity with you when you’re a person on the go:

I think I’ll give it a try! —Lena Singer

Movie: The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)

The Diary of a Teenage Girl is an outstanding film that explores female sexuality without exploiting it or the movie’s main character, 15-year-old Minnie Goetze (played by Bel Powley). Sex and other forms of intimacy are things that, at times, can be hard to explain or talk about. Girls, boys, it doesn’t matter—everyone gets nervous about that stuff! This movie embraces sex-related awkwardness with a beautiful portrayal of how magical and special adolescence can be. The performances are an entanglement of exceptional acting, and sweet illustrations overlay the filmed action…it’s one of my favorite movies EVER. Watch it (you can stream it from various places around the internet) and be taken through Minnie’s experience of recording her sex life on a tape recorder, drawing hilariously erotic cartoons, and screaming at the top of her lungs when life gets too hard. Ultimately, The Diary of a Teenage Girl’s lesson is that loving yourself should always come first. Every girl is special, and each has their own story, but this film ties us all together. —Kati Yewell

Podcast: She Does

If you’ve ever wrung your hands over what will become your CAREER—a word that strikes fear and anxiety in the hearts of many—check out the podcast She Does, created and hosted by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg. In each episode, Elaine and Sarah interview women working in the wide and varied world of media about their jobs, how they got their jobs, and how they feel about their work. What I love about this show is that the long, thoughtful conversations often highlight how the only tried-and-true “rule of success” is that there aren’t many rules—other than working really hard—and that success is something that you can only define for yourself. It is so reassuring and fortifying to hear super-accomplished people like Veep writer Alexis Wilkinson, High Maintenance creator Katja Blichfeld, and Univision journalist Almudena Toral talk about how much experimentation, uncertainty, and diversions they lived through, learned from, and bounced back after on their professional paths. The voices on this podcast are the guidance counselors and mentors I’ve often only wished I had at school or work. Excellent stuff, even if you have zero interest in media! Elaine and Sarah also invite new bands to provide each episode’s soundtrack, so there are some great new music recommendations built in. Bonus! —Lena Singer ♦