August 22, 2011
In
appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, inspiration
A Plethora of P’s / #34: Paper
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
– ♥ –
Paper is a wonderful thing. So practical and so versatile!
Needless to say, paper has been a key player in my life as artist and writer, so my appreciation might be over the top.
You see, paper isn’t just a vehicle for grocery lists or movie tickets or plain paper towels… a crisp, blank piece of paper is a breath of fresh, new air, an open field to run through, a drawing or a story waiting to spring to life between each finely woven fiber. Wonder and possibility lurk on every piece! … I love paper.
Paper, by the way, has been around since dinosaurs first recorded their alphabet on a sturdy, if not leafy paper known as jurassicyrus ~ more commonly called dinopyrus. Dinopyrus preceded the use of the more well-known Egyptian papyrus scrolls by several million years.
After the dinosaurs, history is more clear. Papyrus, a thick paper-like product made from the flower stem of the papyrus plant, pressed together and dried, first appeared in Egypt around 2500 B.C. Papyrus had a good, long run, but was replaced at some point around the 2nd century B.C. by Greek and Roman parchment, a thinner sheet made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin. Later, in 105 A.D., Chinese inventor Ts’ai-Lun was credited with the first papermaking process, creating paper by pulping rags, cotton, hemp and and other plant fibers.
It wasn’t until 1838 that paper was made from wood pulp, a discovery by Canadian farmer Charles Fenerty. But Fenerty never patented his process, so that German inventor Fredrich Keller, who did patent a wood-pulp papermaking process around the same time, is often considered the original inventor.
And there you have it. Hope you’ll have a new respect for paper. Don’t waste it ~ but do appreciate it!
August 16, 2011
In
appreciation, art, books & stuff, branding, communication, creativity, design, illustration, imagination, inspiration, networking, social media
52 Weeks of Peace / Peace Starts Here
Excitement! The “52 Weeks of Peace” book is almost ready…!
In the meantime, we’ve established a 52 Weeks of Peace / Peace Starts Here facebook page ~ please come on over and join in, “like” the page, let your voice be heard, spread some peace, share the love… see you there!
August 15, 2011
In
appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, inspiration, intelligence, presentation
A Plethora of P’s / #33: Posture
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
– ♥ –
Mom always said to stand up straight. And at some point in the awkward growing up years, I realized she was right (of course). Standing “straight and tall” looks better, it feels better (when you get used to it), and it’s good for you.
Your posture speaks volumes without saying a word ~ not only projecting confidence outwardly, but inwardly. You can stand straight, head high, belly in, shoulders back and relaxed, or you can slouch in varying degrees of slump-dom… just know that how you choose to carry yourself matters to both your physical and mental health, ultimately affecting your general well-being.
And while you’re busy sitting up a little straighter, remember: the same benefits hold true for how you posture your thoughts. Are your thoughts life-affirming or life-diminishing? Do they reach up or look down? Are they strong or limp, flexible or rigid? Are they aligned with your actions? Aligned with your heart?
What we think, and how we think it, has enormous influence in the well-being of a moment, a day, a year, a lifetime. As Buddha said, “What we think we become.”
And what’s really cool is that the simple act of “standing up straight” helps the positive flow of the thoughts we think ~ and vice versa. So it’s a win-win.
Mom sure was smart.
August 5, 2011
In
art, creativity, design, imagination, inspiration, photography
A Plethora of P's / #32: Play
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
– ♥ –
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ~ Plato
Last year I did a post about the importance of play. And I still couldn’t feel more strongly that play is not only important, but essential for health and happiness of mind, body and soul.
Maybe some of you feel the same ~ I know I’m not alone in working long hours, and feeling some of life’s rather large stresses in a big way. Which, although we may not find the time, is all the more reason to make the time for play.
Doesn’t have to be a week-long affair (although a month would suit me fine right about now!); doesn’t even have to be a whole day or whole night. More might be better, but even a little can go a long way. So have a laugh with a friend, skip down the sidewalk, do a cartwheel, toss a ball, make lemonade ice cubes, sing a silly song, bend yourself into a letter of the alphabet … just for the fun of it. No other reason required. Period!
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
August 1, 2011
In
creativity, inspiration, photography
Unplugged
Posting just this once, to tell you we’ve unplugged for a week…
… and to let you know we didn’t forget about this week’s “P” design, which (appropriately) stands for “play!” (proper embellishment will follow…)
July 29, 2011
In
appreciation, inspiration
Time Out: Garden Majesty
The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. ~Rabindranath Tagore
Garden Majesty / © Patricia Saxton
July 27, 2011
In
appreciation, art, creativity, inspiration, skill
Life, Art & the Validity of Experience
Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you. ~ Aldous Huxley
A friend brought this story of a woman designer to my attention, thinking I might find it inspiring.
It most definitely is.
The world is full of talent, full of success stories and tales of old glories ~ and new this and that’s roll in as steadily as tides hit shorelines. But how often do you hear of someone still producing marketable stuff at the tender age of 104?
It goes to show that discipline, passion, and vision are not bounded by age ~ and that experience counts. Just think of all that life going into works of art!
Eva Zeisel’s story is fascinating, her work remarkable, her longevity dazzling.
……………………..
The following is an excerpt from a Wall Street Journal Article.
When the lighting company Leucos announced recently that it was debuting a line of lamps by Eva Zeisel, even the collecting cognoscenti had to do a double take.
Ms. Zeisel is one of the great modernist designers of the 20th century. But what was she doing in the 21st? She was born around the same time as W.H. Auden, who’s been gone for nearly 40 years, and Frida Kahlo, nearly 60. Turns out that at 104, Ms. Zeisel is still creating her “things,” as she calls her designs, for companies ranging from Kleinreid to Design Within Reach.
The definition of a survivor, Ms. Zeisel was born in Budapest, went to Berlin for the glamorous period of the 1920s and then to Russia in the ’30s. “The arts from Russia seemed fresh and appealing,” she said. “So I decided to go and see what was behind the mountain.” There she had a run-in with Stalin, who imprisoned her for 16 months.
In 1938, she arrived in New York with $67 in her pocket and was given the first-ever one-woman show, seven years later, at MoMA. These days, she weekends near Nyack, N.Y., where she spoke to us about her life and latest works. (Read the full article here.)
Eva Zeisel was born in Budapest, Hungary on November 13, 1906. Over the last 86 years, she has become a world-renowned and honored designer. The most prestigious of all Eva’s accolades came in 2005 when she received the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement by the National Design Museum, Smithsonian. At 99 years old, she could have used the award to bring closure to a very successful and productive career. However, Eva chose to continue to design new works of art to share with all of us.
July 25, 2011
In
art, creativity, design, graphic design, imagination, inspiration
A Plethora of P's / #31: Ping Pong
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
– ♥ –
Few games are more fun than a battle of ping pong. It’s blood-pumping, spirit-lifting, good old-fashioned fun. And that’s really about all there is to to say ~ except maybe to suggest you find a friend, a table and go play!
July 18, 2011
In
art, creativity, design, imagination, inspiration
A Plethora of P's / #30: Pinwheel
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
– ♥ –
Pinwheels serve no purpose other than bringing smiles to children when the wind blows, spinning the wheel in a colorful dance, round and round ~ and that delight is purpose enough.
But there’s more … because the child’s delight brings us delight, so for a moment in time smiles spread like ripples in a pond.
I think we would all do well with more pinwheel moments ~ appreciating the dance of life’s colors, and delighting in other’s delight.
Smiles are sure to follow.