Happy Friday. Only one more week in the month of July! Perhaps it’s being able to be outdoors in our back garden, but the days seem to be passing more quickly. Where I live, the spike in new COVID19 cases is setting new records, so we remain mostly at home and mask up when we do venture out into the world.
Yesterday I had to drop off some coffee pods to be recycled at a store located in an upscale mall. I parked strategically so I could get in and out quickly and masked up. I wasn’t prepared for what I saw - it was as if the mall was frozen in time in mid-March. Movie posters heralding the release of “Emma” were still hanging, many stores were dark and some had just disappeared. My son, who is extra anxious these days came in search of me but had remembered to mask up, so we met each other at the door to the mall with him wearing a “Team Fauci” mask.
The unreal quality to all of this struck me to the core but I took a deep breath, assured my son that I was fine and we continued our day with activities like taking our puppy for her first walk in the neighborhood.
While the word ‘unprecedented’ could become the word of the year for 2020, I often think of my grandparents who were raising young families during WWII and the daily, scary headlines they faced. They grew their victory gardens, did without luxuries for years, worried about their male relatives fighting on a faraway front and distracted themselves with the movies Hollywood was churning out to keep up morale. They persevered and thrived for the remainder of their lives. They and their contemporaries became known as the “Greatest Generation” and celebrated for their resilience.
I cannot tell you how sending this newsletter each week has helped me focus on the right things-the creativity and the spirit of togetherness has been encouraging. Other things that have been overlooked by our distracted busy lives have been blown wide open and we are forced to reckon with our privilege and systemic injustices. Uncomfortable and painful, yes, but these are the elements of expansion and growth.
I believe all of this is the makings of not “Greatest Generation” 2.0, but “another great generation.” Let’s do the things we need to do for our wellbeing, for our communities and for the world. The world needs creativity and it starts with one little creative expression by you.
What one creative endeavor will you commit to this week? Head over to the blog and leave your comments!
Have a lovely weekend,
Suzanne
**************- Researchers used biomimicry to invent a new material described as “non-cuttable”
- CDs converted to cutlery- these re-recyclable silverware aim to reduce plastic usage during the pandemic
- A neighborhood group in Toronto has built community during the pandemic, through shared resources like gardens and homemade items
- A 200-year old tree became a backyard sculpture for one Milwaukee family
- Check out the story of “We’re Not Really Strangers”, a brand that aims to “force people to examine the assumptions they make about each other”
- Art students around the world have dealt with cancelled exhibitions and coursework to create a variety of pieces, both physical and digital
- These urban planners discuss the future of the architectural design of cities post-COVID-19
Things to Do Around the World
- PBS is offering free streaming of the documentary Freedom Riders to celebrate the life of Congressman John Lewis & Reverend C.T. Vivian
- A Michigan organization distributes homemade cards to COVID-19 patients to increase connections between those in and outside of hospitals
- The Muppets return!...this time to Disney+
- For those New Wave music fans dig out your shoulder pads and have a dance party to these lesser known but equally good female artist
- You know that novel is inside you...how do you get it on paper in the midst of a pandemic? Bestselling Author Curtis Sittenfeld offers some tips.