That Which Determines Our Fate

15 people holding onto that which will determine their fate, by Amanda Blake 

I love this painting so much. I dream of hanging it in my home, gazing at each person, imagining the stories they would tell if they could.

Soon more people fill my mind. What would my mother be holding, if she were added? What would I be holding? What would the 8-year-old boy from the Boston finish line have in his hands? This year has been a sobering one, I think, for our country. Slowly we realize we can't protect our children.

Find Momo

How to be cool (Keep hope)

From Monica Shulman, "Downtown City Lights."

My heart is so heavy today with thoughts of the children and families touched this morning in Connecticut. I feel so helpless, but I wish glimmers of hope for them all.

Carefree summer, and a bit haunting.

How to be cool. (Keep hope)

Math of relationships, because it's not always rosy and laughter is crucial.

As much as possible in this time of mourning, enjoy your weekend,

Lauren

Messages from Lisa Congdon

Hi, Friends,

Though my creative energy is spent elsewhere this week, I can't help but share these with you.

Handlettered by Lisa Congdon, this reminds me of John. We knew almost immediately after dating that we would marry, and it did feel something like a missile, albeit a good one. I didn't think I was ready, but he patiently showed me the way.

And this - humanness. What a beautiful word. It isn't about perfection or success. It's about doing the best you can at any moment, and finding connections with the people around you. A nice thought.

Apparently today is for inspirational quotes. xo.

Alanis, Feminism, and '90's Girl Rock

Illustration by Samantha Hahn

This is for all my friends who, like me, sang impassioned renditions of "Head Over Feet" behind closed doors in the '90's, felt appropriately confused and enraged when they found out You was Uncle Joey, and thought "Ironic" was the most poetic thing they'd ever heard in 1996. (It's okay, we were 11.)

Alanis recently wrote this piece about Feminism, and the remnants of middle school Lauren couldn't help but click. The path to her point is convoluted, but eventually she makes a good one: while the Masculine and the Feminine are indeed different, we all harbor elements of both. Allowing them to work alongside each other is essential and allows one to complement the other in a way that could provide society with the unification we've all been wanting. 

Eight years after we all put one hand in our pocket, Alanis provides her commentary on what Jagged Little Pill was - or what it was working towards. Some of us may have beat her there, but it's nice to know she's on board. 

November Gratitude: Artists and Hurricane Sandy

Gratitude is always on my mind, and what better month to explore it than November? Sometimes cliches are a good thing.

Today, I'm grateful for artists who use their gifts to do good.

At the Governor's School, every student takes Humanities classes that focus on three questions: Who are we as artists? Why do we do what we do? Why do the arts have value for society?

I've been asking myself those things for about 10 years. John and I have also had countless conversations about the value of art as we decided whether or not we could justify pursuing careers in performance. There are many arguments for the value of dedicating your life to that, but after various bad experiences and a couple of corrupt organizations, the two of us had plenty of doubts.

Returning to a little haven for artists (Governor's School) that is largely untouched by career-driven, competitive mania has been refreshing. It's rejuvenating to be around a lot of talented young people who want to use their art to initiate positive change, and it reminds me why I loved music in the first place.

Many artists have been using their powers for good in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. One great example is 20x200, who has raised lots of money this week with sales of two different prints being allocated to relief efforts. My favorite is "We Are So Good Together."  I'm partial, though, because I sent it to John once shortly after we started dating. :)

Happy Halloween from 20x200

Happy Halloween, friends!

This is "Powerpuff Girls" by Amy Stein, via one of my very favorite companies, 20x200.

Wishing you a spooky night and a great sugar high.

On Character and Creativity: Hurricane Sandy Reading Material

Thoughts from Anais Nin on why we're creative, hand lettered by the lovely Lisa Congdon and available on Etsy.

Next, look at this excerpt from the 5th Volume of Nin's Diary: beautiful thoughts on why your character is your responsibility and no one else's. 

And finally, how can you read this and not want to live in Paris?

If you're like me, you could spend all day on Brain Pickings, so if you're holed up for Sandy, maybe you can do just that. Enjoy. 

What is Marriage: 2

What is Marriage?, by Austin Kleon, at 20x200.com

When I started thinking last week about What is Marriage posts, I couldn't resist this piece by Austin Kleon. 20x200, by the way, is absolutely my favorite place to find new artists and affordable prints to, as they say, "live with art."

It's true, though, isn't it? John and I stand in the bathroom brushing our teeth together at night, and sometimes we laugh, sometimes we try to talk through the foam, and sometimes we're silent. Marriage.

Pina

Recently I watched Pina at the Governor's School - one of many reasons I feel lucky to work there.

