Hey Dave... much like law, our experiences (ie precedents) shape the version of ourselves that exist today - as you know, I overcame severe bullying as a kid, to inform my values driven, people first approach of today... Alzheimer's is a strange beast; my dad has been hospitalised with it since New Year's Day and thankfully with the help of photos he is able to remember much of the precedents in his life - even some details back to WW2.... ask him what he had for lunch 5 minutes ago and he has no recollection! Have a wonderful rest of your week my friend!
I think workplace culture continues to be as varied as a box of Liquorice All Sorts, with extreme ends of the spectrum. Sadly I am seeing and hearing some places jumping on the Trumpesque bandwagon and turning back the clock on wellbeing type initiatives, and anything considered "woke"! Thankfully other positive workplaces exist so there's still hope! Well done on the quick cognitive test..... if I ever tell you I've had tuna, send help because I hate the stuff! ha ha
Sorry to hear that you are having the polarization - I blame the rage bait age - everything is set to play to incite people - I've watched many center journalists pick up the rage mic due to views
Hope winter lets you still have some decent bike rides - the southerly is coming up tonight so that will be cold tomorrow here
I have been averaging around 600 kms a month and managed that in the first month of winter, though we've seen a very cold blast and wet weather so far in July which is preventing me from getting out! Stay warm mate! You're very welcome! 🤗🍺
I wish I had a poem to describe how fascinating it is to see the paintings before and after, the way you paint them in negative, I guess because of the pastels?
I do love a good limerick - what is the poetry style of Mexico - did they do native poems?
Not sure if my way of painting is any different from others but sometimes I do leave the hard parts to last as they need the context of everything else to make sense
They do witty mock-epitaphs that imagine a living person, so usually friends, family, or politicians, being carried off by the Grim Reaper or La Catrina. They’re short, and dark humour like:
I’m going to have to keep an eye out for the reaper - that was the most unexpected reply I think I’ve ever had - you deserve an award for that - you can thank Gemini in your acceptance speech 😂☕
Beliefs are definitely part of what defines us, but I think what makes us is a sum total of the people who we arise from, are closely surrounded by and our experiences ie how we engage with them and the rest of the world. For e.g., two boys from poor families with a history of abuse: one strays into a public library, gets captivated, keeps coming back, and keeps reading; it changes his life. The other plays truant because he's trying to fit in with the crowd around him, and then he gets into other issues and copes with addiction. So maybe serendipity also plays a part!
I don't know; that's what I think and a good, soft cookie can always turn around my day!
The people we surround ourselves with is an interesting take - shared beliefs can make or break us - I always suspect introverts are tougher than extroverts though
During eating disorder recovery I had to challenge a lot of core values. Thin is success. Thin is love. Thin is professional. So many. I spent so much time thinking about how I could be thinner to achieve those things. Changing those core values was hard. But once I did, I stopped thinking about them and my world opened up. Code Like a Girl game out of the ashes of that core value change. I love this topic as I think it is rooted in the ability to us to change what our amygdala is focused on and thus change our lives. As i read authors like you, Neela, and Hans, it continues to push my boundaries and core values as to what is important.
Fortunately I read a post that was all about European women who didn’t care what size they were and I feel a lot less guilty about that cake I had for lunch.
Thin would be easier to accomplish if we didn’t have hormones, chemicals in our food and easy access to sugar - like it was before the 80s - we have a lot stacked up against us Dinah - glad you have the world opened up to you now - the trick is making sure the door stays open
Thanks so much for reading - its a real boost to have you here 🤗☕
I see from this how belief, art, and creativity are always in process. At some point we say a work is "done," but it's still in process on those who attend to it. Thanks for the ways of showing our brain processes and artistic conversations!
Hey Hans - thanks for popping by… I think sometimes we’re done but the race keeps on going - why do we call it the human race when most of us want the speed to reduce?
Beliefs are tricky aren’t they… we think we know it then something causes us to see things differently - is a belief a viewpoint or is it a foundation - I’m pretty sure they are what define us in the present and our experiences are created due to the power or weakness of our beliefs.
Wishing you a great week and hope the footpaths are cool for your dog walks 🤗☕
Beliefs are powerful because they are both lenses and limits. They help us make sense of the world, but sometimes they prevent us from seeing what else is possible. I see this is true for me.
Lenses and limits is a good one - sounds like a title of a post… if only there was an eye specialist who could help us find corrective lenses to overcome our limits…
First of all, hats off on the bit about your amygdala and the monsters under the bed transitioning to a 3am alarm clock for very different reasons. It's one of the most beautifully human things I've read this week. We trade one set of monsters for another, don't we? They just get more complicated and wear better disguises.
This piece is so you – meandering in the best possible way, like a long walk with a friend where you start talking about memory and somehow end up in the Renaissance, arguing about whether painting or sculpture is superior, and then you're off to get cookies with Helen. Genius, I'd say.
