Hello everyone! By the time this goes out, the year should be 50% done (approximately). Here are 5 things I found interesting, which might act as a good way to welcome the second half of the year:
Inspiration: Hanging above the desk from which this newsletter is (mostly) written, there is a copy of the Immaculate Heart College Art Department Rules, a set of 10 rules created by artist, educator and social justice advocate Corita Kent, in collaboration with her students at said college, which went on to be recognized as the official rules for this art department. And since it is a source of inspiration for myself, I'd like to share those rules with you, one per week, in the hopes that they might inspire you as well.
The list begins with the following rule
Rule 1: Find a place you trust and try trusting it for a while
For someone that has changed cities in these past two years more times than in the preceding almost 40 years, this has a special meaning. I personally think that part of finding a place you trust might be about making a space yours - which is why the stuff I've been moving around those cities includes lots of posters and a couple of Funko Pops 😄. On the other hand, finding that trust might be more about the people and community surrounding you than about an actual, physical place - a supporting group of people might be a better place than a beautifully decorated physical space for trying things and making mistakes, and trying things and making mistakes are essential when it comes to art or any creative endeavor, which we shall see reflected in some of the other rules.
Inspiration ✨bonus track✨: if you want to know more about Corita Kent, there is of course the official web page dedicated to her art, Corita.org; there is also this write-up of the Rules by The Marginalian, whom also has this other write-up of a lovely illustrated biography: Make Meatballs Sing: A Loving Illustrated Celebration of the Radical Nun, Artist, Teacher, and Activist Corita Kent. And finally, while searching for a nice summary of the Ten Rules, I came across Ten Rules, a reimagining of the Ten Rules as an “audio endeavor”, each episode / track focusing on each rule.
(I haven't listened to that last one, because I want my commentary on each rule to not be influenced by those just yet 😉)Comic strip: SCIENCE CAT by cartoonist Tom Gauld (@tomgauld on Instagram) combines two things that I like (science and cats) in a way that makes me like them even more 😄:
Music: I have two songs in French for you this week, a modern one and an oldie 😄:
The modern one: a version of Patrick Watson's Je te laisserai des mots (“I will leave you words”) beautifully sung by young musician Marianne Beaulieu. I had come across the original version several times on some of Spotify's “Created for you” playlists, and loved the hauntingly beautiful melody, but never got around to look up and translate the lyrics (despite that being one of the things I get more curious about in a song I like). Then, thanks to the almighty algorithm 😆, I came across Marianne's rendition, which - besides being even more hauntingly beautiful - has both the original lyrics and the English translation; with that, I consider my curiosity satisfied and my love of the song increased.
The oldie: Hier encore (“Only yesterday”), a song by Charles Aznavour, famous French singer and composer of the 60s. I didn't knew the song (it's an oldie even for an oldster like me 😆) until the algorithm (again!) sent my way this amazing version by pianist Aurélien Froissart with Charles Gaugué on the cello and the voice of Alice Pattonieri (on a Parisian restaurant to enhance the vibes 😁).
(If you're also curious about the lyrics, here is a nice video of monsieur Aznavour himself singing the song, with lyrics both in the original French and translated to English. And if the violin section seems familiar, it is because it has been sampled by Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican singer most popular among the young’uns 😁).
Video: 6 LEGO Vehicles vs. 6 Obstacles, via the amazing blog The Kid Should See This. I loved it because it awoke in me core memories of me building away with LEGO Technic sets when I was a kid 😊.
And finally, we need to appreciate our ancient food scientists.
(Those fries you get at McDonald's or the popcorn bucket you get at the movies would not exist without them)
That's it! Hope you enjoy a good Sunday and a great week ahead.
— Ricardo
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