A Collection of Some Things I Found, Some Thoughts I Had This Week
Today's
Weekly Checkup is about inspiration. I find the internet a fascinating place (yes, sometimes, disturbing). It's full of creative people expressing themselves. I admire their courage, respect their knowledge, and enjoy their enthusiasm. Here are a few links to people I have discovered in recent months.
(Although I have categorized the links, please read through each one carefully. The material I cover, and the sources I link to have more to do with creativity in general, than the categories that I put them under.)
Art
I took four years of fine arts in high school. While I lacked the drive of the more serious artistic students in that class, I found drawing enjoyable. Unfortunately, I never pursued it again, which I regret. Then in February of 2016, I picked up a pencil and did a few drawing exercises using the objects around me. The effort yielded about eleven sketches, some of which were decent (I've included one at the beginning of this post).
For some reason I stopped. I just gave up.
In the years that followed, I learned more about deliberate practice, a more efficient way to acquire and build skills. Since the best way to improve your understanding of a topic is to apply to different situations, I took "deliberate practice" and connected it with my desire to draw better.
That's when I discovered the Draftsman Podcast. It is an ongoing dialogue between Marshall, an older artist with decades of commercial work and teaching experience, and Stan, a much younger man, who has made a successful online business out of his desire to teach art. They are the classic odd couple, and I find Marshall's approach and speaking style to be very relaxing and agreeable. I do admire Stan's excitement and willingness to experiment with technology, but at times, and this may be my age showing, I find him too quick to judge things. With the recent quarantine, the demand for online learning has given many teachers difficulty. Interestingly, Marshall has embraced the transition, as evidenced in Episode 00 of Season 2 (linked below). Stan, with his online model for art instruction already in place, is blazing forward with his business.
Although a lot of their discussions center on the fine arts, they are constantly bringing up topics that affect all creative people. Also, their interactions are very entertaining.
Fashion History
Well, I am not a fashionable person, and will never be able to tell you what not to wear after Labor Day, or appreciate the labels on an outfit. But I love learning new history, and fashion is very much a part of history. Plus, I find something intriguing and alluring about women's fashion through the ages. It might have to do with the fact that costumes intrigue me. Or perhaps because I find women interesting. Maybe it's the joy I find in looking at beautiful people, places, and things. Whatever it is, I uncovered this YouTube video of three women talking enthusiastically about their love for wearing period outfits. And I adore it.
Their banter is entertaining. The costumes are pretty and interesting. Their courage inspiring. And they are fun to watch. Each of the women showcased in this video have their own YouTube Channel. Since first watching this film, I found dozens of other people who have dedicated themselves to fashion history. At times, even correcting it.
Music
I know I have mentioned NPR's Tiny Desk before, but this particular episode of the series remains one of my favorites. Months later, and I am still thinking about it. But it has been one of those things that was so moving, powerful, and mesmerizing, that you are almost afraid to experience it again, afraid that it will not live up to your first time with it.
So, nearly two months later, I went back and made sure the hype I created in my mind was still true. Without a doubt, I still love this video as much as when I saw it for the first time. It is wild, yet beautiful. Full of people having fun and living life, but there are moments of subtle reflective pauses through out. Their movements are just as poetic as their words. If life is getting you down, or you find yourself afraid of letting yourself go, watch this video.
Film
YouTube is full of videos where people build things. And I have watched so many of them. Recently, my brother sent me one where a man builds a log cabin all by himself. It was incredible. It also sent me down a rabbit hole of exploration and discovery. I am the type of person who can sit for an hour and watch a montage of majestic nature scenes, and aerial shots of US towns and countrysides (yes, it is thing), all set to instrumental music. I am also the type of person that likes to see things built from the bottom up especially with hand tools (I enthusiastically consumed a 2 hour video of man constructing a birch bark canoe). So, when I came across a group of guys building a Viking lodge using hand tools, with no other sounds but that of the woods, weather, roaring fires, and their work, I knew I was not going to bed on time.
