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 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 MoreThe Use-By Date of Inspiring Signs
Photographer/filmmaker Gigi de la Torre sent us this sign with an incisive observation:
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 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 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 Moreguest post on vivianna torun and ‘seeing what happens’
After reading Anni Albers ‘Common Object’ Jewelry, Lydia Wills wrote an inspiring email that is a perfect, if inadvertent, post for ‘the improvised life’. It’s like a bedtime story for grown-ups (with an amazing ending in bold.) “The lesson of Anni Albers’ jewelry is her ability to look at everyday objects and see just how they can…
Read Moretapio wirkkala: materials as opportunities
This quote by Tapio Wirkkala is high on a wall in the Design Museum in Helsinki. (Wirkkala was one of Finland’s most esteemed and prolific designers; perhaps his most recognized design is the Finlandia Vodka bottle that looks like ice.) In two sentences, he captures the central operating principles of creating just about anything: the “chance” and diversion from…
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