This made me laugh. I love chickens.
(Thank you Babs)
Virtual Insanity
Can’t believe how well this song holds up. I would love to see them live. Also, check out Cosmic Girl. So good!
Update: OMG, thanks to my friend Steve I now know how they filmed this:
The Black Sheep of the Family
“The so-called black sheep of the family are, in fact, hunters born of paths of liberation into the family tree.
The members of a tree who do not conform to the norms or traditions of the family system, those who since childhood have constantly sought to revolutionise beliefs, going against the paths marked by family traditions, those criticised, judged and even rejected, these are usually called to free the tree of repetitive stories that frustrate entire generations.
The black sheep, those who do not adapt, those who cry rebelliously, play a basic role within each family system, they repair, pick up and create new and unfold branches in the family tree.”
– Bert Hellinger
Full text here.
When People Talk, Listen Completely
“When people talk, listen completely. Don’t be thinking what you’re going to say. Most people never listen. Nor do they observe. You should be able to go into a room and when you come out, know everything that you saw there and not only that. If that room gave you any feeling you should know exactly what it was that gave you that feeling. Try that for practice.”
– Ernest Hemingway
The Power of Social Environment
“Surround yourself with people where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.”
– James Clear
Critical Introductory Reading to Art + AI
Hi tweeps, I'm prepping for my intro class. Can anyone recommend (deep breath) a good, critical, introductory reading on Art + AI ?
— Golan Levin (@golan) January 17, 2023
Interesting article recommendations in this thread.
Magnet Button Tag
I am a huge fan of all things Various Keytags. Their new customizable magnetic button tag is making me squeal. So many ideas on what to create…
Speech Bubble Mini Dishes
These Speech Bubble Mini Dishes by Martha Rich make me so happy.
Hania Rani
(Thank you Cengic)
Maria Popova On Sanctuary
What an absolute gift to have Maria Popova speak at CreativeMornings/NYC yesterday. We had 500 people in attendance and 945 people tune in on livestream. What a gift!
Turning People Into Trees
“When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying, ‘You’re too this, or I’m too this.’ That judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.”
– Ram Dass
The Body Feels Beauty
“The body seems to feel beauty when exposed to it as it feels the campfire or sunshine, entering not by the eyes alone, but equally through all one’s flesh like radiant heat.”
– John Muir
Game On
Love this painting by Stephanie Ho.
The 4 Types of Luck
A cheat code I wish I could teach my 18-year-old self…
The 4 Types of Luck:
— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) December 30, 2022
I love this thread on four types of luck.
(Thank you Manu)
Love Is What Remains
“Love is what remains when all other emotions are gone.
– Naval Ravikant
Casa Klotz
Gasp! German photographer Roland Halbe has taken these photographs of Casa Klotz, a rural beach house in Chile by architect Mathias Klotz.
2023 Intentions
My birthday and the new year coincide which always results in a reflection tornado. Here goes:
MY 2023 INTENTIONS:
– More firsts!
– Embrace softness.
– Be open to love.
– Believe in (my) magic.
– Dream bigger.
– Keep asking: “What if it was easy?”
– Listen to my inner whispers.
– More speaking up, setting boundaries, lovingly.
– Recognize openings and moments of ease.
– Pay attention to when I am happy. Repeat those moments and dial them up to 11!
– Notice when the universe is cheering me on.
– No assumptions. (Ask more questions.)
– Keep building things that make the world better in 100 years.
– Gently notice when I am not fully present. Redirect.
– When my body contracts and my heart wants to close, breathe, stay open, lean in with curiosity.
– Live with a sense of giving not taking: Regularly ask: Would I miss ____ if it was gone? What am I doing to help ____ exist and thrive?
– Don’t push the river. Don’t try to hold it back. Flow.
– Embrace and trust standing on collaborative shoulders.
– Seek out rooms filled with gentle strangers.
– Be brave. (Growth happens on the edge of discomfort.)
– Notice and celebrate what’s working.
– See beauty in everything.
– Never withhold love.
– Dance with the universe.
WHAT TO REMEMBER:
– Everything is alive.
– The universe is friendly.
– Time is an illusion.
– Energy is visible.
– Fear is absence of love.
– I am exactly where I need to be.
– We are put on earth to love.
– Clarity is your friend. Interpret mixed signals as a no.
– A belief is a thought you keep thinking. (You can change it.)
– Love, joy and peace are deep and pure states of being. (Notice them!)
– Another world is possible.
– We are here to transform, not win.
– It takes courage to be kind and have a positive outlook in life.
