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During my recent passage in Paris, I photographed this quote on the Embarcadero, right across from the Eiffel tower…

‘Tout homme crée sans le savoir
Comme il respire
Mais l’artiste se sent créer
Son acte engage tout son être
Sa peine bien-aimée le fortifie‘ 

Loosely translates to:

‘Any man creates without realizing it
Just as he breathes
But the artist feels himself creating
His act engages his whole being
His beloved sorrow fortifies him‘ 

My own distilled and slightly less poetic take: striving to become conscious of our innate creative power is espousing the Way of the Artist, and it is a high ideal, for it allows us to consciously and positively influence reality. Also, allowing ourselves to experience the pain and sorrow as well as the joy and laughter is part of artful / heartful living.

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Virtual friend Bethany Buffington, who wears philosophy on her brow and has poetry in her heart, judiciously commented on part I of this post (as it appears on Myspace), suggesting that the proper way to create a house is as an outer expression of one’s inner beauty. One who cultivates inner beauty and chooses to let it shine by expressing it in the material realm in whatever form (house, object, performance, etc.) is certainly an artist. And I wholeheartedly agree that a proper dwelling should be a work of art. And this invites a proper digression into the concept of beauty
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I have always admired Steve Jobs. For those who might not have heard of him, he is the founder of Apple Computer (now known simply as Apple Inc.) and is currently the head of both Apple and Pixar Animation Studios (bought out recently by Walt Disney, but still independently operated).

Mr Jobs is an idealist and a visionary, and he fits my definition of a ‘creative agent of positive change.’ He is known as a charismatic leader, and his detractors accuse him of being single-minded; they talk about the ‘Jobs warped reality field.’
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The way we currently design houses, consumer products, and other technological artifacts is obsolete and harmful. While there is a growing consciousness concerning environmental impact and so-called appropriate technology and some progress is noted in the mainstream, the most promising ideas are found at the “fringe,” in the domain of a group of visionaries here called the “outlaw designers.” The inspiration for the right solutions can be found all around us by appropriately drawing from Nature’s design techniques. It requires a profound change in our compartimented way of thinking to properly understand Nature’s systemic and synergetic quality. Applying this holistic view to the design of houses and other products will lead to better integration with the surroundings, with the users, and reduce considerably the environmental footprint. We briefly list architect Eugene Tsui’s principles of Evolutionary Architecture, which represent a Nature-inspired, bold and necessary departure from tradition in building appropriate shelters. In the same spirit, we also propose a series of 12 evolutionary design principles to be applied to small scale technological products.
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Proper nutrition is an old problem where much of the available information to this day is confusing or contradictory. Yet, the quality of our diet is in direct relationship with our health and longevity. We have known since the 1920s that the industrial, large-scale approach to farming led to a progressive decline of seed strains and produce quality. Only recently has the organic food movement become sufficiently important to offer a serious alternative to health-conscious individuals. While a vast number of scientists are becoming increasingly obsessed with artificial means of prolonging life in ways which are frankly creepy, there is a vast body of ancient wisdom which supports the notion that simple changes to one’s lifestyle - with regards to diet, exercise, sleep patterns, mood, and yes, spiritual life and self-actualization - can lengthen life expectancy dramatically. Furthermore, there is ample scientific evidence to validate this claim. (more…)

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There is ample evidence that our expansive materialistic industrial society has much to learn from aboriginal cultures which, throughout the world, have certain traits in common: a profound connection to Nature and deference towards its sacredness, societies built of small, human-scale units centered on family and community, and a system of government based on consensus and wary of the long-term impact of its decisions. Chief Seathl, who became chief of the Suquamish tribe in 1808 at the age of 22, captures well that spirit and wisdom in his famous speech given in 1854. It speaks of sound values, of recognizing the sacred character of Nature, of the attachment to the land where one’s ancestors are buried. It also describes the decline and resignation of the American Indians, and indirectly warns White Man of the future environmental and social consequences of his recklessness.  (more…)

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The definition of success: To laugh much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one’s self; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived — this is to have succeeded.

 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson