Conscious Human(ity), No. 57
Gardening inspiration, Bluey philosophy, recovering a sense of abundance, the creative act, embroidery is back, yutori, and more...
Welcome to this week’s edition of Conscious Human(ity) — it’s so good to see you here!
Below are seven things that have made my week better (one for each day of the week). They’re formatted so you can scan through and skip over things that aren’t interesting to you, and dive deeper into those that are.
I hope at least one thing brightens your day, prompts an ‘aha’ moment, or inspires you to take action on something close to your heart.
Gardening Inspiration
I’ve felt a little bit like I’m chasing my tail this week, as with many others lately. But, my little family is also making progress on some fronts. It looks like we’ve finally found a schooling solution for Jake, my eldest son, and there are several other extra-curricular activities lined up which are already helping him feel a little more positive about life, and excited about pursuing his dream of becoming a pilot. I’ve had some lovely chats with a colleague that I hadn’t seen in ages, students and a former student too, which have broken up the usual work and home routine.
We also enjoyed some impromptu quality family time. On Friday evening, I told my boys that if they didn’t go to bed immediately, they would have to watch Gardening Australia with me. I expected them to jump up, say no, and rush off to bed immediately, but they stayed! I wasn’t even planning to watch it myself because I wanted to write this newsletter and start on the pile of assignment marking that’s waiting for me. To my surprise though, the boys stayed and watched the whole episode with me and Jake even said,
“Oh I get it now, Mum! I know why you want a bigger garden one day. I actually think I could live outside town… even a long way out. It might be good for my anxiety too!”
I looked at him with my eyebrows raised to begin with because I thought he was just being cheeky.
But he was 100% genuine!
The boys were in awe of Brendan Carrick who has created a biodiverse native garden with lots of water features, which are filled with fish, turtles and other wildlife at his home in South Australia. They were also fascinated by Hannah Moloney from Goodlife Permaculture explaining how to use salvaged materials to create a ‘propagation station’ for raising seeds and cuttings, as well as Costa’s crazy hair and beard of course!
So, freshly inspired, we’re heading to a local Farmer’s Market today, and then to a nursery to find some native tube stock and mulch before ticking-off some gardening jobs on my perpetual ‘to do’ list at home.
I guess the assignment marking will get done during the week, and late at night! 😅
Bluey Philosophy
Staying with ABC programming for a bit, and a much anticipated 28-minute episode of Bluey was aired this week, called The Sign. I’m a bit sad that my boys had outgrown kids’ shows before Bluey launched in 2021, but I still see snippets of it here and there and I first found out about the long episode when I saw the cast of Gogglebox tearing up over it.
The global appeal of Bluey has been huge and there are so many relatable moments, and lessons, for parents and kids alike. Austin Kleon mentioned the special episode in his newsletter this week, and linked to a BBC article which highlights the deeper philosophical references in this episode and others. The Sign episode explores the inevitability of change as Bluey’s family decide to sell their house in Brisbane.
BBC author, Laura Martin, explains that the creators have drawn on Taoist philosophy, an ancient Chinese belief system based on trying to exist in harmony with the universe:
When Bluey sadly tells her classmates she's moving away (cue cute howlings from all the pups), her ever-Zen teacher Calypso reads a story called The Farmer. The story follows a series of events happening, and each time, the neighbours tell the farmer that it's "good luck" or "bad luck". Every time, the farmer simply replies to each situation: "we'll see", and the story then ends seemingly abruptly.
"Is it a happy or sad ending?" asks Bluey afterwards. "It's both," says Calypso. "I don't understand," says Bluey. "Everything will work out the way it's supposed to, Bluey," she replies. The story is actually an old tale first that originated in the Huainanzi, an ancient Chinese text dating back to 139 BC, and it reminds people that we have no control or no real way of knowing whether events that happen to us are "good" or "bad", in the grand scheme of things.”
It just blows me away that the Bluey creators can weave these deeper narratives into a show that is so entertaining and lighthearted on the surface.
And thankfully, although rumours were circulating that this series was the final one (ever!) for Bluey, it seems that she and her family will be back again.
Recovering a Sense of Abundance
Turning to a more personal creative pursuit now, and the latest ArtsHub article in The Artist’s Way series is about recovering a sense of abundance.
In chapter six, Julia Cameron challenges readers to think about God, money, luxury and creative abundance, and how our beliefs may be limiting our creative lives.
The author of the article, Rochelle Siemienowicz, quotes Cameron as saying,
“We cling to our financial concern as a way to avoid not only our art, but also our spiritual growth. Our faith is in the dollar…
Most of us harbour a secret belief that work has to be work and not play, and that anything we really want to do – like write, act, dance – must be considered frivolous and be placed a distant second.”
