View this email in your browser

"This is the solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight, the year's threshold and unlocking, where the past lets go of and becomes the future; the place of caught breath." — Margaret Atwood

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

The image above is a photograph of the entrance to a 2020 exhibition of the work of Yoko Ono at Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto, Portugal. The show was titled The Learning Garden of Freedom. The artist's intent was to extend an invitation to her audience to find freedom in everyday gestures.

During this time of winter solstice her words are especially poignant: “Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence, summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance, winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance.”

Learning, creativity and freedom are germinated in innocence. They are grown with exuberance, and they are spread and made hardy with perseverance.

Happy solstice. Happy holidays. Happy Friday.

Advertising
Romanticizing the quotidian

The passing of winter solstice also means we're near the end of the holiday season. Before we close the door let's look at one more holiday ad.

This one for Britain's Royal Mail service uses a poem by TS Eliot Prize-winner Roger Robinson, and gorgeously filmed and edited shots of a delivery-person's hands. It beautifully celebrates the relationships that are central to but often overlooked in the holiday rush.

I'd love to see shorts this well done that celebrate community without anything to sell but interconnection. This one sure does make you feel great about the mail. Imagine one that made you feel as good about democracy, or libraries, or public education.

Video: Royal Mail In Good Hands ad

Storytelling, Myth
Santa Claus has evolved from folklore into a wildly shared cultural touchstone.

The image from which all future potrayals of Santa Claus evolved. Harper’s Magazine Wikimedia Commons

"Look, I am not going to tell you that St. Nick was a scheme by the fuzzy suit industry to sell more fuzzy suits, as green bean casserole was a direct attempt by the soup industry to sell more soup.

"But I think that the legend lent itself to being compatible with branding, which meant that Santa was bound to be merged with commercialism and cultural messaging that underlined broader cultural trends, particularly those that reinforced societal norms. In many ways, the two threads started separately, then game together in 19th century New York City, a handful of figures helped to shape these norms around Christmas and Santa Claus, and teed them up for generations to come." - Ernie Smith

Article: How Santa Morphs

Related Article: At What Point Does the Santa Myth Become a Harmful Deception?

Culture, Interdependence
"We evolved because we cooperate, not despite it."

Rachel's Secret licensed under CC-BY

"...As evolutionary biologist Lynn Margulis’ research proved, evolution happens as much through cooperation as competition: 'animal and plant life evolved from bacteria through symbiosis.' We evolved because we cooperate, not despite it. So, how do we find ourselves stuck in a growth-based primarily capitalist economic system that doesn’t reflect not just human nature, but nature in general?

"It is because we reward behaviors that more cooperative systems would have had a natural ‘check’ in place to guard against. Where cooperative systems wouldn’t allow one person to gain wealth at the expense of others, in this economic system the hoarding of wealth is idolized even though if we saw it happen in a non-human animal or plant species we would be very concerned:

'If a monkey hoarded more bananas than it could eat, while most of the other monkeys starved, scientists would study that monkey to figure out what the heck was wrong with it. When humans do it, we put them on the cover of Forbes.' - Nathalie Robin Justice Gravel on X

"If we want a system that is consistent with the flourishing of life on earth, we will need a system that mimics nature. Our current economic model doesn’t - for many reasons - and needs to change. Looking at nature, including our own human nature in our private lives, gives us many ideas for what this new, harmonious system could look like." - Erin Remblance

Article: "We Are All Socialists in Our Private Lives"

Culture, Community
"Beautiful communities don't just happen. They happen because of quiet heroism of local citizens who get involved, sit in meetings, stick at something they're passionate about, and make a difference in a grassroots kind of way."

The Piazza dei Signori in Padua, Italy. Source: Rick Steves.

Strong Towns is a nonprofit media advocacy organization. They produce content that analyzes the failures of the post-war North American development pattern while giving citizens the knowledge and tools to start making their places better. They advocate for more people-friendly places that foster interaction; transportation options that are safe, affordable, and often human powered; and infrastructure that enhances rather than menaces surrounding neighborhoods.

Many European communities enjoy these features. And guidebook author, tour operator, and PBS travel host Rick Steves has spent decades exploring the cosmopolitan capitals and lesser-known backroads of Europe. So they asked him to describe the lived experience in places that have prioritized people over cars and infrastructure.

Key takeaway: Europe wasn't always this cool. Says Rick: "I was just in Warsaw and 70 years ago, there was not a building standing. And today, Warsaw is a thriving city, with a great public transportation system, nowhere near as wealthy as we are, but they have built that city from scratch. And it just reminds me we are not stuck with what we've got."

Article: Rick Steves: What Americans Can Learn From Europe’s People-Friendly Places

Marketing, Communication
Honest marketing is the art of connecting with individuals on a human level.

Heather Sperling licensed under CC-BY

I quip that I am a marketing strategist who hates marketing. But it's no joke that I have a strong disdain for the formulaic and too typical models of marketing that focus only on product, price, place, and promotion. And don't get me started on interruptive advertising.

