Hi there, my name is Kara Norman. I am a writer, life coach, and human being living in the middle of Michigan (what?!) with my partner and two children. Together we wade through the mysteries that make up the world and try to play as much as possible.
I write a newsletter called Under a Spell which explores the joys and vagaries of being a mother and artist in the U.S.A. Click here to join me there. Sut Nam Bonsai has been retired but holds a special place in my heart. I'm glad you found me.
The Sut Nam part of the name comes from the phrase Sat Nam in Sanskrit that points to the true self, the part of a person that is forever untouched and whole. The Bonsai part comes from a little box my partner gave me that contained the kit for a ready-made bonsai tree. Someone had given him the kit, and it had been sitting in a junk crate in his office for as long as I had known him. Then he gave it to me and it sat on a junk shelf in my office for a number of years. I finally admitted to myself that I did not want to grow a bonsai tree. This was my bonsai, the very real project I did want to tend.
Most of the photos on this blog were taken by my partner, Tim, who is awesome and hilarious and a great photographer. The photos in my newsletter are taken by me but his influence is all over it.
I have a Facebook page I neglect here, a Twitter account I used to blast here, and am currently bobbing in the waters of Instagram, pretty ambivalent about its virtues.
The best way to hear from me is to subscribe to me on Substack which you can do here. (Click 'None' when prompted if you want the free version. Click a monthly/yearly amount if you've got on your halo and want bursts of kindness/humor/wisdom throughout the week. All you need is an email account and an open heart.)
You can find some of my fiction and nonfiction here. For a more complete list, check out my Word files, lol.
Thanks so much for visiting. If you're up for it, come on over to Substack where you can find me gleefully oversharing and rolling in glorious weeds.
I write a newsletter called Under a Spell which explores the joys and vagaries of being a mother and artist in the U.S.A. Click here to join me there. Sut Nam Bonsai has been retired but holds a special place in my heart. I'm glad you found me.
The Sut Nam part of the name comes from the phrase Sat Nam in Sanskrit that points to the true self, the part of a person that is forever untouched and whole. The Bonsai part comes from a little box my partner gave me that contained the kit for a ready-made bonsai tree. Someone had given him the kit, and it had been sitting in a junk crate in his office for as long as I had known him. Then he gave it to me and it sat on a junk shelf in my office for a number of years. I finally admitted to myself that I did not want to grow a bonsai tree. This was my bonsai, the very real project I did want to tend.
Most of the photos on this blog were taken by my partner, Tim, who is awesome and hilarious and a great photographer. The photos in my newsletter are taken by me but his influence is all over it.
I have a Facebook page I neglect here, a Twitter account I used to blast here, and am currently bobbing in the waters of Instagram, pretty ambivalent about its virtues.
The best way to hear from me is to subscribe to me on Substack which you can do here. (Click 'None' when prompted if you want the free version. Click a monthly/yearly amount if you've got on your halo and want bursts of kindness/humor/wisdom throughout the week. All you need is an email account and an open heart.)
You can find some of my fiction and nonfiction here. For a more complete list, check out my Word files, lol.
Thanks so much for visiting. If you're up for it, come on over to Substack where you can find me gleefully oversharing and rolling in glorious weeds.
Kara