Cameron also encourages us to make time, by doing things like Artist’s Dates and Morning Pages (as mentioned in earlier chapters), for creativity. Because for artists, time is often the ultimate luxury. And it’s about making that time (instead of waiting for it to magically arrive).
There’s so much more in this chapter, but I’ll leave you to dig deeper in the article and even in the book, if this inspires you.
The Creative Act
Coincidentally, the author of ArtsHub’s series of articles about The Artist’s Way mentioned she had read some of Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way Of Being this week, and I had just picked it up from the library myself (I’ve had it on hold for ages).
I grabbed a few moments in between things this week to read the first few chapters. For those who don’t know (I had to remind myself), Rick Rubin is an American record executive and producer. He has had a huge influence on the American music industry, and is a co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. I can’t remember where I first heard his book recommended, but I’m sure it would have been on a podcast. It’s a super simple read with large text and short chapters, and in chapter one, Rick raises a theme we often engage with here at Conscious Human(ity). The idea that creativity is part of being human…
“Creativity is not a rare ability. It is not difficult to access. Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human. It’s our birthright. And it’s for all of us.
Creativity doesn’t exclusively relate to making art. We all engage in this act on a daily basis…Attuned choice by attuned choice, your entire life is a form of self-expression. You exist as a creative being in a creative universe. A singular work of art.”
This is a book that I could quote every paragraph from and it’s one that I might end up buying because it’s so easy to dip into at anytime for some creative inspiration.
So, I highly recommend it, especially if you want to fine-tune your sense of awareness in the world, and the artist’s life as a way of being.
*If you go to the Instagram post below, Pentagram Design go behind-the-scenes of the design process for Rick’s book. It’s actually pretty interesting!
Embroidery is Back
Continuing with a creative theme, this BBC culture article says that embroidery is back! Although I did some knitting and sewing as a kid, handcrafts haven’t been a feature of my adult life. But that may be about to change (another thing to make time for)!
Apparently, younger generations are discovering embroidery as an act of resistance, including the 50 international artists in the Unravel exhibition in the UK, who are challenging traditional classifications of textile ‘craft’ and “harnessing the medium to speak powerfully about intimate, everyday stories as well as wider socio-political narratives.”
Others are using it to combat the environmental destruction caused by fast fashion and Gen Z are particularly enthusiastic. When Emma of @er.embroidery on Instagram and TikTok embroidered a moon and stars over a mushroom, it was viewed nine million times (on TikTok). And, the article says,
“Repair consultant Tessa Solomons celebrates wear and tear by decorating small holes and stains. "[Visible mending and darning] are ways of showing that you've got a connection with your clothes," she tells the BBC. "You're stepping outside consumer culture, and identifying yourself as somebody with a relationship with their clothes and that you're prepared to invest in that ongoing relationship. And it's fun to take something that was mass produced and bring your own personality to that."
Let’s hope this is a trend that stays around for a while!
Yutori: Room in your Mind
I came across this post from Insight Timer (a meditation app) on Instagram this week and the Japanese word, Yutori, intrigued me.
The definition that Insight Timer shared was,
“A Japanese concept of spaciousness.
It refers to having enough time and peace of mind to enjoy life without being constantly under pressure.”
But the meaning is hard to translate directly to English because it is so complex and multi-faceted. One commenter on Instagram added to the definition by saying,
“Yutori means to be stable and content, without anxiety or impatience in one's mind.
And that yutori of the mind is able to be relaxed and considerate of others.
A relaxed mind is a place where one can have mental health and a subjective sense of happiness.”
So, I did a little more digging. The Ikigai Tribe defines yutori as ‘the space to have peace of mind’ and explains that in 2001, Miyako Yamashita, Ryuichiro Yagi, and Hideo Furukawa published a scale to measure yutori. It includes eight factors: economic wealth, free time, environmental amenities, competence, contentment, enjoyment, challenge, and behavioural freedom.
Ironically, this work was undertaken to try and combat the low rate of yutori and high rate of overwork in Japan.
The concept of yutori made me think about the importance of examining our own work-life balance and also, to make space for creativity, as Julia Cameron suggests.
What does it make you think of?
A Final Giggle
Well, there is accidentally a bit of a ‘potty mouth’ theme to this week’s giggles, but these kids definitely brought a grin to my face and hopefully, they’ll have the same effect on you!
First up, a compilation of potty mouths:
Secondly, this is the best spelling of ‘certificate’ I’ve ever seen! 😆
Finally, I hope we can take some of this goat’s energy and spirit into our Sunday (no swearing this time)!
And that’s it for this week! Thanks so much for being here. 🙏🏻
As always, I hope something here has brightened your day, prompted an ‘aha’ moment, or inspired you to take action on something close to your heart.