One Sec App has helped me become aware and control my Instagram addiction. Every time I try to open the app it prompts me to breathe deeply and asks “do you really want to open Instagram?” I close the app, every time. (You can set it up for any app or website)
Jewelry by Mariko Kusumoto
I can’t get over these sea-inspired sculptural jewelry by Mariko Kusumoto. Swoon!
We Are All Artists
Last Friday’s CreativeMornings/NYC was deeply moving. (And almost didn’t happen as our 1,000 people venue fell through the night before because of technical issues.) Thank you Deb Bubb, Keith Yamashita and Joshua Roman.
Creative Process
“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.”
– Bruce Lee
Monstera Shoes
I have a giant Monstera in my bedroom. One of my favorite plants. So, clearly, these shoes speak to me.
Masquerade / Japanese TV Show
I found 仮装大賞公式チャンネル on TikTok. Apparently “Masquerade” is one of the most popular TV shows produced by NTV Japan. These are all so beautifully weird. There’s more.
Life as a Creative Act
I am EXCITED for this Friday’s CreativeMornings/NYC, happening on September 22nd at 8:30am. (Fun fact: It will be the largest CreativeMornings in history, hosted at the stunning 1026 seat City Tech Auditorium in Downtown Brooklyn.)
Keith Yamashita and Deb Bubb will take us on an immersive journey, celebrating creativity. Just like me, they see creativity as a birth right, a life skill. You can join us IRL by signing up, or tune in via Livestream. Oh, and as always, the event is free.
Beflo (Standing) Desk
I have never liked the design of any standing desk until now. Wow! This one by Beflo had me gasp. (By the push of a button it turns into a standing desk)
Debbie Millman Interviewing Jad Abumrad
I just learned that the remarkable Debbie Millman is interviewing radio pioneer Jad Abumard this coming Monday, September 18th in Brooklyn. We can all sit in and listen, live! Jad created one of my all-time favorite podcast called Radiolab! I wouldn’t be surprised if galaxies shift a tiny bit with these two master storytelling humans in conversation. The dollop of whipped cream on top of all of this goodness is the fact that Joan As A Police Woman will be the musical guest. I am ded. Get your tickets here.
Swipe Wipe
I keep trying (and failing) at cleaning out my photos on my camera roll. Its a drag to do. But no more! Enter the Swipe Wipe app. It lets you swipe left to delete and swipe right to keep a photo. (yes, like dating apps!) I love it! I just started using it and it has freed up so much space on my phone. So simple, so effective.
Missing From Your Job Description
– Add energy to every conversation
– Ask why
– Find obsolete things on your task list and remove them
– Treat customers better than they expect
– Offer to help co-workers before they ask
– Feed the plants
– Leave things more organized than you found them
– Invent a moment of silliness
– Highlight good work from your peers
– Find other great employees to join the team
– Cut costs
– Help invent a new product or service that people really want
– Get smarter at your job through training or books
– Encourage curiosity
– Surface and highlight difficult decisions
– Figure out what didn’t work
– Organize the bookshelf
– Start a club
– Tell a joke at no one’s expense
– Smile a lot.
I stumbled upon this post again from Seth. Not new. But oh so good.
Richard Scarry Tattly
Immensely proud to see Tattly partner with Richard Scarry.
50 Short Rules for a Better Life (From the Stoics)
Focus on what you can control.
You control how you respond to things.
Ask yourself, “Is this essential?”
Meditate on your mortality every day.
Value time more than money/possessions.
You are the product of your habits.
Remember you have the power to have no opinion.
Own the morning.
Put yourself up for review (Interrogate yourself).
Don’t suffer imagined troubles.
Try to see the good in people.
Never be overheard complaining…even to yourself.
Two ears, one mouth…for a reason (Zeno)
There is always something you can do.
Don’t compare yourself to others.
Live as if you’ve died and come back (every minute is bonus time).
“The best revenge is not to be like that.” Marcus Aurelius
Be strict with yourself and tolerant with others.
Put every impression, emotion, to the test before acting on it.
Learn something from everyone.
Focus on process, not outcomes.
Define what success means to you.
Find a way to love everything that happens (Amor fati).
Seek out challenges.
Don’t follow the mob.
Grab the “smooth handle.”
Every person is an opportunity for kindness (Seneca)
Say no (a lot).
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Find one thing that makes you wiser every day.
What’s bad for the hive is bad for the bee (Marcus Aurelius)
Don’t judge other people.
Study the lives of the greats.
Forgive, forgive, forgive.
Make a little progress each day.
Journal.
Prepare for life’s inevitable setbacks (premeditatio malorum)
Look for the poetry in ordinary things.
To do wrong to one, is to do wrong to yourself. (sympatheia)
Always choose “Alive Time.”
Associate only with people that make you better.
If someone offends you, realize you are complicit in taking offense.
Fate behaves as she pleases…do not forget this.
Possessions are yours only in trust.
