Frequent contributor S.B. Dworski dives into John Koenig’s deeply beautiful concept, Sonder, which has poignant resonance today.
Read MoreLife Lessons from 100 Days of Seeing Color in the Garden (Lorene Edwards Forkner)
After a particularly rough period of her life, artist and gardener Lorene Edwards Forkner embarked on an unusual daily practice, that quietly taught her some very big lessons.
Read MoreKintsugi Repair as Metaphor
Artist ciriacaerre made a video of repairing a smashed vase using kintsugi, the Japanese art that celebrates the scars and breaks. She, and other artist, eloquently describe its greater meaning…
Read MoreHow Much Of Care is Patience? and Other Questions (Chloe Bass)
Compelling signs have appeared in St. Nicholas Park in Harlem, part of the exhibition “Wayfinding” by conceptual artist Chloe Bass. Each asks a powerful question to carry into the week…
Read MoreEmerging Seeds’ Wild Dances of Joy (Hope Jahrens, Mary Oliver)
Boxlapse Films’ timelapses of seeds bursting through the soil are so wildly expressive, we found ourselves watching with a big grin on our face at the life force in action. It called to mind botanist Hope Jahren’s description of what seeds really do, and Mary Oliver on the very thing to dispel anxiety…
Read MoreA Bed Surrounded by Flowers Makes a Dreamy Respite
When we stumbled on thisimage by photographer Jill Burrow, we thought, ‘Ah yes. We’d love to sleep surrounded by flowers, especially now, after months of guarded and circumscribed living.’ Looking closely, we found permission to do it…
Read MoreBuckminster Fuller’s Question for Finding Your Life’s Mission
In the course of our random reading, we love coming upon surprising questions that we can mull during the week to see what answers, information or mindshifts emerge. Our current favorite is from a story about Buckminster Fuller…
Read MoreIf we opened people up, we’d find landscapes.Agnes Varda
Over-Glasses Sunglasses for Instant RX Sunglasses and Virus Protection
I first became enamored of sunglasses worn OVER prescription glasses when I saw my friend Fran Black* wearing a pair; I suddenly noticed that there was a pair of glasses underneath her sunglasses. That’s just what I need, I thought, so I hunted a pair down. They made my life way easier. I didn’t have…
Read MoreYoko Ono’s Instruction For Navigating Our Changed Lives
In advance of reopening after months of coronavirus lockdown, the Metropolitan Museum of Art posted words by Yoko Ono on its facade. She created them in response to Covid-19 as an essential instruction.
Read MoreA Young Poet’s Fierce Wisdom on Navigating Darkness
Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray and Emily Saliers put their finger on what makes poet/rapper Kae Tempest so unique: “…their willingness to love humanity through the darkness makes me hopeful”. That comes through powerfully in these two spoken word pieces and this short powerful interview. Words to live by.
Read MoreI had a flashback of something that never existedLouise Bourgeois
Lucia LoPresti’s Secret to Perfect Tomato Sauce
I mark the day I started making great tomato sauce when I spent an afternoon in Lucia Lo Presti’s kitchen. The secret she taught me is simple and yields an astonishingly rich, silky sauce. With it came a glimpse of a unique way of life —Sicily in New Jersey— that her wine writer son-in-law Anthony Giglio first introduced me to…
Read MoreCarl Jung and Mary Oliver on Touching Nature from the Inside and Outside
This morning we came across extraordinary words from Carl Jung. They describe a wholeness of experience that antidotes the very modern idea that we are each self-contained. Soon after, a Mary Oliver poem echoed it…
Read MoreVan Gogh and Gary Snyder Teach “Tree Intensity of Mind”
Recently, the actual living trees that were the subject of van Gogh’s last painting in 1890 were discovered near the small French town where he lived. A photograph of the trees superimposed with the painting brings to life Gary Snyder’s idea of “tree intensity of mind”, and amplifies our own experience mightily.
Read MoreWild, Affirming Music from Wolves and Meredith Monk
This short video has no commentary…Just two wolves howling in response to howls from faraway. It seems like singing, music of strange beauty and harmony. Primal. Wild. We know of only one human who can sing like that…
Read MoreKaffe Fassett on the Healing Power of Color
Color artist Kaffe Fassett likens color to oxygen, “…like breathing”. In this short video, he describes how he relies on color for healing, something it seems, we can all do:
Read MoreGiant Twisting Balloons Inspire Furniture and Your Own Big Ideas
Designer Seung Jin Yang’s whimsical furniture appears to be made of the kind of twistable balloons used to entertain kids. OMG, we thought, could we make furniture out of balloons?
Read MoreReal-Life Comics about Letting Go of Expectations and Other Important Topics
We’re loving comic artist Edith Zimmerman’s wonderful site,, Drawing Links. It features comics that tell the story of an experience she’s had along with links she’s found apropos. Subjects include Time, Tao Te Ching, Home Decor… Here’s a favorite…
Read MoreIsamu Noguchi on Reality as a Sculptural Experience
At the Noguchi Museum’s instagram, we saw a quote from Isamu Noguchi that changed our view of sculpture AND reality. It accompanied photographs of blind art students who toured the Museum with the sculptor in 1987. Their transformative effect surprised us.
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