Dear Friend,
We can make the mistake of believing that art only flourishes in the good days. That when the world is in turmoil we must turn our minds to more serious matters: mull over the miseries, contemplate the chaos.
But like good food and company, art nourishes us.
Good music can tessellate cells.
A beautiful book can reframe minds.
Fantastic films fill us with feeling.
Performances puncture sadness.
Art lifts, reignites. In experiencing its creation it breeds new creativity in us.
Don’t let the state of the world turn you into a cultural hermit. Seek out imaginative expression in all its forms. Let if fill your body and FEEL it.
And then create it yourself.
Paint some spirals (see below). Sing along to your favourite song. Keep going. Write a poem. Dance in the mirror. Do something to remind yourself that you are not merely an analyst of the world at large. You are a living breathing act of creation. You get to invent as well as observe. And you’ll feel better for it, I promise.
Reasons to be cheerful (big and little)
Try not to laugh, this left me in fits of giggles:
You’ve probably seen parts of this, but I love it when big corporations allow genuine creativity in promotion of a product they really believe in. It’s a bright light in a generally dismal late-stage capitalist landscape:
A fantastic solution to an all-too-frequent issue (thank you Rosie):
I thoroughly enjoyed this article from The Atlantic (nice to support them too). It’s about the positive traits we can lean into to help us live a happier life.
Vivian Wilson gave a brilliant interview to Teen Vogue (who continue to be one of the bravest members of the Fourth Estate in America).
She reminded me of a wonderful event I went to with two of the members of Pussy Riot. Masha and Yekaterina reminded us that Putin is just one ridiculous man. Masha and Yekaterina prompted us to laugh at him more often. To focus on how ridiculous he is. To slowly erode his power that way. Vivian, Masha and Yekaterina are on the same vein: fear is the mind-flayer, and we shouldn’t give it to such absurd little men.
This is a delightful and hilarious accidental Alan Partridge moment:
Here’s a fascinating interview about the poetry of Robert Frost. It calls for re-evaluation and delightful nuance.
On the theme of creation I love gigs where the artist plays a song they’ve just written. Here’s a beautiful version of that from a Laura Marling gig 14 years ago:
Thanks to a mystery donor, the Scottish Wildlife Trust has been able to buy Inverbroom, an enormous estate in the Highlands. The estate covers 7,618 hectares, bigger than the city of Dundee. Plans for the estate include regenerating rivers, woodlands and temperate rainforest habitats, providing homes for creatures such as wood warblers and pine martens. (Info from Positive News)
Loch a’ Bhraoin at Inverbroom © Landfor And finally, this wonderful story about the Syrian art scene and the hope it is bringing after years of turmoil.
Soundtrack for Optimism:
Apologies, no update this time but I’ll do a bumper version next month. Here it is in its current form as an Apple Music Playlist and on Spotify:
What creativity can you use to nourish yourself this month?
With optimism,
Catherine
so amazing and uplifting, thank you Catherine!