For years I’ve kept a small tin of toasted cracked coriander seeds in my spice drawer to use as an emergency flavor enhancer. Its slightly lemony-orangy-herbal flavor and pleasing crackle provides the perfect little alt-note on all sorts of unexpected foods.
Read MoreWhen An Artist Fails as a Person, Is Their Work Invalid?
When I was young, I thought that an artwork reflected the values of the person who made it. Over time, I learned that this was very often not the case…
Read MoreFrances McDormand On Aging, Facelifts, and the Roadmap that is our Face
Actress Frances McDormand says so much that is wise about aging in this short interview. As does this poem by Fleur Adcock.
Read More4-Minute At-Home Workout for When You Can’t Get to the Gym or Need a Lift
For the past two months, I’ve been trying a 4-minute workout routine that promises to give the same benefits as an hour at the gym. It really works.
Read MoreTrisha Brown’s Effortless Flow
This beautiful leap (here, in slow motion video) and a series of lithographs made by legendary dancer and choreographer Trisha Brown embody her unique style she once wryly described as the line of least resistance.
Read MoreAda Limon’s Breathtaking Reading of “Instructions for Not Giving Up”
On the tail end of World Poetry Day, we wondered what one poem we could give to our readers that shows how far poetry reaches into our lives and how essential it is. It came to us instantly…
Read MoreYoko Ono’s Cleaning Pieces for the First Day of Spring
Yoko Ono’s potent little book Acorn provides conceptual “instructions” that are often focused on healing and personal change. Her four Cleaning Pieces seem like just spring cleaning we could use right now. We’re especially curious about Cleaning Piece III, wondering what it would be like to NOT say anything negative about anybody. Sue Timmons tried the practice and reported its effect…
Read MoreLearning to See Through Their Brushstrokes and Their Paint (Francis Alÿs, Matisse)
In this little gem of a video, artist Francis Alys transforms our view of the harsh, dull, strangely monochrome landscape of Mosul, Iraq, where he was embedded with American soldiers. We had not seen the colors in that landscape until Alys showed us, and the possibility of hidden colors is now reverberating in our daily…
Read MoreWhat We Do When We’ve Done Everything We Can and Feel We Should Do More (Chris Eldredge, Pat Steir)
When we’ve worked hard taking care of something and feel there is still more we should do, leaving us restless and worried, we employ this 10-word reality check, learned from a psychotherapist friend.
Read MoreIn Memory of W.S Merwin: Life as Spontaneous Poetry
W.S. Merwin, one of the great American poets, passed away on Friday. We found some beauties of poems plus a practice of his that we’re going to try ourselves, in his honor.
Read MoreOpened at Random: A Field Guide to Getting Lost (How to Be Rich in Loss)
The other day, Lisa Morphew opened A Field Guide to Getting Lost to this (and then she sent it our way):
Read MoreWrite Messages and Poems Instantly In Katie Holten’s Tree Alphabet
Katie Holten developed her Tree Alphabet to let us “translate our words into something beyond us”. Experience just that at when you type in words to her webportal and/or download her gift of a font.
Read MoreThe Big Fat, Very Essential Question in Neil Gaiman’s Wise Words
As ever, Neil Gaiman nails it. But there’s a big fat, very essential question buried in his wonderful words…
Read MoreCombine Summer Camp Pleasures with Personal Growth (and Digital Empowerment)
One of the most magical places I know of to take stock of life and transform it is Omega Institute, a true catalyst for change and possibility thinking. I’ll be teaching a workshop there this summer…
Read MoreHow Wigs Changed My Life (Fran Black)
Fran Black resorted to wearing a wig while she was growing her dyed hair out gray. Then she realized how fun and transformative wearing a wig can be, and bought more.
Read MoreMaira Kalman On Wandering, Trees, Obituaries, Museums, Not Knowing, and Falling in Love with Small Things
There are so many compelling ideas in On Being’s Krista Tippett’s long interview with author and illustrator Maira Kalman, that we made a selection, with images from past posts….
Read MoreKarl Lagerfeld’s Inspired Ideas
The legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld had an immense talent and sensibility. Our friend Susan Dworski sent us this picture of him at his extraordinarily messy desk, which as with other these other views of his home, provides unexpected inspiration and…permission
Read MoreRandom Wisdom: Let’s Be Like Rivers
Occasionally, random wisdom comes unexpectedly from someone I know or strangers I’ve overheard…like this, synchronously accompanied by Milan Radisics’ remarkable photographs.
Read MoreMallomar, the Seasonal, Interactive, Pop Culture Cookie
Available only in winter months when it’s real chocolate coating won’t melt, Mallomars are a deeply satisfying seasonal cookie that inspires very personal improvisation…(and has MANY cultural references to boot).
Read MoreTrees Ordained as Monks, Forest Bathing and A New Lexicon Helps Heal our Connection to the Natural World
Disconnection from nature is being recognized as the cause of widespread psychological trauma in modern life. A new lexicon and age-old practices are being used to heal it.
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