It's not for everyone (which is true of everything I share), but if you find yourself unable to sleep, or just need to get back to basics, but don't want to leave your house, this video may do the job.
Art
I took four years of fine arts in high school. While I lacked the drive of the more serious artistic students in that class, I found drawing enjoyable. Unfortunately, I never pursued it again, which I regret. Then in February of 2016, I picked up a pencil and did a few drawing exercises using the objects around me. The effort yielded about eleven sketches, some of which were decent (I've included one at the beginning of this post).
For some reason I stopped. I just gave up.
In the years that followed, I learned more about deliberate practice, a more efficient way to acquire and build skills. Since the best way to improve your understanding of a topic is to apply to different situations, I took "deliberate practice" and connected it with my desire to draw better.
That's when I discovered the Draftsman Podcast. It is an ongoing dialogue between Marshall, an older artist with decades of commercial work and teaching experience, and Stan, a much younger man, who has made a successful online business out of his desire to teach art. They are the classic odd couple, and I find Marshall's approach and speaking style to be very relaxing and agreeable. I do admire Stan's excitement and willingness to experiment with technology, but at times, and this may be my age showing, I find him too quick to judge things. With the recent quarantine, the demand for online learning has given many teachers difficulty. Interestingly, Marshall has embraced the transition, as evidenced in Episode 00 of Season 2 (linked below). Stan, with his online model for art instruction already in place, is blazing forward with his business.
Although a lot of their discussions center on the fine arts, they are constantly bringing up topics that affect all creative people. Also, their interactions are very entertaining.
Fashion History
Well, I am not a fashionable person, and will never be able to tell you what not to wear after Labor Day, or appreciate the labels on an outfit. But I love learning new history, and fashion is very much a part of history. Plus, I find something intriguing and alluring about women's fashion through the ages. It might have to do with the fact that costumes intrigue me. Or perhaps because I find women interesting. Maybe it's the joy I find in looking at beautiful people, places, and things. Whatever it is, I uncovered this YouTube video of three women talking enthusiastically about their love for wearing period outfits. And I adore it.
Their banter is entertaining. The costumes are pretty and interesting. Their courage inspiring. And they are fun to watch. Each of the women showcased in this video have their own YouTube Channel. Since first watching this film, I found dozens of other people who have dedicated themselves to fashion history. At times, even correcting it.
Music
I know I have mentioned NPR's Tiny Desk before, but this particular episode of the series remains one of my favorites. Months later, and I am still thinking about it. But it has been one of those things that was so moving, powerful, and mesmerizing, that you are almost afraid to experience it again, afraid that it will not live up to your first time with it.
So, nearly two months later, I went back and made sure the hype I created in my mind was still true. Without a doubt, I still love this video as much as when I saw it for the first time. It is wild, yet beautiful. Full of people having fun and living life, but there are moments of subtle reflective pauses through out. Their movements are just as poetic as their words. If life is getting you down, or you find yourself afraid of letting yourself go, watch this video.
Film
YouTube is full of videos where people build things. And I have watched so many of them. Recently, my brother sent me one where a man builds a log cabin all by himself. It was incredible. It also sent me down a rabbit hole of exploration and discovery. I am the type of person who can sit for an hour and watch a montage of majestic nature scenes, and aerial shots of US towns and countrysides (yes, it is thing), all set to instrumental music. I am also the type of person that likes to see things built from the bottom up especially with hand tools (I enthusiastically consumed a 2 hour video of man constructing a birch bark canoe). So, when I came across a group of guys building a Viking lodge using hand tools, with no other sounds but that of the woods, weather, roaring fires, and their work, I knew I was not going to bed on time.
It's not for everyone (which is true of everything I share), but if you find yourself unable to sleep, or just need to get back to basics, but don't want to leave your house, this video may do the job.
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