Creativity and discovery
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Do clothes matter?
“Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.” —Bill Cunningham, American fashion photographer Writing about Greta Gerwig’s Barbie last week,* I jokingly credited Mattel’s Barbie dolls for fueling my interest in clothing and accessories. But that wasn’t far from my truth. I’ve learned over the years that it takes as much effort to throw on an old T-shirt as it does to throw on a beautiful top. I believe the whole idea of “dressing down” — to appear as if you’re not trying too hard — can make as much of a statement as dressing to impress. Consider the fact that some people are willing to pay…
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“Make music of what you can”
I always knew I wanted to be a writer. When I was a kid, I perched in the gnarly apple tree in my backyard and scribbled stories in a notebook with lined pages. In college I majored in English and journalism, but it took a few more years to find the courage (and the income) I needed to begin a real writing career. The zig-zag path that led me here was marked with detours and littered with excuses. After graduation, I worked at other jobs where I learned some valuable lessons — including what I didn’t want to do for the rest of my life. The poem below is…
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What’s your trademark?
“We are all weird in some way….Most of the time it’s what makes us so incredible. So where’s your will to be weird? Where’s your resolution to be real? Celebrate your individuality and don’t be embarrassed by it. If you’re lucky enough to have something that makes you different from everybody else, don’t be ashamed and don’t hide it. Own it!” ~Marc Chernoff, Marc & Angel Hack Life Most people cringe at the thought of appearing “weird,” so I struggled to express my thoughts on today’s quote. But then I remembered the idea of having a “trademark” — which was a recent topic in a daybook we’re reading in my…
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Love & inspiration
“Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can ever go wrong.” ~Ella Fitzgerald I’m lucky to have so many talented people in my life. One friend knits the most charming creations, including toys for my grandson. Others create breathtaking landscape art with their cameras, and a few turn their photos or watercolors into greeting card prints. Still others are outstanding quilters, musicians, painters, writers, cooks, or designers. It doesn’t matter whether or not they market or perform their work. Or if they’re published or famous. What matters is that they make creativity part of their everyday lives — and inspire the rest of us to use our…
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Who are your heroes?
“One way to remember who you are is to remember who your heroes are.” ~Steve Jobs, Cofounder of Apple, Inc. In the sixth grade, I was deeply moved and inspired by the courage of diarist Anne Frank, who earned literary fame after her death with the 1947 publication of The Diary of a Young Girl. Anne started her diary after she turned 13, recording the details of her life in hiding (from 1942 to 1944) during the German occupation of the Netherlands. After reading it for the first time, I sobbed for days at the thought of how a young girl — not much older than I was then —…
