Why we have art

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"We have art in order not to die of the truth." - Frederick Nietzsche

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

I've been publishing this letter for more than seven years. In all of that time I've made no attempt to tie the Quote of the Week to the Image of the Week, let alone the two to this opening. But this week I found the serigraph above which Corita Kent made in 1969. To make a point that really resonates with me she quotes William Sloan Coffin:

"Hope, as opposed to cynicism and despair, is the sole precondition for new and better experiences. Realism demands pessimism but hope demands that we take a dim view of the present because we hold a bright view of the future."

This, dear reader, is why I write this letter. Like you I take a very dim view of the present - of the current truth - because I hold a bright view of what the future can be.

Happy Friday.

Culture, Art
"We don’t just get aesthetic or intellectual benefits from the expressive and performing arts—they can also be literally healing."

Image via Youth Speaks.

"What if, beyond providing entertainment, the arts were a social prescription to health, empathy, and healing? At a time when more Americans feel stressed, face mental health challenges, and feel more disconnected from each other than ever before, the arts can serve as a unifier and a touchstone for our humanity, directly impacting our individual and collective well-being. But like healthcare itself, the arts are not accessible to all. Instead, they have become limited to those who can afford it. A benefit that should be afforded to all has become a luxury for just a few. This must change." - Nataki Garrett

Article: Arts Are the Prescription We Need, Now More Than Ever

Related Article: What Art Can Do

Civics, Social Imagination
How do we stand before the pain of the world and keep hope and courage alive?

For 20 years Krista Tippett has been, in her words, "listening to the world and being in a radio and podcast conversation with wise and graceful lives" with her program, On Being. In this hope-filled TED Talk she shares three "arts of living" that have persistently emerged from those conversations. "Callings," she says. "Each of them carries practices towards what it might mean for each of us to participate as we move forward in the remaking of this world."

"The first is to see the generative story, the generative narrative of our time. We are fluent in and very familiar with the narrative of catastrophe and dysfunction and disarray. And that is real. But it's not the whole story of us. There is also an abundant reality of things going right at any given time. Of learning and growth that are happening, of evolution and breakthrough."

You see why she had me at "hello". I write this letter to cast a light on the myriad generative stories that somehow don't make it into most news feeds. As she says, there is immense power in seeing, naming and sharing stories of the many who are "standing before a world in pain. They are working with forms that are broken. They're probably working in institutions that don't quite make sense anymore, and they're having an edifying effect on the people around them, becoming healers and social creatives in so many forms."

TED Talk: 3 Practices for Wisdom and Wholeness

Habitat, Integrated Design
A mixed-use building that raises the bar for the next generation of office design.

Watershed is the third building to meet Seattle’s Living Building Pilot program requirements. Photo by Meghan Montgomery / Built Work Photography

Watershed, a 7 story mixed use office and retail building at the foot of Seattle's historic Aurora Bridge, uses 67% less energy and 88% less potable water than a benchmark building. Natural, local and salvaged material sourcing requirements reduced carbon emissions and the construction team recycled 98% of construction waste.

But the building's ecological impact extends well beyond its footprint. A series of stepped bioretention planters treats not only the rainwater that falls on the site, but over 400,000 gallons of toxic stormwater from the overhead bridge that spill every year.

Architect's Website: Weber Thompson

Article: How This Mixed-Use Complex Improves Seattle’s Water Quality

Nature
"We need natural environments to recover from the stresses of life."

What is the effect of connection with the natural world on the human psyche? How is our current estrangement from the rest of nature—literally and spiritually—detrimental to our minds and bodies?

"Studies suggest that when we are in natural areas our parasympathetic nervous system is more likely to be activated. This reaction has important consequences for our health, particularly at this time. The parasympathetic nervous system slows the heart, helps us feel calm, and is associated with better sleep and with feelings of contentment and safety. High resting levels of parasympathetic activity have been found to have many benefits to our health, from enhanced emotional regulation to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

"In contrast, the sympathetic nervous system’s main function is to stimulate the body’s reaction to stress (the 'fight or flight' mode). Ideally, we want a balanced nervous system. If the stress response system is activated too much or left on for too long, inflammation can increase, causing physical and mental health problems." - Lucy Jones

Article: Rewilding Our Minds

Video: Adventurous Ink, Lucy Jones - Losing Eden

Learning
“There are no stupid questions. Everything is a teachable moment."

