Love & Work
A notebook about how we work, learn, love and live.
Spring burst forth in New England this week. Last night we slept with the windows open, and today the house is filled with fresh breezes.
Happy Friday.
Futures Thinking
"In just my lifetime, we humans have become a geological force."
"Short-sightedness may be the greatest threat to humanity, says conceptual artist Katie Paterson, whose work engages with deep time -- an idea that describes the history of the Earth over a time span of millions of years. In this lively talk, she takes us through her art -- a telephone line connected to a melting glacier, maps of dying stars – and presents her latest project: the Future Library, a forested room holding unread manuscripts from famous authors, not to be published or read until the year 2114."
TED Talk: The Mind-Bending Art of Deep Time
How We Work
From political to authentic. How emotional intelligence helps us bring our emotions to work deliberately and consciously.
Usha Gubbala
"I so believe in creating workspaces where we can show up with more and more of who we really are, and how we really feel. I stand for this because, through my own personal journey and experiences, I’ve come to believe in the power of emotions to move people and work forward in radically efficient ways. My own emotions often hold important intelligence, and wisdom. They point to the things I need to pay attention to. They push me to make important changes. They help me discern more clearly. I work relentlessly in noticing, uncovering, and working with my emotions. In my work as a facilitator and consultant, I continue to observe how the inclusion of emotional information can me navigate group dynamics more skillfully in service of deepened efficacy and creativity." - Usha Gubbala
Article: How to be Human at Work
Futures Thinking
"People are very good at forecasting the future, except for the surprises, which tend to be all that matter."
"Let me share a theory I have about risk and the right amount of savings required to offset it.
"The biggest risk is always what no one sees coming. If you don’t see something coming you’re not prepared for it. And when you’re not prepared for it its damage is amplified when it hits you.
"Look at the big news stories that move the needle – Covid, 9/11, Pearl Harbor, the Great Depression. Their common trait isn’t necessarily that they were big; it’s that they were surprises, on virtually no one’s radar until they arrived.
"It’s like that every year. It’ll be like that every year." - Morgan Housel
Article: Never Saw It Coming
Teaching
Schools as host to Evolutionary Learning Communities
"Education should act as a cradle for civilisation. Can the dominant model of schooling morph from an 'assembly line' model to an 'ecosystemic' model?
"How can we, collectively, facilitate this essential transition? The Global Education Futures report, Educational Ecosystems for Societal Transformation diagnoses the main problems with education in its traditional form; interesting proposals are made about the direction of reform." - Christopher Bagley
Report Summary: Educational Ecosystems for Societal Transformation
Diversity
We know that nature is good for the mental-health of Western-Educated-Industrialized-Rich and Democratic people. As for everyone else? We don't have a clue.
image by barnyz via CC
There is a lot of research that suggests that green urban spaces and exposure to nature have a positive effect on mood. Now there's new research that says the vast majority of that research queried just educated and rich people from industrialized western democracies.
Article: The Research on How Nature Affects Mental Health Has a WEIRD Problem
Visual Identity
Your Logo Doesn’t Have To Explain What Your Brand Does
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash
"It’s natural for brand owners to fixate on the idea that their logo should, in an instant, communicate what their brand is and does. Burdening a tiny symbol with the task of delivering such critical information is just plain over-demanding.
"People forget that a brand new logo seldom means a thing. It is an empty vessel awaiting the meaning that will be poured into it in time by history and experience." - Amit Rawat
Article: Your Logo Means Nothing — and That’s Alright
Packaging, Circular Economy
A plastic-free package that upcycles waste and is biodegradable
"Pasta typically gets made using wheat flour. As a type of grass, most of the wheat plant is inedible or undesirable as food, from the stalks to the outer husk, but those little bits that get milled and turned into flour are absolutely divine.
"Some of it can get repurposed for other uses like livestock feed, but a recent pasta concept takes the agricultural wheat byproduct and turns it into packaging." - Rudy Sanchez
Article: Pasta Concept Makaria Uses Upcycled Wheat Waste For Packaging
One-liners
Article: Survey shows that just 8% of Manhattan office workers are back full time.
Article: Upset by book bans, teen starts forbidden book club in small Pa. town
Article: How Tiktok’s “BookTok” Revived Reading
Playlist
Video: Scary Pockets, I Say A Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin - FUNK cover featuring Kenton Chen!!
I've told you more than once what a fan I am of a great cover song. A well done cover lets the strength of a great song shine. So, imagine how thrilled I was to stumble upon the band referred to as "the world's greatest cover band".
"From Alicia Keys’ 'If I Ain’t Got You' to Coldplay’s 'The Scientist', Scary Pockets has covered it all. This funk/fusion band transforms pop songs and puts their own unique spin on it.
"Their most recent album, Humpty Funk, features old hits such as Katy Perry’s 'Teenage Dream', Coldplay’s 'Viva La Vida', and a mashup of the Steve Miller Band’s 'The Joker' and Weezer’s hit song, 'The Sweater Song.'
"The four-man band features a different singer on each of the album’s tracks such as India Carney, Laura Mace, VINCENT and Darren Criss. Their musical style employs much of the core foundations of funk music including contagious beats on acoustic drums, incredible electric guitar riffs, rebellious runs on keys, and of course, the super groovy bass. They also throw in horns once in a while, adding sparkle to the song.
The creativity of Scary Pockets is explosive and game-changing. This is a band that you HAVE to listen to!"
Article: Scary Pockets is the BEST Cover Band Ever
YouTube Channel: Scary Pockets
Fair warning: this channel is a rabbit hole. There are more than 550 videos here, each one amazing in its own right.
Image of the Week
"An expert in the hypnotic, Wales-based artist Jon Foreman continues his exquisite constructions that position stones and shells into perfectly arranged formations. His most recent pieces include a mesmerizing gradient circle, concentric swirl, and seaside surge that show an evolution from his earlier land art by adding even more density and precision to his already meticulous practice."
Article: Densely Arranged Stone Gradients Sweep Across the Sand in Jon Foreman’s Extraordinary Land Art
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.
If you get value from Love & Work, please pass it on.
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