LOL - a gentle meandering stream of consciousness - that’s me… I’m not sure if people have fundamentally changed through the centuries - we still argue over silly things - like whose the best while ignoring the weighty things like how do I stop waking at 3am
These are huge questions. And now I am going to have to sit down and think about them. Just these two sentences is enough for my Paddington Bear brain.. because to answer properly I have to be objective about a subjective subject - namely myself.
PLUS!
Is your painting studio always that tidy? It looks so accessible- I like that.
Once I have answered the first request I will go back and read more. Maybe in the morning with coffee and a toddler!
Did you make pancakes this morning for bubs, mum and you? We have Matariki this Friday and the giving of kai is the spirit of the day. Am taking friends out for coffee so that is a good definition of me.
I suspect most of us don’t like looking in the mirror of self introspection Cecilia - either we see a warped image or one too clear and both can be disturbing unless you are a narcissist in which case it looks awesome.
I have a number of friends at the end of their mortal coils and funerals are often the defining moment for us - how did our friends see us
Hmm the studio is always covered with pastels and pencils - so hard to keep it together 🤗☕
That must be hard for you having friends preparing to shuffle off. Very hard.
I remember once when a man I knew saw a picture of all my children - realizing I was a struggling single mum he looked at me quite differently - bemused - he said - huh, I thought you were just one of the beautiful people.
It showed me how much of ourselves we don’t show others.
I did not know makariki was coming up - thank you - it is one of my favs!
Hey Dave... much like law, our experiences (ie precedents) shape the version of ourselves that exist today - as you know, I overcame severe bullying as a kid, to inform my values driven, people first approach of today... Alzheimer's is a strange beast; my dad has been hospitalised with it since New Year's Day and thankfully with the help of photos he is able to remember much of the precedents in his life - even some details back to WW2.... ask him what he had for lunch 5 minutes ago and he has no recollection! Have a wonderful rest of your week my friend!
Ah the earliest memories stay the longest - I wonder if those monsters under the bed will come back to haunt me should I reach the midnight years
Is the workplace culture changing in Australia? I recall plenty of bullies there in my time there at the start of the century
Quick memory test - I had tuna and tomato sandwiches for lunch 5 mins ago
Be afraid.........be VERY afraid! ha ha
I think workplace culture continues to be as varied as a box of Liquorice All Sorts, with extreme ends of the spectrum. Sadly I am seeing and hearing some places jumping on the Trumpesque bandwagon and turning back the clock on wellbeing type initiatives, and anything considered "woke"! Thankfully other positive workplaces exist so there's still hope! Well done on the quick cognitive test..... if I ever tell you I've had tuna, send help because I hate the stuff! ha ha
what tuna?
Sorry to hear that you are having the polarization - I blame the rage bait age - everything is set to play to incite people - I've watched many center journalists pick up the rage mic due to views
Hope winter lets you still have some decent bike rides - the southerly is coming up tonight so that will be cold tomorrow here
Thanks always for staying in touch 🤗☕
Ha ha who are you?
I agree.. rage bait is real!
I have been averaging around 600 kms a month and managed that in the first month of winter, though we've seen a very cold blast and wet weather so far in July which is preventing me from getting out! Stay warm mate! You're very welcome! 🤗🍺
My favourite bit of this article is this "I do hold a belief that says go try." I think we should all have this belief, we'd accomplish so much more.
It seems to be a belief we share in common
I wish I had a poem to describe how fascinating it is to see the paintings before and after, the way you paint them in negative, I guess because of the pastels?
I do love a good limerick - what is the poetry style of Mexico - did they do native poems?
Not sure if my way of painting is any different from others but sometimes I do leave the hard parts to last as they need the context of everything else to make sense
They do witty mock-epitaphs that imagine a living person, so usually friends, family, or politicians, being carried off by the Grim Reaper or La Catrina. They’re short, and dark humour like:
With a dark roast in his hand,
David painted pastel art,
When Grim Reaper joined the band,
Ready to steal his creative heart.
The Catrina saw his sketch,
And she whispered with a smirk:
"Time to go, you gifted wretch,
Drink up fast and leave your work."
He offered her a hot cup
Just to buy a little time,
But Death drank the coffee up
And took the painter in his prime.
Now he draws among the graves,
With no caffeine to stay awake,
Pink pastel is all he saves
For the portraits he must make.
-Author Gemini
You got me at dark roast
I’m going to have to keep an eye out for the reaper - that was the most unexpected reply I think I’ve ever had - you deserve an award for that - you can thank Gemini in your acceptance speech 😂☕
I’m happy to be able to oblige with skills I don’t have! I hope this was an acceptable use of AI 😊
AI is like processed food - quick, convenient and addictive… now where did I put that packet of chippies?
