comparison leads to violence (mandy patinkin)

Recently, a very brilliant artist we know was disheartened by her professional life, comparing herself to other artists who were getting big commissions. “Comparison is violence” I said. “I read something to that effect recently; I can’t remember where.”  My friend stopped short. “That’s GREAT. You’re right!” and went online to search. The equation of…

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the little free library movement in action

“Trust  me, some day we’ll need it and you’ll be sorry you threw it out.”  That remark reverberated after viewing a segment on 60 Minutes about Todd Boll’s Little Free Library movement and the thousands of mini, hand-built libraries for book sharing that are proliferating worldwide.   He was right. The wooden beer crate gathering…

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walking in circles to get out of your head (claire danes)

Varieties of Disturbance, a recent New York Profile about actress Claire Danes yields many intriguing and illuminating ideas about the processes involved in her famously “volcanic performances” (of late, most notably in Homeland).  Among them, Dane’s passing mention of her occasional practice of walking in circles to get “out of her head”.  If I have…

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home design strategy: finding perfection in imperfection

In many parts of the world that which is old and imperfect is more highly cherished and valued than that which is new. Brand new Turkish rugs are often abraded before selling, their colors softened by dealers eager to increase their price by having them appear imperfect, used, showing their history.  In Persian, they call…

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What To Do When Lost, Creatively or Professionally

Often as we curate content for Improvised Life, we’ll find that posts from different blogs and sites resonate with one another, as if finishing each other’s thoughts. Recently, an article in 99U about a driven entrepeneur feeling that his work was HIM seemed to echo what many people we know have struggled with: That their…

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cool steel grating chair + our favorite catalogues for diy

This sculptural mesh chair ($2,000 at yliving.com) by designer Damien Velasquez has a deep, springy ergonomic seat. It looks to us like it was made from standard punched metal sheets used for grilles and other architectural applications. We checked one of our favorite catalogs for McMasters-Carr, and sure enough, that’s what it is. We wonder if Velasquez…

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9/11: remembering and honoring

Twelve years later on this day we reach across time to that moment.   via The New York Times Related Posts: 9.11  the best memorial is in our hearts jane hammond’s leaf sculpture will shift your view of fall batali’s beautiful ‘fuck you’: a tale of 9/11

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cheap + chic: how to install and paint plywood floors

When Remodelista recently featured a picture of the Laboratory’s painted plywood floors in Remodeling 101: Painted Plywood—The Best Budget Wood Floor, I figured it was time to show HOW my plywood floors actually were made, and to lend a little reality to what it takes to install and paint 1000 square feet of them. I love ’em, and…

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realm of possibility: custom digitallly-printed wall coverings

Having had a mother who was obsessed with busy, French-provinical wallpaper, I’ve always steered clear from any semblance of a wall covering. Until, that is, companies like HP devised a latex printer that will digitally print your own designs to make cool wall-coverings. A number of companies will help you do this…like New Era, 4walls, FlavorPaper. Apparently, the HP…

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found rocks as book ends, candle holders, still-life…more

We are BIG fans of using found rocks as utensils. Rocks hauled home from beach or forest have become paper weights, doorstops, toilet paper holder “bricks” for our bricked-chicken recipe, even a prop to keep a cactus standing upright. They float around the Laboratory; if not in a direct use, they make lovely still-lives. Wary…

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