inspiring people

Toni Morrison: What to Do In Times of Dread

On the great instagram Nitch, we found an excerpt from an essay Toni Morrison wrote for the Nation in 2015. It seems an extraordinarily fitting message for THIS very dark time.

9 Answers to Krista Tippett’s Powerful Interview Question Inspire Our Own

This short video compiles some very surprising answers to On Being’s Krista Tippet’s favorite interview question. It evokes “a very fertile place in everybody’s imaginations, whatever their story is…full of questions and searching and softness.” It’s a wonderful question to ask ourselves…

Yoko Ono’s New Year’s Wish

A few days ago, Yoko Ono posted this remarkable message on her instagram, a perfect New Year’s wish. We’ve found some compelling images to go with it, and Ono’s spare, powerful recording of “Imagine”.

Gordon Hempton: Silence is the Presence of Everything

This lovely immersive video follows acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton to one of the quietest places on earth. It draws our awareness to just what it is we’re hearing, or not, and the unique, extraordinarily complex sounds of silence.

Powerful Questions About Personal Expression Sparked by W.S. Merwin’s Garden Time (Consider Journal)

At #Consider Journal, a remarkable post ranges from W.S. Merwin’s last book to the “cyclical effect of nature and art” to the bigger question of how our expression might come to resonate in bigger ways.

An Empowering Short Film on What We Can Do to Restore the Climate (Greta Thunberg, George Monbiot)

From The Guardian on the day of massive worldwide climate strikes comes this excellent 3 minute film on what we/you can actually do to restore the devastated climate. Empowering and essential.

Bolivia’s Cholita Wrestlers and Mountain Climbers Transform Stereotypes with Fierce Acts of Empowerment

Aymara indigenous women in Bolivia, long marginalized, have embraced wrestling and mountain climbing in traditional colorful skirts to affirm their history and their visibility. Their motto: To want is power.

Brené Brown’s Life Changing Question: Do You Believe People Are Doing the Best They Can?

When Brené Brown asked herself, ‘Do you believe people are doing the best they can? ‘ she admits to answering ‘Fuck no!’ until she explored it further, which yielded pure, transformative gold.

Monks Pond, Thomas Merton’s Visionary Underground Magazine Meant “To Go Out of Business”

In the sixties, Trappist monk and mystic Thomas Merton published a magazine with a radical and artful mission. Here are some excerpts…

Oliver Sack’s On Meeting an Orangutan at the Toronto Zoo

One of the most remarkable stories in the late Oliver Sacks’ posthumously published book is about Sacks’ unexpected meeting with an orangutan while visiting the zoo. It describes Sacks “”a brilliant singularity”: his ability for showing us the big fat gifts to be found in the everyday. Perfection in 274 words.

Listen to the Magic of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah Being Hummed Around the World

Among the many joys we experienced at the extraordinary Leonard Cohen exhibition at The Jewish Museum, is a room resonating with the sound of hundreds of people around the world humming Cohen’s anthem, Hallelujah. You can experience it online as well.

Beatrice Wood’s Mistakes “Like Pebbles That Make a Good Road”, with Sculptor Richard Long

When we heard centenarian ceramic artist Beatrice Wood’s extraordinary view of the mistakes she made in life, we thought of the work of artist Richard Long…

How 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.

Vivianne 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.

Mister Rogers: What is Essential is Invisible to the Eye

We are continually amazed by the late Fred Rogers ability to illuminate aspects of life using just a few words, in his calm, spacious way. Here are two transformative riffs to take into the week.

Opened at Random: The Book of Joy “Setting an Intention for the Day”

Today we opened at random the Book of Joy, Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We found this…

Trisha 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.

In 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.

Karl Lagerfeld’s Inspired Ideas

After legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld passed away in February, we looked back into our archive for good ideas any of us might steal and employ…

David Hockney and Joni Mitchell Instagram “Opens Up Our Vision to What is Possible”

The New York Times parsed 13 reasons why the instagram of art and music legends David Hockney and Joni Mitchell went viral. We found some other reasons why the image is so powerful…

Posts navigation