(via gatekeeper)
If everyone contributes, things get done, yet even when it feels like no one else is contributing, it’s still worth doing what you can, because if no one did anything because no one else was doing anything absolutely nothing would get done. The more people who decide to make positive impact on the world, the better.
Elena, a six-year-old with brain cancer had only a little time left to live. So with her last months on earth she decided to leave behind a multitude of notes for her younger sister and parents. She hid the notes around the house in books and CD cases. And after she passed away the parents discovered hundreds of these notes around their house. Often with pictures and phrases like “I love you Mom, Dad and Grace.”
This is really touching, you can read more about it here, and even buy a book with some of the notes in it.
This is so beautiful and sad and lovely that I cried
I absolutely love the fact that this book tricked me. I’d given up hope and then….. I won’t tell you since you may want to read this yourself. Sea star is top notch historical fiction about Anne Bonny the pirate queen. I read it to get more in a pirate state of mind for Treasure Island. My character from Treasure Island even has a main role in the book!
It’s going to be brilliant, get your tickets now!
I’ve been writing a lot of essays for scholarships lately, heres a couple tricks I’ve picked up in the process for anyone who’s in the same boat.
1. Switch the medium. – When I get stuck I always get off the computer and write on paper. The ideas flow smoother for me there. In art I change materials often too, from pencil, to pastels, to felt pens. I find more ideas come that way.
2. Idea wheels. – In art I’m doing a surrealist project that uses one of these right now. The idea is simple, there is a list of words, and you randomly choose three, and then write/draw/paint something involving those words. You can be literal, or metaphorical or end up doing something else entirely, but they get your creative juices flowing. The Brainstormer is a cool online wheel (I found it on Drawn! which is definately worth checking out if you’re interested in any type of art). If you don’t want to leave quite so much up to fate, you can just look at the list of words and choose something that intrigues you.
3. Get excited. – It doesn’t even have to be about your project. Prepare by reading something inspiring, having a deep conversation with a friend, or looking at your favourite blog. Then, when you start your project try and bring some of the elements that moved you into your own project, such as a tone of voice, perspective, style or colour scheme. If you start the project feeling good (as apposed to doomed or distressed) you’ll be more open to ideas, and it will be easier to get some momentum.
4. Eat chocolate. – Seriously, the answer to all life’s problems. It’s important to reward yourself when you’re working hard on something.
but I do 🙂
Here I am as a hippy (slashpirateslashgypsyslashindian) Happy Halloween!
I love being in the newspaper =)
it’s about learning, and connecting our learning to the bigger picture, and not being just about information, and connecting and being active in the world and being engaged in the world, and to me that’s hopefully where 21st education is going
(via bookshelves)
I would be very happy there.
It’s okay though, I’m happy here too, with Nature Girl, Runaways, Sea Star and How to Be Good piled up by my bed