The innate human capacity for resilience.

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"In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back." - Albert Camus

A notebook about how we work, learn, love and live.

Patti Smith posted this photo on her blog last week. It was shot in front of a page from Albert Camus' essay "Return to Tipasa." In the essay he expresses feelings of hope and quiet affirmation, even though at the time he was experiencing the burden of despair in post-WWII Europe. Camus acknowledges that suffering is inevitable, and that the world presents very harsh realities. Yet by returning home to a place where he had previously known peace and connection with nature he finds an ability to experience and celebrate moments of joy and beauty. He sees this ability as a form of rebellion—an assertion of human dignity and the will to live.

May you be able to know such inspiration during these challenging times. Happy Friday.

Learning, Personal Development
"In the grand scheme of things, everything is workable. As long as we practice and engage with the world for the benefit of others, humanity will survive the rise and fall of any politician or ideology."

Centuries ago, Chan master Mazu Daoyi (709–788) taught that the “ordinary mind is the Way” after the devastating An Lushan Rebellion, which involved intense political, social, economic, and intellectual upheaval during the Tang dynasty (618–907).

When the going gets frightening and weird, I turn to Buddhist teachings for guidance. This week I got such a reality check from Guo Gu, a Chan teacher and professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions at Florida State University. He reminded me that it is natural, not the exception, that things do get weird, and that when they do it is important to “face everything with an ordinary mind.” An ordinary mind is a mind unfazed by vexations and deluded views. It is undaunted in the face of difficulties.

"People typically see others through a self-referential lens, and thus are driven by the polarities of gaining and losing, having and lacking, seeking and rejecting, and, ultimately, success and failure. But, whether in politics or everyday life, there are no real winners and losers; selfing and othering harms everyone. We easily notice such unskillful behavior of other people, but we must also have the humility to recognize that we engage in the same habits. Each of us contributes to the ripening of conditions.

"The ordinary mind accepts that everything changes, and it sees that change is full of potential. In the grand scheme of things, everything is workable. As long as we practice and engage with the world for the benefit of others, humanity will survive the rise and fall of any politician or ideology." - Guo Gu

Article: All Things Are Impermanent, Even Political Situations Seemingly Beyond Repair.

Culture, Feminism
It is time to go deep and work deep.

"One urgent task in these times is the developmental growth and maturation of our adult selves." - Claudia van’t Hullenaar

"We are clearly living in a world of imbalances and the natural result is chaos, destruction, and uncertainty. To help shape a possible beautiful and thrivable future, we must create more inner equilibrium that includes bringing into harmony the Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine.

"The wisdom, presence, intuition, ability to connect with the natural world, and creativity associated with the feminine archetype, is known as the Sacred Feminine and embodies nurturing, loving, compassion, tenderness, care and fearlessness.

"The Sacred Feminine complements the Sacred Masculine which represents positive aspects of masculine energy which include strength, integrity, logic, practicality, protection, and the ability to take action. To make it clear, it is not about gender. All of us, women and men have both feminine and male energies, representing aspects of the human psyche." - Claudia van’t Hullenaar

Article: Embracing the Sacred Feminine for a New Leadership Era

Company, Leadership
A business can be a model for a new social & economic order.

The good news: I found a website that explores what a feminine economy would look like and how to use those values to guide business decisions. The bad news is that I found it on the Wayback Machine. I've reached out to founder Jennifer Armbrust to get updates. If you can help me connect with her I'd appreciate it.

The site does still hold a brilliant document named 12 Principles. She calls it a "Framework For The Practical Application Of The Tenets Of The Feminine Economy." It's brilliant, lovely and inspiring.

"5. EMBODY YOUR VALUES.
"Cultivate your inner authority. Act with intention. Innovate new business practices rooted in your principles. Making choices in alignment with your values is the root of healthy self-esteem. Thriving economically while living your values is deeply disruptive to the current social and economic order."

(Abandoned) Website: Sister

Related (and also abandoned) Article: What Works for Jennifer Armbrust: Building A Business With Feminist Values

Learning, Collective Intelligence
What happens when a flow state extends beyond the individual to encompass an entire team?

Flow is a term coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It describes a state of optimal performance where challenge and skill are perfectly balanced, leading to intense focus and peak productivity. His TED Talk on the topic has been viewed more than 7.7 million times.

"Imagine a group of minds, synchronized in (a flow state), their brainwaves aligning like a symphony. This is the essence of neural synchrony, a phenomenon where team members' brain activity becomes aligned, facilitating deeper connections and more effective communication. Neural Synchrony transcends verbal communication, enabling a form of collective intuition where ideas are not just shared but co-created in real-time. This is where the magic of collective flow truly comes alive—when the sum becomes greater than its parts, and the team operates as a cohesive, innovative unit." - Dr. Carol Grojean and Moses Ma

Article: The Science of Collective Flow

Communication, Marketing
"I commit to using my marketing skills as a force for good acting responsibly with full transparency and honesty when it comes to messaging, communications and creative."

