Just So
I’ve always been sensitive to my environment. Strong sounds, sights and smells affect me more than your average bear. This can be a burden, as well as a gift — while it’s harder for me to tune out the smell of garbage or cigarette smoke in our apartment building’s hallway, the greenery of the park across the street fills me with joy, even though I see it every day.
Given this heightened sensitivity, you might think I like to keep my environment “just so.” In a sense, that’s true, but for me, “just so” means changing things with some frequency. (more…)
Most Awkward Powerpoint Ever?
Back in the spring of ’09, I was part of the lineup for Ignite DC, an event that gives speakers 5 minutes (and 20 Powerpoint slides) to talk about any topic under the sun (Ignite started in Seattle, and is now happening in cities across the globe). For months afterward, I emailed back and forth with the organizers, trying to get a video of my talk; they apologized for having technical difficulties with my presentation, and I watched as video for almost every other talk was posted. I gave up.
Then last night, I was searching for something on Google (I can’t remember what), and I discovered that a video of my talk had been posted. Huzzah!
So, at long last, I present the video of my talk, titled “My Dog Cosmo.” Note, when I took the stage, I pretended to be very shy. “I’m very nervous,” I said, “so bear with me.” Here’s what came next:
Related Links:
- Read comments from the audience that night
- Learn more about Ignite
100 Things
I’m participating in the 2010 WordCount blogathon, which means I’m committed to blogging every day for the month of May. After blogging every day for the last week, and after an exhausting Sunday, I am feeling empty and spent, and the thought of conceptualizing and executing a thoughtful blog post is more than I can handle at the moment. So I’m going to take a page from my friend Katie’s book and do what so many bloggers before us have done: list 100 things about myself. As self-involved as it feels, I also know that the nosy part of me actually enjoys reading these lists on other people’s sites, so I hope you find this at least somewhat interesting!
1. I’m a Taurus. Most write-ups of my sign describe me as stubborn and sensuous, and they are right.
2. Spring is my favorite season.
3. I am a fool for dark chocolate.
4. I like to ask people, If you were stranded on a desert island, and could only have 5 meals for the rest of your life, what would they be? (more…)
Artists’ Origin Stories
Superheroes have origin stories; so do artists. Origin stories tell us how superheroes gain their powers and dedicate their lives to fighting crime. For artists, origin stories are descriptions of the moment, or series of moments, when someone realizes, “I need to make art” — and then does it.
Take, for example, this story from micro-sculptor Willard Wigan – but first, take a look at one of his sculptures:
One of Wigan's "micro-sculptures" features the Obama family standing in the eye of a needle
Now, the origin story:
“It began when I was five years old…I started making houses for ants because I thought they needed somewhere to live. Then I made them shoes and hats. It was a fantasy world I escaped to where my dyslexia didn’t hold me back and my teachers couldn’t criticise me. That’s how my career as a micro-sculptor began.”
And here’s photographer Sharon Montrose: (more…)
Trust Your Gut
“If I have learned anything in this lifetime,” a friend recently wrote to me, “it’s that I need to trust my gut.”
I couldn’t agree more – but oh, it can be terrifying. It can be so hard that it feels physically impossible. But the alternative – living life like you’re playing a role in someone else’s play – is so much worse. I’d rather the pain of the band-aid ripping than a constant, gnawing pain that won’t go away. (more…)
