The other day a friend sent us this image of a homeless person lying amidst a drawn virtual room. We have no doubt it was staged by an artist (whoever he/she is) but it still has a feeling of randomness, that life could ironically set things up that way. There are the symbols of a cozy…
Read MoreFor a long time, it was our habit to jump out of bed and start working: reading blogs, news, emails, writing. We were, literally, swept away each day by the virtual world we love to wander around in; there were no real breaks and downtime, no time to turn inward, quiet. Every morning, we simply…
Read MoreWithout realizing it, I’ve collected a few books about “doing nothing”, one for kids and a couple for adults. All have unexpected wisdom to offer.
Read MoreA few years ago, I bought a cheap, silvery wig on Amazon for $13. It would prove to be a mighty catalyst for change…
Read MoreIt was one of those days, with all manner of things going awry. I posted a message on Facebook to alert readers, along with the a few lines about the strange synchronicity of challenging little events that had occurred. A reader sent back an amazing message..
For all who hit a with a blank screen, a rolling beach ball or the terrible message that Improvised Life could not be found, I apologize for the mishap, a technical glitch that took several hours to resolve.
It was one of those days, with all manner of things going awry and a fine lesson.
Read MoreThis compelling 2 minute short animation is about a unique, counterintuitive method of wayfinding —traveling from one point to another over a great distance — used by both the space program and the ancient inhabitants of remote islands of the South Pacific. The concept can apply to personal life paths as well.
Read MoreSo much of what I see on the web are strategies for planning and controlling your life, it was a huge relief to read Kottke’s recent piece about how it can be better NOT to have goals.
Read More(Video link here.) This short video talk with the creative team of Nice Fish, playing at the American repertory Theater, is PACKED with potent words about the creative process. We love ever-brilliant actor Mark Rylance’s take on what happens when something’s going wrong…
Read MoreMaria Robledo sent us this very wise quote from Oprah whose ‘Fail at it. Try again.’ echoes Samuel Beckett’s great ‘Try again. Fail again. Fail better‘. We especially like Oprah’s spin on it:
Read More(Video link here.) Last week, Open Culture ran two incredibly illuminating videos in tandem: the first, below, is the comedian Louis C.K telling of being at a low point in his career, having done the same old comedy routine for 15 years and getting nowhere, when he happened to hear George Carlin talk about how…
Read MoreAfter reading yesterday’s post “What is Failure?”, a reader alerted us to the compelling TED talk, “On Being Wrong” by Katherine Schulz, a”wrongologist”, who studies what it means to make mistakes. Schulz has some interesting ideas about where “feeling right” and “being wrong” intersect; it’s worth listening to whole 10 minute talk to follow the flow.…
Read MoreOur minds are boggled by the twenty-five wondrously imaginative entrees we got for our Mystery Tree Contest…“prototyping to the sky”…”a fitting room for very chic lumberjacks” …”infrastructure articulated”…YIKES! We were so hard-pressed to pick a winner, we ran it through random.org. The winning entry contains some interesting philosophical underpinnings (totally in line with ‘the improvised…
Read MoreRecently I came across two things that have upped my homekeeping game hugely. Robert Montgomery’s brilliant artwork “All Palaces” put it all in perspective.
Read MoreIt took over five years for Leonard Cohen to write Hallelulah, arguably his most beloved song. Although we’ve listened to Hallelulah many times, we did not get its simple message as powerfully as hearing Cohen’s words in an early interview, featured in the trailer of the just-released documentary about him.
Read MoreEvery birthday of late, wise man Kevin Kelly shares things he learned the hard way in, through living. The lists always offer big fat nuggets of wisdom and illumination, and many things to try. Our favorite addresses our frequent dilemma of not being able to decide between two distinct choices, usually when our linear brain is packed with logical arguments for each one that leave us boggled.
Read MoreThere has been a lot written about embracing your mistakes, but for us, Miles Davis nailed how to make it work, as recounted by a young Herbie Hancock in this tiny video; he experienced Miles’ approach in action.
Read MoreFor years we’ve walked around the city noticing the New York Lottery signs at newsstands yet rarely bought a ticket. Then a few months ago, we found Jackpocket, an app that makes it easy to play the lottery. We discovered how $2 dollars a pop yielded a thrilling little bargain.
Read MoreA compelling Kurt Vonnegot quote came over our transom recently, the prolific and best-selling author’s answer when asked his thoughts on replacing human contact with electronic contact. It cuts to the heart of who we are as human beings.
Read MoreRecently, several friends described themselves as unproductive in the saddest and most judgmental tones. How did it happen that we have learned to value only obvious tangibles and define our worth by them, to savage ourselves with opinions? I view THAT as a hyper-charged product of the Plague Years we are in. And I’m here to offer an respite.
Read MoreSince Kevin Kelly last published his 68 Bits Of Seriously Good Advice a year ago for his 68th birthday, he’s come up with 99 more pieces of wisdom. Like last year’s, it’s a brilliant list, creating something of a guide for living.
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