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Joan Gallares

@joangallares

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Helping you write the stories you’ve inherited, lived, and will pass on while they’re warm.
Authors Circle • Retreats • Memoirs
The Lifescribing Co.

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Noticing is a practice. I’d go as far to say as it is a sacred act. The Art of Noticing began as a personal experience, something that deeply informed and fed my writing. I saw how paying closer attention to a scent, a sound, the passing of seasons could unlock a sense of wonder that inspires insights, stories, as well as memories I thought I had forgotten. Eventually those found their way into this card deck.Each card is an invitation to slow down, look again, and discover that ordinary moments are rarely ordinary at all. They’re prompts for writers, journalers, artists, memory keepers, or anyone who wants to feel more awake to their own life.I’m so happy to share that The Art of Noticing Card Deck is now available at Fully Booked.I gifted one to each participant at the recent Art of Noticing Retreat at Sonya’s Garden. We spent time in nature, shared stories, and rediscovered how paying attention can become its own form of joy.A meaningful life isn’t made only from extraordinary moments. It’s made from the ordinary moments we noticed. by @joangallares

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24 days ago

I work with writers at every stage, but also with people who do not yet think of themselves as writers.Because if only the so-called gifted, talented, polished, or published are the ones who document their lives, then culture becomes insular.A culture is not carried only by its artists or intellectuals. It is also carried by mothers, fathers, aunties, cooks, caretakers, elders. It lives in recipes, rituals, ordinary routines, and the ways we love, grieve, endure, and make meaning.This is why I care so deeply about helping people remember and write. Not just for self-expression, but for cultural memory.We are all culture bearers. And culture involves everyone.That’s also why I’m so grateful to everyone who said yes to the Authors Circle. You might not realize it yet but the stories you wrote will ripple into the future. by @joangallares

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4 months ago

Three and a half hours from Manila, there’s a rainforest that makes you forget what time it is.Yarra Rainforest Sanctuary sits where the Sierra Madre mountains meet the Pacific, tucked deep in Real, Quezon. It was long drive but I had the best company, Liezl and Jo. Apparently we had enough stories to fill in the time. But when we arrived it felt normal to fall into a hush and simply take in the place. Jo and I, having a reputation for being takaw queens, were curious about the food. We were so pleased with everything from the guinataan that welcomed us to the pako salad we could eat at every meal. Simple food that tastes brighter because nothing had to travel far to reach your plate.After dinner, Kimi led us through a process of stepping into our power, which allowed us to settle more deeply into the experience and primed us for a full schedule the next day. Surrounded by nature and beauty in every corner, all we could feel was gratitude for the time we had there.Places like this remind you how little you actually need. Just time. Good company. And the willingness to notice what’s around you.📍Yarra Rainforest Sanctuary, Real, QuezonTag the person you’d bring with you.#StorykeepersandCo by @joangallares

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5 months ago

July is a big deal to my family. Three birthdays in a small family.School break is about to end for us. So we’re making every moment count.I find so much pleasure in collecting words. Even ones I already know but haven’t explored deeply enough. I seek roots and rhythm. by @joangallares

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a day ago

One thing is certain: it is so easy to forget.My dad turned 84 recently.Before he blew out the candle on his cake, he stood up to say a few words. He has spent a lifetime speaking to crowds. He was a gifted public speaker, and I grew up watching him take the stage without notes, wondering if I’d ever be able to do the same.These days, he prefers a smaller audience, his family around the dinner table.I’ve noticed that age has softened him. Perhaps that’s what time does. Or maybe it’s what love and loss do. We become less concerned with impressing the world and more interested in speaking to the people who matter most.Whenever he calls me aside to talk, I make it a point to listen. Our parents and grandparents need our care, but they also need our ears. And even when we’re old enough to stand on our own, their words still have the power to shape us.This week’s Storykeeping: What’s the last meaningful thing your dad said to you? Write it down. If he’s still here, ask him another question.You are a Storykeeper.#legacyjournal #remembering #grief by @joangallares

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a day ago

To the moms who are trying to write in the middle of ordinary life…I SEE YOU.Maybe your writing happens after school drop-offs, while dinner is simmering, before the laundry is folded, or in the few minutes before it’s time to pick up the kids again.Maybe that’s not a limitation. Maybe that’s your writing life.In between school drop-offs and pickups, I write. In between chopping garlic and the time it takes for the adobo to cook, I write. The in-between matters. Seasoned by what happens before and after.If you’re a mother who is making space for your writing in the middle of caring for everyone else, I’d love to meet you.Tell me: when do you write? by @joangallares

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3 days ago

Some of our most treasured family recipes came from a magazine clipping tucked into a cookbook. The back of a milk can. A friend who scribbled ingredients on a piece of paper. Or a recipe we found online and made so often it became ours.That’s the beautiful thing about storykeeping. A recipe becomes family history because it stayed with us and made during birthdays, or when we’re sick or simply craving.Before we forget, save the recipe and the story that came with it.Storykeeping Practice: Save one recipe this week. Then write down who first made it for you, when you cook it, and why you keep coming back to it.You are a Storykeeper. by @joangallares

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7 days ago

When you say yes to what calls you, and create a space where that small seed can grow, the right people find their way to it.They came with open hearts, stories, laughter, tenderness, courage, and the willingness to be silly and sincere at the same time.For two days at Sonya’s Garden @sonyasgarden, we noticed what was blooming outside and inside us. I am still taking it all in. Thank you @thewingedpalette @liezl_razon @chelleycreates18 @eearthmamma @lifedoula.ph @viratajelly @renessance.man for holding space for me, too. by @joangallares

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a month ago

Hi, I’m Joan, your Lifescribing mentor. I wanted to reintroduce myself here and share the why that makes me cry.I believe our stories are a kind of inheritance for the people who love us. And I don’t want us to start preserving them only when loss forces our hand.If someone you love ever wondered what you were like… I want them to know where to look.Who would you write for? by @joangallares

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6 months ago

Just so you know, under that jumper are pajamas.I’ve been revamping my website, which has meant a few very late nights. (As in… 4 a.m. late.) It’s finally live, and I’d love for you to take a look.If you’ve been meaning to pick up a copy of Lifescribing, gift someone an Art of Noticing card deck, or simply wander around and see what I’ve been building, this is your invitation.Every visit, every order, and every bit of support means more than you know. by @joangallares

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9 days ago

When I say give so much of ourselves, I don’t mean just working hard but being fully present, so fully manifested and enfleshed. How delicious that notion is. How vivid. by @joangallares

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12 days ago

I want to bring postcard writing back. And letter writing. And conversations over coffee. Here’s to a future that is human and tactile. by @joangallares

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13 days ago