Improvised Life

Clarifying Questions to Start Every Day

Over the past few months at Swiss-Miss, we found two related ideas that really hit home and made us think hard about what we really want.

Loom Chairs, Tables…Reminders of the Adjacent Possible

We’re smitten with this chair by Pascal Anson, a wire frame with one thousand pieces of ribbon, rope and string that were individually tied it, creating upholstery and wondrous visuals. (And metaphorically, it is a reminder of the possibilities in the everyday, which we need right now).

The Day After, via Rumi, William Saltman, Beckett, Ali, Lucien Freud

We’ve collected a few bits of wisdom and thoughts on……the clear…..next…..steps….

Instructions for a Tumultuous Election Day

Has any election in America’s history created as much anxiety as this one? It seems like our very lives are on the line. So we’ve put together some instructions for navigating Election Day.

Awaken the ‘Skylike Nature of the Mind’ (Parking Lot Tree)

We recently read: The purpose of meditation is to awaken in us the skylike nature of the mind…Beautiful. We can think of no better inspiration for that idea than these images, poem, music…

Salt-Roasted Shrimp with Alice’s Aioli

Roasting shrimp in their shells on a bed of hot salt renders them moist, perfectly-seasoned with a pure concentrated ‘sea’ flavor. They are meant to be eaten with one’s fingers, dipped into a sauce, in a slightly pagan summery ritual that’s a pleasure in winter.

Sandra Calder Davidson’s Brilliant Lesson in Self-Correction (+ Bo Diddley)

A big part of what Improvised Life does is challenge assumptions, whether it be how our space is supposed to look, or what we are supposed to be doing, or HOW WE ARE THINKING. So we love and appreciate Sandra Davidson’s Pink Fluff…

‘Everyone Has a Plan Until They Get Hit’ (Mike Tyson + Mira Keras)

After the clothing line I was designing got derailed by a health crisis, I blamed myself for not getting it done. A conversation with Sally (and Mike Tyson by proxy), gave me a very different perspective.

Pegboard Walls for Polka Dot Practicality (Martino Gamper)

Although pegboard is commonly used in kitchens and workspaces (think Julia Child), we realized we have rarely seen it to clad ENTIRE walls, as a design element unto itself.

Makeshift Chair, ‘Loving the Universe…Where Peace Begins’ (Neruda)

This astonishing chair, a mashup of plastic and stone, is from Sidewalk Salon, Manar Moursi and David Puig’s book about makeshift chairs they encountered while walking around Cairo, Egypt. They remind me of a fragment of Neruda’s Ode to a Chair.

Pumpkin Stars!!! (Happy Halloween from Improvised Life)

What could be better to celebrate Halloween than with cosmic “pumpkin stars’ recently discovered by NASA? (Video link here)

Instant Costumes for Uncertain Halloween Parties

Arriving at a Halloween party in full costume when no one else is is kind of a drag…as is NOT wearing a costume when everyone else is (downer). How to dress for a Halloween party you aren’t sure if people are going to be in costume or not? Mira Keras found inspiration in member of the…

Inspiration from Merce Cunningham

This video of Merce Cunningham’s ‘Scenario’ is a lovely thing to look at first thing in the morning AND its costumes by Rei Kawakubo gave us inspiration for Halloween creations. But the best costume idea we’ve heard was from Chris Eldredge.

Sublime (and Easy): Seven Hour “Spoon” Lamb

One of my favorite chilly-weather dishes is also the homeliest-looking. But a leg of lamb cooked seven hours unattended when I’m home working elicits sighs and raves at a dinner party that night, and sublime leftovers in the days that follow.

Sound Bath: Short-Cut for Meditation-Like Effects

We were thrilled to learn of an alternative to sitting meditation that doesn’t require that you actually DO the impossible-for-many-people practice of following your breath. It’s totally pleasurable, has many of the effects of meditation, and you can do it at home.

3-Star Chef Massimo Bottura: ‘Leave a Free Space for Poetry’

3-star Michelin chef Massimo Bottura believes that is essential to make poetry in everyday life, even with mistakes we make…as he did with a lemon tart. But this three minute video is way more than about that lemon tart. The guy is a philosopher…

Morph Your Ancient Laptop (even Macs) into a ChromeBook

After Improvised Life’s part-time editorial assistant Mira Keras had a health challenge that lasted months, causing extended leave from her two steady gigs, her laptop broke. It happened just as she was feeling well enough to return to virtual work at Improvised Life AND when her emergency-slammed finances were at an all-time low. She told me about…

Work Wherever, However You Need

It’s tempting to imagine that writers are creating from glossy white offices, with fresh cut flowers, and lattes in artful cups. It can feel like if that’s not your reality you’re not “doing it right”. That’s bullshit.

‘The Silent Friends’: An Ode to Trees

The Silent Friends is a film about trees, and how they possess the virtues we seek in those close to us.’ Whatever our landscape, they are there: friends and sanctuaries that help us navigate our world. It’s a visual ode, really, that you can also read.

Salt-Roasted New Potatoes with Crème Fraïche and Cracked Coriander

Roasting new potatoes buried in salt transforms them, yielding an extraordinarily pure flavor and creamy interior. Creme fraiche, cracked coriander and snipped chives gild the lily.

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