"...Back in the 20th century, knowledgeable people were the search bars and libraries full of books were the internet. If you had a question in 1966, you could call your local librarian and ask them to point you in the direction of the best resource. The New York Public Library hotline was established in 1967, but even before that curious citizens called with queries. Many of these questions were recorded by the librarians, and they include some amusing and random insights into people's quests for information." - Madeleine Muzdakis

This story reminds me of the time when she was young that Debbie and a boyfriend called the operator to ask how long to boil corn, and got a good answer.

Article: Before Google, People Asked Public Librarians Their Questions

Communication, Audience
"Build for niche. When you market to all, you market to nobody."

Image by Campaign Bootcamp licensed under CC-BY

Matt Klein just published a zine about one of my old tropes. Envision your reader, listener or viewer as a real person. I call this exercise "Find Your Sally".

The zine sold out but he's put the content online. It's a really good exploration of the role of your best fit audience in your communications.

He starts with some intriguing questions: "What can an audience do to a creator? "What’s possible when we consider that the recipient is in control?"

His ideas are so well articulated that they attracted the attention of the folks at SXSW, where he will be a presenter next spring. A worthwhile read.

Article: Resisting Audience Capture: How to Maintain Your Integrity & Sanity Online

One-liners

Article: Merriam-Webster’s word of the year – authentic – reflects growing concerns over AI’s ability to deceive and dehumanize

Article: ‘Hallucinate’ chosen as Cambridge dictionary’s word of the year

Article: The portion of U.S. adults that gets news from digital devices continues to outpace those who get news from television.

Article: After 151 years, Popular Science will no longer offer a print magazine.

Article: E-bikes and scooters displace 4x as much demand for oil as all of the EVs in the world.

Article: As workers return to offices ambient noise levels are common complaint.

Article: Former coal towns get money for clean-energy factories.

Playlist

Video: She Loves You (The Beatles Cover) - MonaLisa Twins (Live at the Cavern Club)

The MonaLisa Twins are a pure hit of rock energy. Mona and Lisa Wagner are twin sisters born in Austria to a musical family. Their dad is a singer-songwriter who was running a recording studio when the sibs were kids. I bet they have no memory of not singing and playing together.

On their website they describe themselves "as one of the very few modern groups who continue the tradition of song-writing that took off in 1963...Their signature features are their tight twin harmonies, unaltered natural voices, relatable lyrics, twangy guitar sounds and inventive arrangements."

Between 2014 and 2016 they played the Cavern Club on Mathew Street in Liverpool 100 times. The Beatles played at the original Cavern club nearly 300 times and the twins' ability to channel the Fab Four's sound, tone and attitude is uncanny. This recording was made on the last night of their last show there. Poke around YouTube. They've made more than 150 videos, released 11 albums and earned 85 million YouTube views.

Website: MonaLisaTwins

Weekly Mixtape
Refurbished, upcycled, restored? Some old songs made brand new.

Playlist: Drive My Car

Image of the Week

A Passion for the Possible by Corita Kent, 1969, Serigraph, 23"h v 12"w

Transcribed Text:
"Playboy: Are you hopeful that we will choose our future? William Sloane Coffin: It's possible, if not probable. If I can be theological for a moment, I think there's a great difference between being optimistic and being hopeful. I am not optimistic but I am hopeful. By this I mean that hope, as opposed to cynicism and despair, is the sole precondition for new and better experiences. Realism demands pessimism but hope demands that we take a dim view of the present because we hold a bright view of the future; and HOPE AROUSES AS NOTHING ELSE CAN AROUSE A PASSION FOR THE POSSIBLE"

Website: Corita Art Center Collection

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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