You need to see this film! It's a gorgeous look at the work of German choreographer Pina Bausch and her dancers from the Tanztheater Wuppertal. Director Wim Wenders spent 20 years developing his ideas with Pina, but she died tragically just before filming was scheduled to begin. Wenders went on to capture Pina's dancers discussing her influence on their lives with a haunting authenticity that's clearly tied to their recent loss. He explores the essence of Pina through their anecdotes, observations, and most importantly, their dancing. 

Pina's dancers all say essentially that she made them better. She made them more beautiful, more confident, and more talented. Most interesting to me was that she elicited this kind of response was by being, for the most part, silent. She made them great by quietly giving them permission to search until they found their own beauty. Pina gave her dancers questions rather than answers. One dancer recalled a time, after a terrible rehearsal, that her only comment to him was "Go on searching." 

Another dancer said that Pina taught him to stand for everything he did - every gesture, every step, every movement. She believed wholeheartedly in a person's need to be authentic and to dance - or maybe to live - with intention.

Pina choreographed using the elements - rocks, water, mountains, dirt. She allowed beauty to be there, and for her dancing to be over it, through it, beside it. She didn't force beauty into a box. 

I often wonder how to make the world around me better - how to be a good colleague, friend, or wife. Pina reminded me, again, to slow down. Not to force! She reminded me to listen more than I speak, and not to use twenty words when three will do. She reminded me that it's okay to be vulnerable and that beauty and sorrow are necessary to each other's existence. She believed that fragility is actually strength.

Pina gave everyone around her the inspiration, and the freedom, to be better. I can't think of a better gift.

Pina by Walter Vogel 

One Big Circle

With Mom and Dad at the Peace Center for the 2003 Senior Showcase. 

Moving back to the South wasn't something I planned to do. When arrows started pointing in this direction, I was dubious at best. I thought I had too much to do and too much to see to come back so soon.

Luckily, I followed the signs and ended up with a job at a life-changing school that I love. SCGSAH is the place that really started shaping the person I would become, and there's something comforting about the cyclical nature of my return to Greenville. Now I have the opportunity to give others what I was given, and it's really an honor.

And no one believes me when I tell them about the good old days:

there were guys who spent the entire summer of 2002 rafting the Reedy in duct-taped blow-up chairs,

the Raid really happened,

and a trip to Cherrydale on an old yellow school bus was something to be excited about.

xo.

P.S. We were all thrilled to see Newsweek's list of the top high schools in the U.S. - SCGSAH was number 42!

Red Orange Yellow

by Bri Emery of designlovefest

I can't get enough of bright, vibrant color.

Moveable Type

Look what's coming to Greenville! 

Moveable Type will be in town, courtesy of Power & Light Press, on February 16th, 2012. This is an '82 Chevy Step Van that's been converted to a moving letterpress studio. Owner Kyle Durrie travels the country teaching people about printing and letterpress - even letting them create their own pieces.What a fun concept. I love that people along the way get to learn more about the craftsmanship that goes into handmade art.

I'm obsessed with all things type, paper, and press, so I'm thrilled about the chance to try it out for myself. You should join me!

xo,

                   Lauren

photos courtesy of Kyle's blog

For the Cynic

Sometimes I get so excited that it's really hard not to type my whole post in capital letters. This is one of those times. Good things are happening.

I have always loved the prints from Fifi du Vie (especially Oh Darling..Adventurers). This one has been on my mind lately, because after leaving my iPhone in an H&M dressing room in Atlanta, I actually got it back 12 hours later. 

John and I also booked our honeymoon flights this morning, and I've been jumping up and down in my head all day.

xo,

         Lauren

Shapeshifting

via Design Sponge

Inspiration comes in so many forms. For me, it's clearly been in music (though not as much these days) - and often in words, color, and design. For a while, it was our wedding. Designing a day to represent both of us individually and what we've become as a unit kept me entranced for hours on end. Most recently, it's become our home. We finally have a place of our own combined with the feeling that we're going to stay a little while. What inspires me now is having a space to create something for us - a place to live, work, and play - a blank canvas that will serve as the backdrop for our next few chapters.

We both have a penchant for bright colors, so I'm thinking a neutral background that will allow for lots of warm, energizing pops of color. I've been having a lot of fun searching Design Sponge, Design Love Fest, Oh Happy Day!, and others to see what excites me and find offbeat ideas on where to shop.

Scouring Craigslist for thrifty furniture finds becomes so addictive!

xo,

        Lauren

Two things.

 I think this print would be adorable in a child's room. 

Even better, buying it would support two artists trying to make it in the face of the impossible: cancer + no job + no insurance. A lot of us have probably experienced heath insurance-induced panic - or unemployment panic - in the past couple of years, and this is an, albeit roundabout, way to fight back. 

I don't know these people beyond reading Kate's blog, but their story pulled my heart strings. Read more about Kate's fundraiser if you'd like. Wishing them all the best in the world,

Lauren

Buy here.

To harness wild penmanship...

...breathe regularly.

I found a website dedicated to Master Penman. 

P.S. This script is particularly gorgeous.