Begin Again, and Again, and Again: Notes on the Art of Perpetual Renewal - Hardcover

by Alessandra Olanow (Author)

A luminous illustrated meditation on learning to live with life's cycles--for anyone in the middle of breaking open and rebuilding.

Artist and author Alessandra Olanow knows that life never unfolds as you think it will. She found herself awake at 3 a.m. with questions that wouldn't settle: Is this all there is? What do I do when everything comes undone? How do I stay open when I want to close down?

Begin Again, and Again, and Again started as notes to herself--a practice of thinking through images and words to map the territory of uncertainty. What emerged is a book about the fundamental rhythm of being human: the constant cycle of questioning, doubt, finding ground, opening, and renewal.

Through watercolor illustrations woven with personal narrative and philosophical reflection, Alessandra offers companionship rather than answers. The book moves through five movements--Question, Doubt, Ground, Open, Renewal--each holding its own texture.

Here's permission to stop waiting for the final version of yourself--to trust that transformation isn't about arriving but about learning to live with constant change.

It's never too late to begin again.

Author Biography

Alessandra Olanow is a writer and illustrator beloved on Instagram as @aolanow. Her work explores life's unexpected turns with honesty and grace, drawing from her own experiences with loss, reinvention, and the courage to begin again. She has also worked as an end-of-life doula, an experience that deepened her understanding of life's cycles of transformation and renewal. Her books include I Used to Have a Plan, Hello Grief, and--coming in March 2026--Begin Again, And Again, And Again. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her daughter, Coco.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​