This is our pick of nine Heather Stillufsen illustrations to carry you from Monday to Sunday, with a note on what each one says and why it works. Stillufsen is a working artist who sells and licenses this art, so instead of reprinting her images we link to each post on her own Instagram, where you can see them as she made them.
Some weeks don't need a big speech. They need a small nudge at the right moment: a drawing on your feed that says keep going, or rest, or you're allowed to start again. We've all had a Wednesday when that was enough to turn the day around.
That's what Heather Stillufsen's work does for us. So here's a week of it, with the reasons it lands.
Who Heather Stillufsen is
Heather Stillufsen is an American illustrator and writer based in New Jersey, where she lives with her husband, her two daughters and their chocolate Lab. Her publisher, Blue Mountain Arts, says she fell in love with drawing as a child and has been drawing ever since. Her delicate, whimsical style is now recognisable well beyond her own feed.
Her subjects run from friendship to fashion. Most pieces pair a stylish, softly drawn woman with a handful of hand-lettered words. Her work appears on greeting cards, gift books, calendars, planners, stationery and wall art. She sells her own cards and prints through her Etsy shop, Rose Hill Design Studio, and her Instagram, @heather_stillufsen, has more than 150,000 followers.
She has also written and illustrated six gift books with Blue Mountain Arts, including Life Is Tough... but So Are You, Mothers and Daughters Are Connected by the Heart and Sisters Make Life More Beautiful.
Why her art works on a hard day
Look closely and you'll notice how little she says. Most of the pieces below carry fewer than ten words. The drawing does the emotional work first, a woman with a coffee, a bunch of pink flowers, a cosy bed, and the words arrive as a soft second voice.
Her captions add the rest. On Instagram she often writes a few warm lines under the image about her own week, what she's resting from or looking forward to. That's part of the appeal. It feels like a friend sharing what helped her.
So when you click through to the posts below, read the caption too. That's where she talks to you directly.
Start the week: Monday
1. Time to shine
See this illustration on Heather Stillufsen's Instagram
"It's Monday, time to shine," she wrote across this one in January 2021. In her caption she adds that when you shine, you light the way for other people too. We love that the Monday push is about showing up as yourself.
Try it this week: pick one thing you're good at and let someone see it on Monday.
2. Never stop dreaming
See this illustration on Heather Stillufsen's Instagram
Three words: "Never stop dreaming." Her caption is firmer than the art, telling you to stop putting your dreams off and get clear on what you want. It's a good pairing, the soft image and the practical push.
So before the week fills up, write your dream down in one sentence and keep it where you'll see it.
Get through midweek: Wednesday
3. Keep going
See this illustration on Heather Stillufsen's Instagram
This November 2020 post is just two words, "Keep going," and it drew more than 5,000 likes. Her caption reminds you that tough times don't last forever. Posted in the middle of the pandemic, it met people exactly where they were.
When the middle of the week feels long, you don't need a plan for the whole thing. Just do the next task, then the next.
4. Make the best of today
See this illustration on Heather Stillufsen's Instagram
She shared this at the end of 2020 with a caption looking back on a year of ups, downs and goodbyes. The line on the art, "Make the best of how things are today," is the lesson she took from it. Notice it says today, not someday.
We can't control everything. We can control how we meet it. Name one small good thing you can make of today, and do it.
5. A fresh start
See this illustration on Heather Stillufsen's Instagram
This one tells you not to be afraid to let go and move on, because "sometimes you just need a fresh start." Her caption compares it to the first snow: clean slates bring calm when you let go of what weighs you down, whether that's stuff, habits or people.
So here's your permission. If something has stopped serving you, it's allowed to go. Start with one drawer, one habit or one unanswered message.
6. Be in the now
See this illustration on Heather Stillufsen's Instagram
This is the piece we come back to on anxious days. It's for the moment worry starts to take over and asks you to take a breath and "just be present in this moment." The caption repeats it simply: stop, breathe, focus on now.
Try it right now. Three slow breaths, and name three things you can see. That's all.
7. There's no rush
See this illustration on Heather Stillufsen's Instagram
"You don't have to figure it all out at once," this one begins. Her caption adds that there's no rush, you're full of potential, so take your time and breathe. It's a gentle answer to the pressure many of us put on ourselves to have every answer by Friday.
Pick the one question that actually needs answering this week. Let the rest wait.
Slow down: the weekend
8. It's OK to rest
See this illustration on Heather Stillufsen's Instagram
"It's OK to rest." In her caption she says she's been taking more time to rest and recharge herself, and that honesty matters. Rest is part of how you keep going.
So this weekend, block out one hour with nothing in it. Don't fill it.
9. Saturday plans
See this illustration on Heather Stillufsen's Instagram
This is the one that makes us smile. A woman curled up in bed with a book and a coffee, and a pillow that reads "I am very busy." Her caption calls it Saturday's plans: lounging and PJs, at least for now.
It's a joke, and it's also a reminder that doing nothing on purpose is a perfectly good plan. Go on, take the morning.
Where to find and buy Heather Stillufsen's work
The best place to see her new pieces is her Instagram, @heather_stillufsen, where she posts new work often. If one of them stays with you, support her by buying it rather than screenshotting it.
- Cards and prints: her own shop, Rose Hill Design Studio on Etsy, sells her illustrated cards, prints and stationery.
- Gift books: Blue Mountain Arts publishes her six books, including Life Is Tough... but So Are You, Mothers and Daughters Are Connected by the Heart, Sisters Make Life More Beautiful, Best Friends Make the Best Memories, May Your Holidays Be Merry and Bright and You're on Your Way to an Amazing Future.
- About her: her artist page at Blue Mountain Arts.
A card from her shop costs a few dollars and says more than a long text. Next time a friend is having a hard week, send one.
A week, one drawing at a time
None of these pieces will fix a hard week on its own. But a few kind words at the right moment can change how the next hour goes, and the next hour is usually all we need to get through.
So save the post that spoke to you, follow her, and come back to it on Wednesday, when the week needs a lift.
Lifeism shares ideas and practices for reflection. It is not medical, psychological or financial advice. Read our Disclaimer.