Wanderlust: I haz it

L: Dalí shushing us R: Partner in Crime's Opposite & Me @ La Tour Eiffel

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

Hell yes, Mark Twain. Hell yes.

Stravinsky Fountain

*Note: I don't necessarily believe these photos illustrate Twain's thoughts. I just didn't want a quote up there solo, so I grabbed a few photos of wonderful people-watching spots in Paris. From my travels.

It's Wednesday

I usually don't condone violence of any sort, but I feel you, Wednesday.

Great GOOD article + Ira

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

Remember, yesterday, when I said "we should create because we can"?  If your response was either "Yeah, but I'm not creative," or "Yeah, but what I come up with is crap,"—well, then, today's post is for you.

First, I'd like to remind you that both Ursula Le Guin and Pablo Picasso believe that creativity is innate; it's just a matter of recapturing it (if you ever feel you lost it).  If Ursula and Pablo's wisdom still isn't persuasive enough, please read Becca Nath's article on GOOD, How I Learned to Be Creative.  Before she needed to hem a pair of pants for a hot date, Becca would've said "nature" when asked if creativity was a nature or nurture thing.  But, now she knows the truth: being creative truly is a matter of being creative.  Creativity begets creativity.   

Now, for the scary truth: you may not like what you create, at first.  But fear not, friends.  Every creative person who is renowned as a "genius" created "crap" at some point.  (Don't believe me?  Perhaps Milton Glaser will convince you.)  And, if all of the words offered so far are still not enough to encourage you to create something, I direct your attention to Ira Glass's take on creative work (watch video up there ↑).  True, he's speaking of storytelling, but the same principles apply to creating in general.    

So!  What will you make because you can?

Thought for Thursday

Spotted in Portland

Grab your world-watching gear + do as the sign says, people!

Celebrate!

Today, we celebrate love.  I'm down with that.  I may not support holiday-centric commercialism and blind consumerism, but I love love—both the giving and receiving of.  I'm into the simple observations and aesthetic of Valentine's day: the colors red and pink, heart-shaped everythings, doilies, glitter, handmade gifts, sweet gestures, and all things cute.  I rock a made-by-me red, white, and pink glittered-heart garland (on my mantle, not my person) with the best of them.  And, I believe there are more forms of love to celebrate than the "romantic".  To name but a few: love for my cats, different cultures, nature, and myself.  Being alone helps me focus on why I appreciate all that I'm fond of, deepening my admiration for the other whos and whats I love.  I agree wholeheartedly with Tanya Davis' message in this lovely video.  Be your own valentine and treat yourself to a look-see: 



My favorite lines: " . . . but lonely is a freedom that breaths easy and weightless and lonely is healing if you make it . .  . Cuz if you're happy in your head then solitude is blessed and alone is okay."

Isn't that the best sentiment?  Will you treat yourself to some alone time this week?  What will you do on your date with you? 

p.s. The valentine I made for Henri Matisse was mentioned honorably on SFMOMA's blog today!  When I finished gluing the final piece, I was so glad I pressed on despite my original fears.  I love making myself happy.  :)

Do you ♥ art?

In honor of Valentine's Day, love, art and the love of art, SFMOMA is hosting a contest over on their Facebook page.  Read all the fine print here, but basically the task is to create a love letter to a work of art. 

My first thought was, "What a dandy of an idea!  I must do this."  But then my old nemesis fear* kicked in, because just look at the letters that've already been submitted!  There's a mix tape for Mondrian, a confessional note that looks like it was intercepted by WK's 7th grade science teacher for Warhol, and a sweet homage to Paul Klee.  "There's no way I can compete with all this awesome," my trying-so-hard-to-be-helpful-but-ultimately-and-ironically-unhelpful inner voice thought.  So, then I

• summoned my courage,
• asked myself if writing such a letter would make me happy, 
• tried to imagine my answer if it weren't for a contest and there were no other intimidating letters looming over me, 
• and decided that I should write a love letter to a work of art.  

Not so I can create something "better" than the other participants; not so I can win free tickets to SFMOMA.  Because writing a love letter to a piece of art is precisely the kind of project I get all geeky about.  Because I do love art and I love writing letters.  Because I love open-ended assignments that allow for unbridled creativity.  Oh yes, I will write this letter for me**.  :)

Do you also love art and letter writing?  Will you join me in this Valentine's Day "assignment"?  I'll be looking for your entries!  ;) 

*My thoughts on fear Part I and Part II     
**and most likely Henri Matisse

I've declared this the Week of Twee

Yesterday's post was about a precious little shell who talks and wears shoes.  Today?  I'd like to introduce you to two baby teeth named ickle and Lardee.  They live over at My Milk Toof, and get into all sorts of adventures.  Have you already met them?  If not, you're going to be smitten at first sight.  Browse the archives, get to know their characters, chuckle, and wish that your milk teeth were still around to secure your home when you're away.  (That's my favorite recent ickle and Lardee adventure. "Safety first.")