Laura Stein, Chief Creative Officer at Bruce Mau Design, named this book one of the five books that shaped her approach to design, branding, and sustainability. "Time will tell," she wrote, "if this becomes my favorite book, but it's the one I'm reading the most these days. It is not necessarily beautiful but highly practical, supremely no-nonsense and relevant to anyone involved in communications, including designers. Carvill and Butler pull content from their lively and intelligent podcast by the same name and bring it into bite-sized themes with references and resources and 'Three Actions to Consider' for each theme." She called the book "a good antidote to paralyzing fear and depression because it feels so clear and level-headed and actually feasible".

Publisher's Page: Can Marketing Save the Planet?

Excerpt: What is Sustainable Marketing?

Manifesto: The 3 Commitments of a Sustainable Marketer.

Related Interview: Sustainability x Advertising: Empowering Marketers to Follow their Own Moral Compass

Communications, Marketing
“The prints were spiritually affirmative…it felt nice to sell something that actually had a good intention behind it.”

Image credit: Laura Marling

Speaking of marketing as if people mattered, this week Craig McLean posted a great article about how musician Laura Manning supported herself on her early tours by designing and printing signed and dated artwork.

“We didn't have much cash," she said, "but we bought some lino and some really nice card and we started designing sigils. We would make 15 of them and sell them at the shows, and then that would be enough money for the campsite and the petrol for the car.”

Article: 'Anything I Put Out Into The World, I Want to be a Prayer': Musician Laura Marling on Eschewing Traditional Merch For Tarot-Inspired Prints

Communication, Advertising
This ad campaign was developed with a team of young audience members who shared their personal insight throughout the creative process.

Shot on 33mm, the film has a distinctly rustic feel that aids in the visceral nature of the production.

"Cosmetics brand Maybelline New York has unveiled a powerful new campaign to mark World Mental Health Day (earlier this month). Empowering young people to take back control of their mental health, the striking film is a poignant reflection of social media's positive and negative effects on Gen Z, spotlighting a safe space to switch off from the online world.

"The campaign film 'Reconnect With You’ is part of Maybelline's Brave Together Initiative, normalizing mental health struggles while spotlighting an accessible online safe space in the form of youth charity, Ditch the Label.

"'Reconnect With You’ is an honest and unpretentious demystification of mental health matters. It's refreshing to see a brand like Maybelline spearheading such a powerful campaign with a balanced and candid approach to mental health – advocating for awareness and meaningful change in equal measure." - Natalie Fear

Article: Maybelline’s New Campaign is a Refreshing Take on Mental Health

Website: Brave Together

One-liners

Article: A University of Edinburgh startup has developed a plastic that can sense when it’s in the ocean and break itself down without creating microplastics.

Article: Massachusetts consistently outperforms national averages on measures of arts vibrancy. (Yay home team.)

Article: Researchers say that many forest plants in Western Europe are migrating westward, drawn by the nitrogen supplied by pollution.

Article: New label provides real-time, localized packaging disposal instructions with flash of QR code.

Article: Legendary rock band 'The Who' celebrated by Royal Mail with 60th anniversary commemorative stamps

Article: We learn much better if we take notes the old-fashioned way, by hand, and now researchers know more about why this is.

Playlist

Video: The Marías: Tiny Desk Concert

In 2016 singer María Zardoya met drummer Josh Conway while performing on the bill at the Kibitz Room, the bar and music venue inside Canter's Deli in Los Angeles. He was managing the sound, something he had never done before. They hit it off and started writing together, and then dating. They recruited friends Edward James on keyboards and guitarist Jesse Perlman to make a band. They were offered a chance to make songs for TV, and they liked what they did. Music that had been structured to support a visual mood and atmosphere felt present and fresh. So when that deal fell through they turned the work into their first EP, which they titled Superclean Vol. I.

They've been at it since. Last week they played Tiny Desk in DC. Of that performance Anamaria Sayre said: "Fresh off the release of its latest album Submarine, The Marías have never felt more ready-made for the Tiny Desk."

Weekly Mixtape
#dream pop #psychedelic pop #post-rock #beatnik jazz

Playlist: Real Life

Image of the Week

Photograph by Lynn Goldsmith

"Recently I was in San Francisco and did a book event with Lynn Goldsmith for her book before/Easter/after. We were staying in the same hotel in Japantown, and on the way to our rooms, before saying goodnight, we took this picture in the hallway.

"She sent it to me and I thought it would be nice to read you the words of Albert Camus, as they are very heartening. I send all good wishes with hopes everyone is safe after the terrible storms weathered." - Patti Smith

This passage comes from Camus' Return to Tipasa (published in Lyrical and Critical Essays), where he reflects on resilience, inner strength, and human endurance.

What's Love & Work?

Love & Work is the weekly newsletter by me, Mitch Anthony. I help people use their brand - their purpose, values, and stories - as a pedagogy and toolbox for transformation.

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