“It doesn’t matter what time of day you work, but you have to work every day because creation, like life, is always slipping away from you.” ~ Walter Mosley On his deathbed, Socrates exhorted his followers to practice dying as the highest form of wisdom. The practice is not intended to drag you into despair, but…
Creativity
Subject Mastery Via Creativity
(Image: AsiaWire/@yuusuke_suzuki) It was 1985, and I sat on the wooden floor of the expansive hall with several hundred other college sophomores. We were all scouring the student catalog of class offerings, trying to sort out our schedules for the spring semester. Each time I was tempted to take a “safe” direction with course selection,…
Let’s Play!
I remember being incredibly aware at 10 years old how lucky I was. On weekend, holiday, and summer mornings, I’d wake up and think through the exciting array of play options in front of me. There were all kinds of toys, games, dolls, costumes, as well as accoutrements for playing school, detective, and office. My…
The Frozen Sea Inside Us
“We need the books that affect us like disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us.” ~ Franz Kafka The first time I read Kafka’s…
Wabi-sabi
In 1960, my dad opened a retail shop on Highlands’ Main Street that was a complete reflection of his deep love of and respect for Asian culture, artifacts, and art. His shop, the Stone Lantern, is filled with treasures from overseas, and each item has a story that reveals when and where it was made,…
Overcoming Resistance
The blank page — the beginning of any creative project — tends to usher forth dark thoughts about our abilities, our talent, our vision, and our inventiveness. Even though we may have started and completed hundreds and hundreds of projects, or written thousands and thousands of words, the panicky challenge of getting going remains as…
