We were stunned by the simple brilliance of clothing designer Martin Margiela’s packing tape belt. He recognized the most ordinary of materials as the perfect width, and texture to fulfill an instant need with astonishing personal style. It called to mind Anni Albers’ brilliant words.
Read MoreJack-O’-Lantern Inspiration + Advice from Anni Albers
Halloween is Friday, and we’re anticipating many examples of The Art of the Pumpkin. As with other materials-for-making, pumpkins inspire what to do IF we “listen to that which wants to be done“, a la Anni Albers. If the message is unclear, or you’re feeling uninspired, here are some unusual jack-o’-lantern examples to spark your imagination.
Read Moremore anni albers common-object jewelry
During World War II, when materials were in short supply, textile artist Anni Albers improvised charming, inventive jewelry using simple components usually found in hardware and stationary stores, and five-and-dimes. This dramatic necklace uses inexpensive window chain sold on giant wheels at hardware stores and steel bobbi pins. Seeing her necklace, suddenly these objects become…
Read Mored-i-y anni albers necklace
I recently stumbled on a useful “how-to” of a necklace designed in the 1940’s by Anni Albers, the great textile designer and weaver who was a member of the Bauhaus, and a founder of Black Mountain College. The necklace, made from metal washers, laced together with grosgrain ribbon, is an example of ordinary elements combined…
Read Morethe wonders of josef albers + home painting inspiration
(Video link here.) This video of Josef Albers‘ paintings from his series “Homage to the Square” is from a show opening at the Centre Pompidou in February. We find it a delight: refreshing and illuminating at the end of a long day. It wakes our eye to color AND gives us endless practical inspiration for…
Read MoreThe Creative Impulse Behind A Gardener’s 100′ Dragon Hedge
John Brooker, a 75-year-old retired fan-maker in Norfolk, England, has spent 10 years patiently sculpting a hedge into a 100-foot-long dragon. We especially love Brooker’s reason for doing it, found in this succinct 50-second clip. It totally sums up the creative process and reminds us of Anni Albers’ great words about “listening”.
Read MoreA Couple of Radical Ideas About Living (Niall Williams & Henry Miller)
In This is Happiness, a beauty of a novel by Niall Williams, I found a nugget of gold that has been subtly transforming my view. It reminded me of Henry Miller’s radical philosophy of living.
Read MoreHenry Miller on How to Know What to Do Next
In this teeny clip found at the great @_nitch, American writer Henry Miller described his essential philosophy of living. It is an amazingly good antidote for anxiety and a guide to how to know what to do next. Which is really the creative process…
Read MoreImprovising on a Rainy Day in Paris in 1924
This image with the caption, “Parisians navigate flood waters by walking across rows of chairs, 1924”, reminded us of the essential nature of improvisation.
Read More5 Short Fierce Statements that Help ‘Dig a Cave into the Future’
In the face of relentlessly bad news, I randomly came across some powerful statements that snapped me awake from the daze I found myself in. Maybe they will do the same for you.
Read MoreMultiple Discovery is Not Plagiarism, But a Reflection of How Connected We Secretly Are
Did National Geographic steal the idea for its cover or is it an instance of Multiple Discovery? I’ve experienced it many times…
Read MoreImprovised Life’s Very Quiet Birthday Celebration
July 4th was Improvised Life’s birthday, the day, eight years ago I pressed PUBLISH and took the site live in what seemed like a giant leap. How the 4,000 articles in its archive has come remains something of a mystery…
Read MoreWe are now SIGNLABORATORY on instagram!
We LOVE signs so figured why not create a SIGN LABORATORY on Instagram? Check out inspiring/mind-shifiting signs we find and forage and that folks send us…as well the as ones we MAKE:
Read MoreThe Many Powers of “Listening”
Chris Eldredge sent us this image of “Écoute”, the massive sandstone sculpture by Henri de Miller in Paris’ jardin des Halles, near the church of Saint-Eustache. In French, Écoute means “listen”. It got us thinking about just how powerful a practice listening is, and how varied its powers are:
Read MoreHoliday Wrapping Paper: Found, Made, Bought
One of our favorite times in the holidays is wrapping gifts, usually done last-minute before flying out to a party, with whatever is on hand. We have some closet space dedicated to found papers, ribbons, fat hunks of rope and interesting colored twines, a vast variety of colored tapes, salvaged boxes as well as Dollar Store shopping…
Read MoreWhat’s in Your Stuff? precious metals in your phone
(Video link here.) This cool little video will open your eyes to the treasures that lie hidden inside the mobile phone you hold in your hand daily, especially precious metals, which are a limited resource. What’s In My Stuff? is an interdisciplinary research project which brings together scientists and artists to explore public awareness of the rare and…
Read Morejewelry artist + sculptor jill plattner at work
(Video link here.) Jewelry designer, Jill Platner gained fame for her chic, elemental “wearable sculptures” that are at once fluid and seem to mold to your body. (You can buy them at Barney’s, Twist and at her shop on Crosby Street in Soho/ New York City). It seems inevitable that she’d eventually scale up her work…
Read Moreimprovising as listening pt.2
One week after we posted Anni Albers words about “listening to the materials”, we found this quote by sculptor Ulrich Rückriemon on the great art blog Rolu: “my basic principle is: i start from an idea and from the material. it is not fixed which of the two comes in the first place. for me,…
Read Moreimprovising as “listening”
MANY years ago, when we barely knew who Anni Albers was, we clipped a quote of hers from a magazine, and have had it on our fridge ever since. It is faded and yellowed, but resonates as strongly as ever: “Being creative is not so much the desire to do something as the listening to…
Read Morecreative reuse: constance old’s hooked rugs
Page Goolrick’s dinner party goody bags garnered a lot of improvisations on the idea of “gifts for guests”, from great Comments to Lydia Wills’ innovative reversal of the traditional wedding (or any) gift. Constance Old, who was one of the lucky few to have actually been at Page’s dinner party, turned her goody bag into…
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