november’s issue of bodhi mind, the vancouver buddhist church’s monthly newsletter, introduced me to the poet kenko. i was intrigued by his words that “there are seven undesirable things as friends,” among them “a strong person who has never been ill.” wise words. although there are always
Category: creativity: poetry, art, etc.
music, brain and emotions
in line with the theme of art and creativity this month, i thought i’d dish up something about music psychology. this fabulous site on the topic brought me to an interesting article on the neurobiology of the emotional effects of music. music profoundly affects our moods. but how
leadership jazz
talking about life as a creative project – here’s a book that discusses business life as a creative project: leadership jazz, by max depree. here are a few excerpts: everyone is equally authentic and surrounded by the mystery of potential fragility is part of a vision’s nature. people who think they have created an indestructible… Continue reading leadership jazz
creative projects
one of the commentators on the art that makes a difference blog entry says that two movies (one of them spirited away, also one of my favourites) helped him through difficult times. that has certainly been my experience, too – art kind of scooping me up and taking me out of those troughs of confusion… Continue reading creative projects
day of the dead
today is the day of the dead, so i looked around my poetry to see whether i have something on the subject. in 1988, this is what i said: i wake up in the morning and i realize: death must be so sweet. death has a younger brother and he is my lover, death has… Continue reading day of the dead
art that makes a difference
i’m dedicating november to the arts. for example, all the fireside chats this month will be about art that made a difference in our lives. so, readers, let’s hear it from you! tell me about works of art that made a difference in your life. is there a book that you want the whole world… Continue reading art that makes a difference
making lives better: inspiration
today i want to tell you about some of the inspiring videos i’ve seen on youtube lately. all three very different – except for the fact that they really moved me. this is quite old. it’s TV satirist’s jon stewart’s first speech after 9/11. i dare you to watch it without tears in your eyes!… Continue reading making lives better: inspiration
creative writing: waking up from our routines
“creative writing increases physician observation skills and connection to patients” this is the heading of a study at the yale school of medicine, which showed that creative writing had a positive impact on how doctors saw themselves, their patients and their peers. resident physicians often deal with quite a bit of negativity
happy birthday, robert b. parker!
today is the birthday of one of my favourite authors, mystery writer robert b. parker. i love his writing style (the influence of dashiell hammett, the grandfather of mystery novels, is clearly visible), i love his ideas, how he talks about boston. most of all, i love the mixture of simplicity and subtlety in his… Continue reading happy birthday, robert b. parker!
deceiving self and others: a poem
one of the things that came up in our fireside chat yesterday was self deception. i just stumbled across one of my poems that is somewhat a propos: the king and queen arriving without clothes, and we bow before them. arrived, we also have arrived, knowing the words that clothe them: “how beautiful her skirt!… Continue reading deceiving self and others: a poem