Employing wisdom from Pema Chodrun, Dr. Weil and Oliver Sacks, we devised an amazingly effective strategy for navigating upheaval and difficulty
Read MoreSleeping like Donald Judd in Low-to-the Floor Beds, with Details and Plans
At the Judd Foundation, we stumbled upon this wonderful bedroom with a very Judd-esque low bed. It reminded us of the austere low platforms he made for his Spring Street Loft. We took a closer look at how he made them.
Read MoreUniversal Everything’s Flower People Parade of Joy and Wonder (with Rumi)
Here are a few moments of delight and wonder from video artists/experience designers/future thinkers, Universal Everything. A Rumi poem that jumped into our hands cast it in a surprising light.
Read MorePamela Adlon on Aging as Content and Allen Ginsberg Just Being Content
Pamela Adlon’s riff on aging and the sudden changes of her body got us thinking about the need to turn ourselves into content to accept ourselves. Then we came upon Allen Ginsberg’s view.
Read MoreFrame the View of Plants and Flowers, Outdoors and In (Coco Capitan and Maria Robledo)
Artist Coco Capitan’s silver gelatin print, “plants framing plants”, got us thinking about the wonder of the frame, and ways to use it outdoors and in, as photographer Maria Robledo so brilliantly improvised.
Read MoreHow The Tiananmen Tank Man’s Stunning Act Went Way Beyond Courage
Reflecting on the video of an anonymous Chinese man standing up to government tanks that day after the Tiananmen Square Massacre, we finally see that way more than courage is on display.
Read MorePrivate Office Rituals That Make Work Better, Deeper, Richer
Accepted for artists, rituals are taboo in the business world even though they can enhance productivity and well-being. Peter Bregman tells how to use them in any setting (once you understand what they really are and do.)
Read MoreOliver Sacks: Nature is a Therapy More Powerful Than Medication
An essay in a posthumously published book by the very wise Oliver Sacks gives a scientist’s view of the healing power of Nature and gardens.
Read MoreA Few Sexy Things in Honor of a National Self Pleasure Month
We’ve just learned that May is National Masturbation Month. To celebrate, we thought we’d post a few of our favorite finds on the theme, which include everyday “niche” pleasures, phallic skywriting and a charming animated film.
Read MoreWatch Bob Dylan Write “If You See Her, Say Hello”, as You Listen
With the release of Vol. 14 of Bob Dylan’s Bootleg series, Columbia Records released a video of the first take Dylan recorded of his song “If You See Her, Say Hello” with a unique twist, for unexpected intimacy and insight.
Read MoreNudes Floating in Space: Jimmy Simpson’s Virtual Mobiles (after Alexander Calder)
Inspired by Alexander Calder, illustrator/animator Jimmy Simpson has created an ongoing series of digital mobiles. His loose line drawings turn dimensional and animated using 3D software. They are even more charming as gifs floating in space.
Read MoreHow Do Your Good Ideas Make an Entrance? Knowing Can Help Bring Them to Life
When we stumbled on this image by the great Christoph Niemann at #abstractsunday, we thought: OMG, look at that fabulous doorway. What a vision! How can we get ourselves to imagine more expansively? And that got us thinking about the creative vision and where ideas come from.
Read MoreHere’s How to See Everything Ever Posted on Improvised Life Over 10 Years
If you’re in need of illumination NOW, here’s how to scroll through everything ever posted on Improvised Life.
Read MoreTaking a Break to Do Nothing Is Necessary for Doing Something
When ideas and energy feel mired and writing becomes daunting and bogged down, I take the kind of time Jennifer Odell wrote about so incisively in her amazing piece,’how to do nothing’.
Read MoreDept of Astonishment: Listen to The Sound of a ‘Waterfall’ Made By Millions of Butterflies
For the first 3 minutes of this video of a visit to a butterfly reserve in Mexico, naturalist Phill Torres treks and talks while he makes his way to the winter encampment of millions of overwintering monarch butterflies. Then at 3:39, a miracle happens:
Read MoreThe Secret to Artist Constantino Nivola’s Sublime Painted Floors
We stumbled on this inspiring idea for painted floors while leafing through Artists’ Handmade Houses, which is chock full of ideas. Sculptor- designer Costantino Nivola painted the kitchen in his Long Island home a sublime, deeply saturated yellow available in a singular paint.
Read MoreTacita Dean’s Trees: Ideas Fueled by Openness to Chance, Accident, Poetic Associations
This astonishing tree is one of a group of photographs of ancient trees in the South East of England made by artist Tacita Dean. It is the product of Dean’s unique approach, which is as wonderful as the work itself.
Read MoreRunning With Wild Horses Redux (Commentary by Virginia Wolfe)
This video of horses galloping in the Camargue gains even great meaning with these words from Virginia Wolfe.
Read MoreBucatini with Ramps, Olive Oil and Parmigiano Reggiano to Celebrate the Wildest Food of Spring
Being a truly wild food that seems to defy cultivation of any scale, ramps are truly delicious and root me in the season. I especially love them braised in olive oil with bucatini or spaghetti and Parmigiano Reggiano, THE pasta dish for spring.
Read MoreVivianne Westwood’s Activist Fashion for Personal Power and Global Change
Martin Parr’s wonderful portrait of the always-inspiring wise-elder activist fashion designer, Vivianne Westwood got us wondering what she was up to. Her ongoing mission is to have people “buy less; dress up”. How you might ask? She tells you here.
Read More