“Never cut what you can untie.”
— Joseph Joubert
(via)
Cut/Untie
Listening Across Lines
“The purpose of listening across lines of difference is not agreement or compromise. It is understanding.”
— Valarie Kaur
Toiletry Bag
Loving this Toiletry bag by See Design.
Destroyed Illusions
“Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche
Iron and Wood Bench
This little bench would make perfect a plant stand!
The Minimalist’s Wall Calendar | Visualize Your Year
I admit, I am not a big fan of wall calendars, but this one won my heart. Only 3 days left to back it on Kickstarter.
Link Pack
– I love this website. The forest experience is my favorite.
– They found a small owl inside of this year’s Rockefeller Christmas tree, he hitched a ride all the way to NYC and is now being treated and cared for at a wildlife rehab facility.
– What’s your Charlie Brown Dance?
– These are some good Cleaning Hacks
– This TED talk illuminates how you can apply this “design thinking” to designing your own life. (via)
– My friend Fred Dust wrote a book helping us have meaningful and difficult conversation.
– YDays helps you unlock your creativity and inspire your friends with delightful, surprising drawing prompts each day.(via)
– Reflection.app helps you start and keep a meaningful reflection practice (via)
– Pardon the language but it’s funny: Stay The Fuck at Home with Samuel L. Jackson
– A German informercial urging folks to stay home, to fight Covid. Surprisingly funny. (via Chris)
– You have half a dozen eggs left. Which one are you?
– On January 21, 2021, the day after the presidential inauguration, we will hold the “People’s Inauguration.” We will come together as human beings to recommit to the project of building a nation with liberty and justice for all.
– I love this interview with my friend Patricia Garcia-Gomez.
– Bekka from Closed Mondays launched a fun new shelf. Check it out.
– Henrybuilt kitchens make me swoon.
– I know it’s a bit over the top and silly but I really want Bird Buddy, a smart bird feeder. I noticed two Blue Jays outside my window, staring at my bird feeder yesterday. It made me so happy!
– 10 Art Books That Will Nourish Your Creative Soul
– How to focus on changing your behavior and not your goals.
– Tattly makes for really good stocking stuffers.
– A big thank you to Onsen for sponsoring my blog and RSS feed this week. I have replaced all of my towels with Onsen Towels. Never looked back.
Be Patient With Yourself
“Be patient with yourself, nothing in nature blooms all year.”
— ???
I Worried: Poem by Mary Oliver
“I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.”
— Mary Oliver
Deep Listening
“Deep listening is an act of surrender. We risk being changed by what we hear. When I really want to hear another person’s story, I try to leave my preconceptions at the door and draw close to their telling. I am always partially listening to the thoughts in my own head when others are speaking, so I consciously quiet my thoughts and begin to listen with my senses. Empathy is cognitive and emotional—to inhabit another person’s view of the world is to feel the world with them. But I also know that it’s okay if I don’t feel very much for them at all. I just need to feel safe enough to stay curious. The most critical part of listening is asking what is at stake for the other person. I try to understand what matters to them, not what I think matters. Sometimes I start to lose myself in their story. As soon as I notice feeling unmoored, I try to pull myself back into my body, like returning home. As Hannah Arendt says, ‘One trains one’s imagination to go visiting.’ When the story is done, we must return to our skin, our own worldview, and notice how we have been changed by our visit. So I ask myself, What is this story demanding of me? What will I do now that I know this?”
― Valarie Kaur
Revolutionary Love
This speech by Valarie Kaur made me weep a few months ago while walking through a Brooklyn park. Listen to the very end. It’s powerful. So very powerful.
I am beyond thrilled and honored that Valarie is our guest at CreativeMornings/NYC this Thursday, November 19th.
I wish everyone on this planet would read her book See No Stranger – A memoir and manifesto of revolutionary love.
I am humbled I’ll get to be in conversation with Valarie this Thursday at 4:30pm ET. Join us. (It’s free.)
How Tim Ferriss Digests Books
I loved this video in which Tim Ferriss breaks down how he reads and synthesizes books. Super interesting.
Kirby Vase
Kirby is a ceramic vase, available in three shapes, each with a distinct personality. Where have you been, all my life, Kirby family?
Link Pack
This is wonderful. Created by London based Channel Twelve.
– This pickle bottle stopper made me laugh.
– Wow, I didn’t realize: “The inaugural Op-Ed page appeared on Sept. 21, 1970. It was named for its geography — opposite the editorial page — not because opinions would be expressed in its columns.” And Now a Word From Op-Ed, By David Shipley
– How to Gradually Become a More Relaxed Person
– I have fallen in love with this tv-stand/sideboard.
– Loved this read: “Plants can see, hear, smell and respond.”
– Weee! app delivers Asian groceries. Ooooh!
– IKEA’s New Line of Flexible Furniture is Perfect for Small Spaces
– Loving this black ball vase.
– Available let’s you share your calendar availability right inside of Gmail
– I love (!!!!) my cat litter box. Who says that?
– This is your brain on love, a Radiolab episode.
– This floating sideboard is making my heart beat faster.
– “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” –Joseph Campbell
– This is the world I want to live in.
– Bebel Gilberto: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
– “For nearly fifty years, I’ve been teaching canoeing up in Canada. The first rule is clearly the most important: the best way to learn is to get into the boat.” Where does creativity come from?, by Seth Godin
– A big thank you to General Assembly for sponsoring my blog this week. Join GA for our week long festival where they will deliver some brilliant workshops, introductory classes and keynotes all online and free.
VINO Corkscrew and Bottle Opener
This wine bottle opener design made me smile.
Women
Highly recommend surrounding yourself with honorable, courageous, generous, supportive, no-bullshit women who make you want to show up to their level. Above all of changes I’ve made, and the personal work I’ve done, this has made the greatest difference in my life.
— Jennifer Romolini (@jennromolini) November 11, 2020
I feeling this Tweet. I have sensed an intense desire in me recently to surround myself with strong, courageous, generous women. I am lucky I have so many of them in my life. Women lifting each other up is glorious.
Public Goods
I am in love with the minimalist aesthetic of Public Goods. They believe the products you use everyday should be healthy, sustainable and easy to access. They deliver well-designed, eco-friendly essentials directly to you. Learn more about their brand here.
Blue Whale Bank
Love this Blue Whale Bank.
This Instant
“When you feel confused or burdened by problems focus on *this instant* and ask yourself: What problem do I have right now? You will find that there is no problem *now*. A challenge that requires action, possibly, but not a problem.”
— Eckhart Tolle
♥ / General Assembly’s Free Festival
A big thank you to General Assembly for sponsoring my blog this week.
We get it, 2020 has been the year you want to press the skip button on. Tech Education company General Assembly want to give back to the global community and have some fun whilst doing it.
Join GA for our week long festival where we will deliver some brilliant workshops, introductory classes and keynotes all online and free {We sure do love that word}.
A sample of our faves:
– Photography Today with Creative Mornings London
– Designing a More Human Future with Dropbox
– Land That Dream Gig with Anyways Creative
– Learn about User Experience Design
It’s people like you, people with hustle, wanting to find purpose, passion and make a positive impact for the future.
Check out the week’s lineup and register for free!