Pico Iyer: The Joy of Quiet

I really enjoyed reading Pico Iyer's article, The Joy of Quiet, in the New York Times. Ways that I personally find quiet and clarity in my life are early morning solitary 4 mile runs several times a week, making the time to take a 15 minute brisk walk at mid-morning while at work, and very often at least one day of a weekend making a conscious effort to not check email, blogs, and my standard web sites. What are the ways that you find and capture the “Joy of Quiet”?

Words of Wisdom by Seymour Chwast

via imprint
An inspirational message for today, #10.
Read more inspirational messages from Seymour Chwast.

Julian Bialowas: Visual Thinking

via how
“Looking for some visual and mental inspiration? Check out 365Q from Canadian photographer and designer Julian Bialowas, who paired an inspirational quote with one of her images every day for a year...”

Gertrude Stein: The Daily Miracle

via pippa’s cabinet

“One of the pleasant things those of us who write or paint do is to have the daily miracle. It does come.”
—Gertrude Stein

“… Stein is saying—not just that you should be on the lookout for the daily miracle (and perhaps, as I like to think, that miracle is something very basic and simple and normal from the day that suddenly elevates itself into something astonishing, or perhaps for her it was something else entirely—no way of knowing for sure, but in truth it hardly matters), but that ‘it does come.’ It does. Not it can, or it might, or even it will come. And when it comes, what it is? Is it dramatic? Is it earth shattering? No, it’s pleasant…”
Read the rest here.

Synesthesia’s role in creativity: Pt. 3

via imprint
“…the premise of synesthesia offers a jumping-off point mainly for those creatives who don’t have it…”
Read the rest here.

Seeing, Hearing, and Smelling Color: Synesthesia Pt. 2

via imprint
“[Part II digs] into a hot-topic among scientists in recent years: is synesthesia useful to those who have it? What can studying it yield?
Read part two here.

Seeing Color (and Hearing, and Smelling It)

via imprint
“The number 1, for example, is a brilliant and bright white, like someone shining a flashlight into my eyes. Five is a clap of thunder or the sound of waves crashing against rocks. Thirty-seven is lumpy like porridge, while 89 reminds me of falling snow…”
Read the rest here.

Creating a community of happiness

via felt and wire
“Eric Smith’s Live Now project began as a website collection of inspirational quotes illustrated by designers. It quickly turned into an international community project, which has now been released in book format. The Live Now book includes the contributed works of 65 designers and illustrators from around the world. Of the message that he hopes Live Now will inspire…”
Read the rest here, visit the Live Now community here.

How to Steal Like an Artist and 9 Other Things that Nobody Told Me

1 + 1 = 3

via HOW

“I love it when creative people explain how their creativity works. Artist and writer Austin Kleon gave a presentation called How to Steal Like an Artist and 9 Other Things that Nobody Told Me yesterday at Broome Community College in Binghamton, New York, and was kind enough to share the slides.”

See the presentation here.

Keep Fishing

via inHOWse by Sam Harrison

“I once heard author Ian Fraser tell of being on a fishing trip with fellow writers Mark Singer and John McPhee.

“It was a cold, rainy day, and we weren’t catching anything,” said Fraser. “After a few hours, Singer said, ‘You know, this is masochism.’ And McPhee laughed and said, ‘No, this is optimism.’”

I love Fraser’s story because it applies to the creative process.

Sometimes our luck seems to be running out when it comes to snagging a few fresh ideas. Or maybe we have ideas, but clients keep tossing them overboard.

In those sad times, it’s easy to feel a bit sorry for ourselves. To feel the world is against us. To feel we’re stuck in a masochistic business.

But if we let ourselves go there, we get bitter. And if we get bitter, we don’t get better. Instead, we become victims. And victims, by definition, are powerless.

“You have to believe in what you’re doing and not get bitter,” says Jakob Trollback, founder and creative director of Trollback + Company. “If you let it harden you, you’re going to just get old and dull.”

So the next time you find yourself planning a pity party, seek out some optimism. Take a break. Go for a walk. Visit an upbeat blog. Talk to a positive friend. Launch a new project. Start your day over.

You’ve done it before and you can do it again. Ideas are swimming around in your mind and in the world around you. You can catch them. And you can sell them.

Keep fishing.”

Original post here.