I think we can all take inspiration from the lil' guys' To Do List:

Pinwheels on Sundays

Paper airplanes on Tuesdays

Painting on Thursdays

Flapjacks on Fridays

And a little levity on Mondays (of course!)

Pretty solid tenets to build a life's philosophy around, I'd say.  Enjoy the outside, surround yourself with color, invent fun wherever you are, create art, treat yourself, and laugh when things suck.  Yep, that's a sweet life.

I hope you're able to work a little ickle and Lardee inspired mischief into your week.  If you're looking for a treat (for yourself or your favorite five-year-old!), enter my drawing for a copy of Marcel The Shell's picture book!  As of this post's publishing, you still have about 52 ¼ hours to participate!  :)

All images by Inhae Lee of My Milk Toof

Did somebody say fear?

Milton Glaser – on the fear of failure. from Berghs' Exhibition '11 on Vimeo.

Oh, that was me.  Much like Pablo Picasso + Hannah Dancing, Mr. Glaser helped remind me of the truth.

Fear is unpleasant.  Fear is uncomfortable.  Fear is downright icky.  When we fear that something we create will suck, our brain is trying to help us avoid the emotional pain caused by enduring (potential) criticism from peers, critics, and ourselves.  Fair enough.  Makes sense to avoid a (perceived) source of pain considering that whole survival of the fittest thing.  So, without our explicit permission, but rather an instinctual will to survive, our brain is perceiving a threat and preemptively implementing the evasion tactic.  Decoy set, distraction engaged, paralysis full speed ahead!  But, wait.  An emotion that begins with such good intentions . . . actually suppresses growth and progress?  Go figure.

Luckily, there is a solution.  The facts according to Mr. Glaser: There is no avoiding the suck.  Just suck.  It's the only way to ultimately not suck.   

The moral of today's post?  Go forth + suck, my friends!* 

Originally found via Brain Pickings.

*Okay, okay, Mr. Glaser's musings are slightly more eloquent than my paraphrasing.  Enjoy his message + take heart! 

Which brings me to my next post, re: Fear and two more awesome quotes

a book on magic

Quote 1: "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." - Pablo Picasso

Oh, that Pablo.  So brilliant, so prolific.  Such understatements.  But I digress.  And I do apologize for the fact that these first nine posts probably feel like a collection of digressions.*  Here's the thing.  I've wanted to create my own blog for years (nay a decade!), but something unseen, yet almost tangible, has held me back.  That something?  In a word?  Fear.  Fear of not being good enough.  Fear of cluttering the unsuspecting cyber-world with worthless drivel.  Fear of having nothing to say, nothing to write about, nothing to contribute.  Fear of confirming what I feared.  So, I didn't; I haven't.  It was a vicious cycle, you see.  After all these years, I get what Pablo's saying.  Yes, Sarah, it's true: you have not written any crap—because you have not written anything at all.  Alas.  The gist of Pablo's quote?  One cannot create inspired art if one is not creating anything at all.

Which brings me to the second Quote of the Day, and why I finally decided to just start posting, even without a clear theme for this blog.

Quote 2: "It doesn't matter how big it is; it doesn't matter how fuckin' good it is.  If you're putting it out . . . it's worth something." - Hannah Dancing**

Hannah's talking about creating, and she's right.  I'm finished feeling this fear, and I'm tired of not writing about the things I care about.  Whether the result is "good" or not.  So, bear with me as the origins of this project seem to meander a tad.  This blog will not focus solely on crafting or fashion or yummy recipes or my cats (ha! You wish!).  I may choose to write about all of the above or none of the above.  Regardless, just because I don't have a theme, doesn't mean I don't have a purpose.  Prepare to read about the things I care about!  Prepare for joy, art, and hope!  :]

a sketch inspired by Harlem

What would you work on right now if Fear was not an obstacle?

* a "collection of digressions" actually sounds like the muse for a cool art installation.
** Hannah Dancing is a talented + all-around cool person, who is darn creative.

At the risk of being TOO discursive,

and forsaking a cohesive narrative, I give you a gem of a quotation. 

From Roald Dahl: “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”

spotted @ the Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna

through the Berlin Wall

sparkly Nyhavn in Copenhagen

And indulge me once more, as I add my elaboration.  Glitter and magic and wonder are everywhere.  All around us, everyday.  But, if all that sparkly whimsy is eluding your vision, make your own magic.

love locks in Englischer Garten, Munich

MacArthur overpass in Oakland

on the London Underground

Where did you spot some magic today?

This I Believe

My purpose is threefold:

• to seek + bring joy
• to seek, make + share art
• to hope for more

And in so doing, leave this world a titch better than I found it. 

image source

"The best laid schemes of mice and men . . .

. . . go often askew."

- Robert Burns

But that will not stop me from scheming some more!

Dear Jetlag,

I concede.  You exist.

Devastatingly, exhaustedly yours in London,
Sarah

p.s. but it's worth it to catch glimpses of corners of London such as this:

and this:

so, thanks . . . I guess?