So I'm always glad when I see a good summary of how to use sincere and clear communications to help people engender genuine relationships via marketing channels. The author, Daniel CF Ng, "delves into the concept of marketing as a human science and elucidates a step-by-step plan, fortified with real-world examples and innovative solutions, to harness the art of connections in modern marketing practices."

Article: Marketing as a Human Science: Mastering the Art of Connections

Design, Circular Economy
A line of furniture designed to be kept in circulation for as long as possible

Shipping a piece of furniture in the smallest box possible is the most energy-saving way to distribute it. And putting it together yourself can help keep the furniture in circulation for as long as possible. As Takt founder and CEO Henrik Taudorf Lorensen says: “If you put it together yourself, then it’s also quite easy to fix it yourself.”

"Despite the fancy name, Takt’s PSD (Perpetual Sustainable Design ) is a fairly simple concept. You order, receive and assemble your Takt furniture, then go about your life using it. If it gets a little dinged up, you can order a Care Kit to re-oil the wood (which has been sourced from FSC-certified forests, natch). For bigger issues, you can order a replacement part – say, a new seat or backrest. Takt encourages you to keep your piece in the family for generations, or, if it no longer fits with your lifestyle, give it away to friends and family. If you struggle to dispose of it, they’ll take it back off your hands, fix it up and give it a new lease of life. Pieces are deliberately made of mostly mono-materials such as wood and steel, so that if it’s truly beyond salvaging, then each component part can be easily recycled at a municipal level. Takt also has a dedicated product support hub (taktcph.com/product- support/) where you can find resources for care and recycling options, as well as get access to all its Building Instructions, the title Takt gives its instruction manuals." - India Block

Article: Building Instructions

Visual Identity
The World AeroPress Championship is now a global phenomenon. So of course it needs a distinct look.

My family is one of coffee snobs. Last summer our three kids and their partners shared a vacation house with Debbie and me for a week. Between us we brought four different coffee making rigs, including an AeroPress, and more unique roasts than that. So I'm not surprised to know that there is a World AeroPress Championship.

And you know that I believe in the power of a clear and focused visual identity program, especially for an organization that sponsors 120 regional and national events each year. This one by Belfast's Angel & Anchor is great.

Article: Ready, Set, Plunge! How Graphic Design And Coffee Mix At The World AeroPress Championship

One-liners

Article: According to a new report, residents in more than half of U.S. counties have either very limited access to a reliable local news source or none at all.

Article: Dutch city converts unused pavement into bicycling safety course

Article: Agroforestry is a proven regenerative technique that is still getting overlooked in the US.

Article: WWF report reveals progress on some of the world’s biggest brands' plastic footprints.

Article: Return to the office is ‘dead,’ Stanford economist says.

Playlist

Video: Thee Sacred Souls - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)

The origin story of Thee Sacred Souls is almost as good as the one about a young Keith Richards noticing a guy carrying a Muddy Waters record on a train. Within a few weeks he and that guy, Mick Jagger, started a band and within a year their group, The Rolling Stones, was selling out music halls.

Alex Garcia (drums) and Sal Samano (bass) grew up in Chula Vista, CA, a city situated mid-way between San Diego and Tijuana, surrounded by Chicano Soul music, old records and lowrider culture.

In 2018, they formed an oldies band and started writing instrumentals. But without a vocalist they felt unmoored. Then Garcia found Josh Lane on Instagram. Lane had been writing songs "forever", but was struggling to find his way as a solo artist.

They messaged back and forth and arranged a jam. From that first meeting they knew they were onto something great.

They started to gig and were discovered by producer Gabe Roth (aka Bosco Mann) at one of their very first dates. He signed them to Daptone, a label that knows exactly what to do with their sweet soul sound. They have been on a fast track ever since.

Last spring they were on tour and brought some of their current show to Seattle's KEXP. We are lucky they did.

Article: The Holy Rise of Thee Sacred Souls

Weekly Mixtape
A little bit of soul sweetens the whole stew. BTW, just one of these songs was recorded before the year 2000. I'm guessing that you can't tell which one.

Playlist: Easier said

Image of the Week

Installation view of PEACE is POWER from ‘Yoko Ono: The Learning Garden of Freedom’ at Fundação de Serralves – Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Porto, 2020. Photo © Filipe Braga

"YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND will celebrate Ono’s groundbreaking contributions to early conceptual and participatory art, music, and her passionate advocacy for world peace. Over seven decades, from the mid-1950s to today, the exhibition delves into her innovative work, spanning more than 200 pieces, including instruction-based art, installations, films, music, and photography. It will showcase her unique approach to language, art, and audience engagement, which remains relevant today." - Mark Westall

Article: Tate Modern to Present the UK’s Largest Yoko Ono Exhibition Ever.

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.

You can learn more about me and my work here: mitchanthony.net

Not a subscriber? Sign up here.

You can also read Love & Work on the web.