Why creativity might just save us.

The key to thriving.

A cartoon

A thought

Check out this super TED talk from Ethan Hawke.

Human creativity is the sense-making superpower we all have. “Human creativity is nature manifest in us”.

When things go haywire, it is necessary, it is vital. It is the way we heal each other. Ethan says “Art is not a luxury, it is sustience”. Art allows us to see how connected we all are. It allows us to start a dialogue, to find our common humanity.

Ethan concludes:

So, if you want to help your community, if you want to help your family,if you want to help your friends, you have to express yourself. And to express yourself, you have to know yourself. It's actually super easy. You just have to follow your love.

There is no path.

There's no path till you walk it, and you have to be willing to play the fool.

So don't read the book that you should read, read the book you want to read.

Don't listen to the music that you used to like. Take some time to listen to some new music.

Take some time to talk to somebody that you don't normally talk to.

I guarantee, if you do that, you will feel foolish.

That's the point.

Play the fool.

Glimmers and sparks*

My glimmers for today are:

• A little blue wren hopping on and off my office window, picking off insects.

• I discovered Peggy and Molly on IG, this family raised an orphaned magpie who is now part of the family - the musical chattering is delightful - my favourite Aussie sound:

  peggyandmolly

  

  A post shared by @peggyandmolly

• Had a visit to my favourite event of the year in Canberra - the Lifeline Bookfair - 100,000’s of secondhand books, all raising money for a good cause. If you are in Canberra it is on at EPIC until Sunday afternoon. I picked up a lovely coffee table-sized book of Leunig cartoons.

Li’l bean is your reminder to pause and ask: What are your glimmers for today?

From your friend and your small, steadfast companion,

*Drawing Li’l Bean helped me navigate out of a period of depression in 2023. A good friend 13, 595km away, helped, too, through a ritual of swapping daily glimmers via text.

A glimmer is a tiny spark of hope, enthusiasm or joy that lifts your heart. By helping me find three glimmers each day, she gently helped me see the joy and beauty already around me.

I’d like to share this practice with you and invite you to reflect on your glimmers for the day when you read this. Think of Li’l Bean as a reminder to notice the glimmers and sparks in your life. We’d love it if you would like to share your glimmers in the comments or by hitting reply (if you don’t like sharing publicly).