Next to the digital lemonade 🍋
Beliefs are definitely part of what defines us, but I think what makes us is a sum total of the people who we arise from, are closely surrounded by and our experiences ie how we engage with them and the rest of the world. For e.g., two boys from poor families with a history of abuse: one strays into a public library, gets captivated, keeps coming back, and keeps reading; it changes his life. The other plays truant because he's trying to fit in with the crowd around him, and then he gets into other issues and copes with addiction. So maybe serendipity also plays a part!
I don't know; that's what I think and a good, soft cookie can always turn around my day!
The people we surround ourselves with is an interesting take - shared beliefs can make or break us - I always suspect introverts are tougher than extroverts though
Cookies for the win 🤗☕🍪
During eating disorder recovery I had to challenge a lot of core values. Thin is success. Thin is love. Thin is professional. So many. I spent so much time thinking about how I could be thinner to achieve those things. Changing those core values was hard. But once I did, I stopped thinking about them and my world opened up. Code Like a Girl game out of the ashes of that core value change. I love this topic as I think it is rooted in the ability to us to change what our amygdala is focused on and thus change our lives. As i read authors like you, Neela, and Hans, it continues to push my boundaries and core values as to what is important.
Fortunately I read a post that was all about European women who didn’t care what size they were and I feel a lot less guilty about that cake I had for lunch.
Thin would be easier to accomplish if we didn’t have hormones, chemicals in our food and easy access to sugar - like it was before the 80s - we have a lot stacked up against us Dinah - glad you have the world opened up to you now - the trick is making sure the door stays open
Thanks so much for reading - its a real boost to have you here 🤗☕
Thanks David!!! Happy Thursday(or likely Friday in your case!)
I see from this how belief, art, and creativity are always in process. At some point we say a work is "done," but it's still in process on those who attend to it. Thanks for the ways of showing our brain processes and artistic conversations!
Hey Hans - thanks for popping by… I think sometimes we’re done but the race keeps on going - why do we call it the human race when most of us want the speed to reduce?
Beliefs are tricky aren’t they… we think we know it then something causes us to see things differently - is a belief a viewpoint or is it a foundation - I’m pretty sure they are what define us in the present and our experiences are created due to the power or weakness of our beliefs.
Wishing you a great week and hope the footpaths are cool for your dog walks 🤗☕
Beliefs are powerful because they are both lenses and limits. They help us make sense of the world, but sometimes they prevent us from seeing what else is possible. I see this is true for me.
Lenses and limits is a good one - sounds like a title of a post… if only there was an eye specialist who could help us find corrective lenses to overcome our limits…
😂 If only it were that easy.
“Hi, I’d like a prescription for better judgment and the ability to see my own blind spots.”
That’s why self-awareness is such a great thing.
Happy Friday David
First of all, hats off on the bit about your amygdala and the monsters under the bed transitioning to a 3am alarm clock for very different reasons. It's one of the most beautifully human things I've read this week. We trade one set of monsters for another, don't we? They just get more complicated and wear better disguises.
This piece is so you – meandering in the best possible way, like a long walk with a friend where you start talking about memory and somehow end up in the Renaissance, arguing about whether painting or sculpture is superior, and then you're off to get cookies with Helen. Genius, I'd say.
LOL - a gentle meandering stream of consciousness - that’s me… I’m not sure if people have fundamentally changed through the centuries - we still argue over silly things - like whose the best while ignoring the weighty things like how do I stop waking at 3am
Wishing you an excellent week Funke 🤗☕
Hahaha. You too David 😊
What defines you as a person?
How do you see yourself?
These are huge questions. And now I am going to have to sit down and think about them. Just these two sentences is enough for my Paddington Bear brain.. because to answer properly I have to be objective about a subjective subject - namely myself.
PLUS!
Is your painting studio always that tidy? It looks so accessible- I like that.
Once I have answered the first request I will go back and read more. Maybe in the morning with coffee and a toddler!
Did you make pancakes this morning for bubs, mum and you? We have Matariki this Friday and the giving of kai is the spirit of the day. Am taking friends out for coffee so that is a good definition of me.
I suspect most of us don’t like looking in the mirror of self introspection Cecilia - either we see a warped image or one too clear and both can be disturbing unless you are a narcissist in which case it looks awesome.
I have a number of friends at the end of their mortal coils and funerals are often the defining moment for us - how did our friends see us
Hmm the studio is always covered with pastels and pencils - so hard to keep it together 🤗☕
That must be hard for you having friends preparing to shuffle off. Very hard.
I remember once when a man I knew saw a picture of all my children - realizing I was a struggling single mum he looked at me quite differently - bemused - he said - huh, I thought you were just one of the beautiful people.
It showed me how much of ourselves we don’t show others.
I did not know makariki was coming up - thank you - it is one of my favs!