What could be better to celebrate Halloween than with cosmic “pumpkin stars’ recently discovered by NASA? (Video link here)
Read MoreInstant 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…
Read MoreInspiration 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.
Read MoreSublime (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.
Read MoreSound 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.
Read More3-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…
Read MoreMorph 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…
Read MoreWork 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.
Read More‘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.
Read MoreSalt-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.
Read MoreHidden Wonders in ‘Dullness’
In a video about the Dull Men’s Club, an online community of men wishing to just be ordinary, and novelist Nicholson Baker’s wise writing about dullness, we discovered the thread that runs through both is gratitude and curiosity.
Read MoreWhy You Should Do Whatever You Want to Your Hair (Mira Keras + Solonge)
Hair has been both a prison and a means to empowerment for women since the beginning of time. Empowerment is at the fore —going blue proved a deeply expressive statement for me—and Solange’s ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ nails it.
Read MoreClever Textile Ideas to DIY from a Restored Tuscan Convent
We found a number of simple ideas for textiles in photos of a former Tuscan convent restored by designer Holly Lueders and her daughter. Our favorites are this very do-able paneled bedskirt and a pillow cover fashioned like a gift.
Read MoreMeditation 101: Failure is Actually Success
This 2-minute video is the perfect guide to meditation for beginners and the meditation-averse. It gives a simple method and the science of why meditating for five minutes daily will change your life. And unlike anything else in your life, in meditation, ‘failure’ is actually success.
Read MoreLeaping in Poetry, Art and Life (Robert Bly + Maria Robledo)
Leaping In Poetry, Art And Life (Robert Bly + Maria Robledo)
10.17.16 | 2:38am
Maria Robledo, from the Schneider Collection
Maria Robledo, from the Schneider Collection
While we were researching how we often don’t know just how big the leaps we take are, we came across poet Robert Bly’s theory of leaping poetry. He says that leaps are inherent in many works of art
Never-Fail Roasted Fish + Five Quick Sauces
When jittery cooks confess their fear of cooking fish, I recommend a foolproof, tried-and-true method I perfected decades ago. It renders fish tender, succulent and evenly cooked. It works fine for a variety of fish, and is perfect paired with of these five favorite simple sauces.
Read MoreAnnals of Healing: 30 Ways NOT to Say ‘Pussy’ + Tweeting REAL
Among the best responses to Donald Trump’s now infamous “Grab them by the pussy” are Samantha Bee’s brilliant riff on improvisional pussy slang and Kelly Oxford’s powerful twitter question. Both antidote shame.
Read MoreDIY or Buy: Kitchen Knife Holder
We saw this knife holder in a friend’s kitchen and thought: seriously clever. It’s simply a tall, narrow box filled with vertically-standing wooden skewers. The skewers hold the knives in place without dulling the blade. Although we tracked down where you can buy one, the formula for making it yourself is simple…
Read MoreRepair Strategy: Fierce Intention
After I did a sloppy job trying to disguise a torn seam in a prized sweater, I realized that seriously bold stitching would be a better solution. Turning a repair into a fierce intention works on all sorts of flawed and broken things…and people.
Read MoreJohn Cage’s Transformative “Question of Taste”
You can open John Cage’s A Year from Monday anywhere and find a snippet that will turn your head around. Like this clarifying view of TASTE, and the opinions about style that are so much a part of modern life:
Read More