Saturday Inspiration #5

This is some of the best advice I've ever heard on the topic of growing as a creative worker. It's also delivered by my favourite journalist ever, Ira Glass. I've come across the quote numerous times, and it's like a helpful punch in the stomach every time. This audio-visual rendering is doubly excellent -- Ira Glass's cool nerd voice, and pretty type. I'm so happy I get to see this guy in person on January 12th!

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Conversations:

Samantha R -- agreed. I've seen pictures of your dog and I actually think she's pretty cute. Plus, she's 'Australian', so I feel an instant bond with her ;).

Mothercare -- I suspected it was older, but I wasn't entirely sure. (your comment disappeared!)

Bethany -- oh YES. That's incredibly frustrating! Honestly, that should have been on my list!

Saturday Inspiration #4 (on Wednesday*)

Sometimes, when I am in a museum or gallery, I get this feeling that it isn't enough to simply look at the the painting, or the sculpture, or the piece of ancient pottery. I want to talk to the person who made the artwork, or watch them drawing, or simply pick the thing up and examine it from every angle, myself, with my own hands.

That's kind of how I feel when I look at these pictures I took just now. Seeing them here, flat and two-dimensionally captured by my less-than-amazing photography, you have no idea how gorgeous these Japanese papers are. A friend gave them to me in a little bundle for my birthday, and they are individual works of art -- the kind of art you want to pick up and interact with, to feel the texture of the paper, to look at the seeping of the inks through the fibres, to hold up to the light. These papers are -- terrifyingly -- almost too pretty to use.

I wish there was some way I could wear them instead.

*I make the rules, I can break the rules... I guess?

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Conversations:

Samantha -- I am exactly the same! I strongly believe that smaller parties are the nicest kind.

Katie -- squeeing is not only welcome, but outright encouraged around here. My blog is a safe place for squee.

Mitanika -- yeah, for some reason, clean-up-the-house parties are the loneliest kind ;).

Saturday Inspiration #3

This video -- in which Carrie and her big brother sing their very own cover of Say Hello by Rosie Thomas and Sufjan Stevens -- makes me want to be a small girl with red hair and a guitar-playing big brother. Such sweetness.