Don’t make your problems worse by bemoaning them.
Accept success without arrogance, handle failure with indifference.
Courage. Temperance. Justice. Wisdom. (Always).
The obstacle is the way.
Ego is the enemy.
Stillness is the key.
Found here.
Link Pack
Spaghetti Mayhem. Thanks for the chuckle, Kottke.
– My wonderful friend Maria Popova has entered the poetry stages with her beautiful Spell Against Indifference. There’s nothing I respect more than when I see humans expand, stretch, and break into new territory. Go Maria!
– I am in the Swiss Alps. Just found this Youtube of what a typical Appenzeller Choir sounds like. (Appenzell is the area of Switzerland where I am from.)
– The Week is a self-managed group workshop with the goal to overcome climate angst and build momentum. (via)
– This made me laugh: Rotating Sandwiches. (via)
– I love love love this calendar gone emerging tree sculpture.
– Everything heals and grows when it’s loved well. People, too.
– Technology is getting really good at removing people from photographs
– Promo.chat is a pomodoro timer that turns into a chatroom in the 5- minute breaks. Fun. (Or anxiety inducing for introverts, I assume)
– Chippy is a Chrome browser extension that lets you bring ChatGPT wherever you go on the internet. Use AI to summarize, research, translate and answer questions—all without switching tabs. Created by Fictive Kin.
– The Big Here Quiz: 30 questions to elevate your awareness (and literacy) of the greater place in which you live.
– Solid advice: Keep a brag sheet of your accomplishments. (via)
– These realistic mini animal paintings by Lorraine Loots are beautiful. You can wear them, they are Tattly.
– I love that Threads now has a web interface. You can follow me here if you feel like it. (Threads is Meta’s Twitter competitor)
A ‘Book Doctor’ at Work
I hated it when someone asked me “What do you want to be when you grow up” when I was a kid. I should have just said A Book Doctor
(via the kid should see this)
Brett Perry
I had a pretty exciting week and met a bunch of super interesting humans this past Monday at an exclusively curated salon in SF. One of the fine humans at this gathering was Brett Perry: Dancer, Farmer, Educator and Producer. During one of his shares he explained how he started getting to know himself better by intentionally living life more with his non-dominant side. (Think doing things with your non-dominant hand first) Love this notion. Thank you you Brett. Also, I decided I want more dancer friends in my life.
Architecture that’s built to heal
Love this notion of looking at spaces we inhabit as having the power to heal. (I had the pleasure to meet Michael Murphy this past week and experience his thoughtful approach to his craft.)
Face Drop
I love when objects put a smile on my face. This one is wish listed. Also these fellas!
Friday Link Pack
Ok Go has a new song out. The video is ‘moving’.
– Excellent read: On Relational Infrastructure
– I love him!
– Just recently discovered the Goodness Exchange. Bookmarked! (They also have a podcast)
– Doh! Use shower caps to cover the bottom of your shoes in your luggage. Brilliant.
– Are you a fan of The Moth? Me too! Hear Catherine Burns generously share storytelling tips at last Friday’s CreativeMornings/NYC. (She was the artistic director at The Moth for 20 years!)
– A company pitch deck framework.
– Whoa! Scribe is so useful.
– I thoroughly enjoy my daily notes from the universe.
– These wire sculptures have me mesmerized.
– Wonderful read: Hanlon’s Razor: Not Everyone is Out to Get You
– This article resonated with me: What to Do About That Thing You’ve Been Putting Off
– This butterfly stool by NACO is such a beauty! Check out beautiful-no-tool-assembly.
– Want to be inspired by some trailblazer women? Check out HUR Conversations.
– The Uncertainty Pledge. I feel this: “Uncertainty is where possibility lives.”
– This made me smile: Above the bare minimum museum date. (You can also do this with a friend, kid etc)
– The World Wide Wander is back on September 29th!
– Tattly is 12! (Psst.. the yearly totally bonanza 50% off sale is currently going on until Sunday July 30)
– I just watched the video on how the bookmarking tool My Mind works. Supercol.
My Mind
Wow. My Mind seems impressive. Definitely trying this.
ps: OMG! The onboarding is a piece of art. The entire experience is a dream. YES!
Permission to be Creative
I keep coming back to this gem. This part:
“… It’s so beautiful is the thing that worries me sometimes whenever you talk about creativity, because it can have this kind of feel that it’s just nice, you know, it’s warm or it’s something pleasant.
It’s not it’s vital. It’s the way we heal each other in singing our song and telling our story and inviting you to say, hey, listen to me and I’ll listen to you. We’re starting a dialogue, you know. And when you do that, this healing happens and we come out of our corners and we start to witness each other’s common humanity. We start to assert it. And when we do that, really good things happen. So if you want to help your community, if you want to help your family, if you want to help your friends, you have to express yourself and to express yourself, you have to know yourself.”
Seeing Things
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
– Henry Miller