– Money is energy.
– Dreamers shift norm and possibility.
– My humanity is caught up with your humanity.
– Safety is the presence of connection.
– Vulnerability is a door to deeper connection.
– Everything is figureoutable.
– Love starts with me.
– Trust breeds magic.
– Our life is our way home.
Happy my (Jan 2) birthday to you. And happy 2023! Thank you for visiting this little internet garden of mine.
Map Art
Ed Fairburn draws detailed human portraits emerging out of maps. Stunning!
Link Pack
Bowie is a fascinating human. Thank you Steve for the recommending I let this movie-documentary-or-whatever-one-should-call-it wash over me.
– CreativeMornings/NYC is starting out the new year with a bang: Maria Popova, force behind The Marginalian, formerly Brain Pickings is speaking on January 13th, at 8:30am ET, at the beautiful Ethical Society on the Upper West Side. Sign up for in person or the Livestream It’s free!
– “Love is a breeze. The work we are doing is that we are opening our sails.”
– “When you love someone, the best thing you can offer that person is your presence.” The Four Buddhist Mantras for Turning Fear into Love
– How to be a writer on a marketing team without sounding like a jerk (via Chris)
– Cool! Hotamet is a super stylish and environmentally friendly helmet made out of leftover Scallop shells.
– “1. Most problems get smaller with a good night’s sleep.” Thank you David and Claire.
– ooh.directory: “A collection of 951 blogs about every topic.” Found this via Kai’s Dense Discovery newsletter. I am right there with him, I’m here for the renaissance of personal blogging!
– My friend Marcus recommended I watch Toni Erdmann. What an incredibly unusual and surprising movie. (Can’t remember the last time I watched a movie in German.)
– “What we’re seeing is the transition of power from institutions to individuals, but it’s going to be messy and it’s going to take at least a generation.” Don’t Rely on Credibility Stamps
– The Making of Modern Ukraine: A Free Online Course from Yale University, Featuring 23 Lectures
– I gifted my kids one of these Birds Aren’t Real Hoodies, it was a big hit!
– How were the first fonts made? Who invented italics? When did we figure out how to print in color? Typographic Firsts!
– Made me look and smile: Hands-Free Bicycle
– I Might Meet a Dog Today. Made me smile.
– This egg candle made me giggle.
– Design Event Guide for 2023. And then of course, every month, there are free CreativeMornings events happening all over the world. Is your city on the map? If not, start a chapter.
– It’s the end of the year. Time for some reflection and to sport this Unicorn Tattly.
22 Nuggets of Wisdom from Cory Muscara
1. Finding your true self is an act of love. Expressing it is an act of rebellion.
2. A sign of growth is having more tolerance for discomfort. But it’s also having less tolerance for bullshit.
3. Who you are is not your fault, but it is your responsibility.
4. Desires that rise in agitation are more aligned with your ego. Desires that arise in stillness are more aligned with your soul.
5. Procrastination is the refusal or inability to be with difficult emotions.
6. The moment before letting to is often when we grip the hardest.
7. You don’t find your ground by looking for stability. You find your ground by relaxing into stability.
8. What you hate most in others is usually what you hate most in yourself.
9. The biggest life hack is becoming your own best friend. Everything is easier when you do.
10. The more comfortable you become in your own skin, the less you need to manufacture the world around you for comfort.
11. An interesting thing happens when you start to like yourself. You no longer need all the things you thought you need to be happy.
12. If you don’t train your mind to appreciate what is good, you’ll continue to look for something better in the future, even when things are great.
13. The belief that there is some future moment more worth our presence than the one we’re in right now is why we miss our lives.
14. There is no set of conditions that leads to lasting happiness. Lasting happiness doesn’t come from conditions, but from learning to flow with conditions.
15. We often need to get out of alignment with the rest of the world to get back into alignment with ourselves.
16. Real confidence looks like humility. You no longer need to advertise your value because it comes from a place that does not require the validation of others.
17. Negative thoughts will not manifest a negative life. But unconscious negative thoughts will.
18. Bullying yourself into enlightenment does not work. You must befriend yourself to transcend yourself.
19. There are 3 layers to a moment: Your experience, your awareness of the experience and your story about the experience. Be mindful of the story.
20. Your mind doesn’t wander. It moves toward what it finds most interesting. To improve focus, become curious about what’s in front of you.
21. Life continues whether you pay attention to it or not. I think it’s why the passage of time is so scary.
22. High pain tolerance is a double-edged sword. It’s key for self-control but can cause us to override the pain of being out of alignment.