Creativity
But What If It Works?
Few things are more effective at eradicating a bad mood than a good movie involving unrealistically beautiful people. So when I found myself in a bad mood a few months ago, I chose on a title with Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy and proceeded to get cozy with what I thought would be 122 minutes (…)
Going On a Newsletter Sabbatical
Over the last 5 years, few things have brought me more joy than these Thursdays with you. Our debates about what is or isn’t true, the safe container to think in public, the testing of ideas. I love being in the public sphere and you have given me the space to do what I love: (…)
Why You Should Throw Yourself a Pity Party
Have you ever thrown a pity party? Like a REAL one. An ugly-cry, blame the world, curse your parents, rage, scream, resent, and regret till your heart’s delight one?? I highly recommend them. I worry that people who don’t know how to throw a good old-fashioned pity party will remain identified with their pity because (…)
Putting Creative Dreams On Hold
Right now, many people I love are being forced to put their creative ambitions on hold. Everyone is dealt a different deck of cards and a lot of really awesome humans have been dealt a shit deck of cards. And I don’t think it does us any favors to ignore this. Sometimes circumstances ARE a (…)
The Nonsense Gap
It is impossible for me to watch Particle Fever without crying. Particle Fever is my favorite documentary about the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle. You can watch it on Netflix. Peter Higgs is a theoretical physicist who published his theory predicting the existence of the Higgs particle in 1967. It took 45 years before (…)
Signal In The Noise: Introducing The Carbon Almanac
Before I tell you this story you need to know that I was the founder of the Save The Earth Club at I. Weiner Middle school in 1994. I petitioned for half a day of school to facilitate workshops and speakers and, yes, I was 10. I also drove my parents insane insisting we reduce, (…)
On The Absence Of Art
I cannot understand the world’s desire to “speed read.” My preference is to slow it down, sit with an idea and let it marinate a little. More often, however, I get taken hostage by words. I cannot get beyond a paragraph because the words render me powerless to turn the page until I contend with them. (…)
Time To Think
It started as an ordinary discussion of books and life, but ended (naturally) with a fight about Emily Dickinson. Not the Dickinson you remember from high school, the one on Apple TV (featuring Wiz Khalifa as death and John Mulaney as Thoreau. I KNOW RIGHT.). In the show, teenage Emily refuses to participate in household (…)