The kinetic art of "If"

Kinetic art. Marcel Duchamp created it with a bicycle wheel, a fork and a kitchen stool. His pal Alexander Calder constructed it with red painted sheet metal and some rods. Rudyard Kipling crafted it with a pen, paper and a repetitive conjunction. Then George Horne typographically animated it using these words:

"If—" by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too: If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim, If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same: If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss: If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much: If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

The words are full of resounding maxims that guide me through the doubts and questions of life - a motivational flame, if you will. The first time I listened to Horne's kinetic typography video narrated by Des Lynam it forced a chill through my body. Here's the very video of "If—", the Rudyard Kipling poem.

Typography: IF by Rudyard Kipling from George Horne on Vimeo.

I also recommend listening to Taylor Mali.

Anticipatory worrying vs. intelligent worrying

Excitement about the future is waning. Rather than projecting future advances in technology or imagining the next scientific discovery, people are predicting every circumstance that could lead to the end of the world. We just discovered a new monkey for goodness sake. How could the Mayan apocalypse more exciting than monkeys? This toxic anticipatory worrying can be debilitating and downright tiresome. You can't really just quit worrying cold turkey like smoking. But maybe you can start worrying better? Worrying can actually be a productive state, if managed correctly. Good or intelligent worrying allows for a constructive review of a problem. It's sort of like good stress. And yes, there is such a thing as good stress. Good worrying allows us to reflect on previous experiences and get ahead of whatever is causing you distress. Review the potential consequences of the situation - both good and bad. See how unlikely most of your potential consequences are? Note how to monitor them if they do arise. Now, stop worrying and move on to doing something else. Do anything. Just stop worrying.

Sill find it hard to manage your worrying or stress? Share your concerns with someone else. It usually helps me to get another perspective and just talk it out. Things like getting enough sleep, exercising and eating healthy also go a long way. No matter how much edamame or unprocessed food I eat or how many 5Ks I run, insomnia is my biggest crux. When all else fails, and I find myself wide awake at 3 a.m., there's nothing as quite comforting as a psychological study. Okay. It would be really comforting to fall sleep right now. But this recent study from SUNY Downstate Medical Center suggests excessive worrying correlates with high intelligence. Ignorance may be bliss, but at least my extreme state of worry (stress) means I'm smarter than the average bear. It sure beats worrying over why I'm worrying about not sleeping.

How to do you stop worrying? Better yet, have any tips for insomnia?

Image by Oy Photography

Recalibrating my creativity

When I was little, I loved the way brilliant colors would dance across a painting like a melodic song. Grandmom presented me with an easel for Christmas one year, and I became obsessed. I even proclaimed to my dad I wanted to become an illustrator when I grew up. He gently explained to me there wasn't much money in a career as an artist. Slightly deflated but generally undeterred, my six-year-old self pronounced I would become a writer instead. This was probably for the better as I would like to think I'm a better writer than artist. Know that I inwardly shivered at the thought of this embarrassing declaration. I'm actually melting into my couch as we speak. Embarrassment aside, being surrounded by such a blossoming arts community as Lancaster has recalibrated my love for art. If you've ever experienced the city come alive on a First Friday and meandered in and out of the galleries on Gallery Row, you might know the feeling. The walls of nearly every restaurant or bar downtown are adorned with local artwork. Even morning strolls through Lancaster Central Market are commanded by a vibrant buzz. While Lancaster may be considered a city, it still radiates the feeling of a tight-knit arts community. I particularly love that nearly everyone and everything is reachable on foot.

My reignited creative energy also has a bit to do with my talented friend Alax and her artistic passion. She has a contagious enthusiasm for life and art that makes it hard not being inspired around her. Even a simple visit to her apartment jump-starts my creativity. I've begun taking time out of my busy week to sketch and paint. I've even started to write again, something I've always loved but it got shoved in the trunk while my demanding career took a front seat.

Even if no one reads or cares what I have to say, it feels good to write. It's important to me. It functions somewhat like the physiological process of breathing. If you stop breathing, your oxygen level plummets and you die. Whenever I stop writing, my mind becomes cloudy and the buzzing thoughts, like the carbon dioxide, have no way to escape. It also serves as a panacea for stress, something that seems to have invaded my life more so than ever lately. So, I'm determined to devote more time to being creative and nurturing my right brain. If for no other reason than to maintain sanity.

Pearls of wisdom and other bizarre utterances

Pearls of wisdom are supposedly divine. They're insightful ideas, thoughtful advice or moral precept. Plus, Grandmom always wore her pearls while sipping a can of Coors. So there's that. While life continues to show me I have much more to learn, I'd like to think the following pearls of wisdom have done a decent job steering me along so far.

1. C'est la vie. Things happen. Sometimes you can control them and sometimes you can't. Accept the things you cannot change, eat a giant bowl of coffee ice cream and get on with the rest of your day. Wait, you don't eat ice cream for breakfast? I guess that's just me.
2. Whether it's big or small, always have something to look forward to. Maybe it's your upcoming trip to the beach. Or if you're me, you get equally as excited about drinking a fourth cup of coffee on a particularly slow Wednesday afternoon.
3. Spend your money on experiences. Forget material things. Visit Europe or maybe Australia. Take lots of pictures too. Trust me. You will not regret it.
4. Quit working all the time. Get out from behind your computer screen. Have fun. Stop tweeting about life and experience it every once in a while.
5. If it's too good to be true, think about it again. If it's still too good to be true, it probably is.
6. Be your truest self every day. Everyone has their own opinions. They probably even have an opinion on how you brush your hair. Or, in my case, my lack of brushing. At the end of the day, the only person you need to answer to is yourself. Always remember that.
7. Stop reading the comments section on news sites and blogs. It's especially disheartening to read if you have thin skin. Luckily, I don't, but it's still one of the saddest places on the Internet.
8. Your real friends are always there. In fact, they might just be eating bananas and milk sprinkled with cinnamon on your couch at this very moment. Sometimes between mouthfuls they tell you how badly you screwed up. Might not be pretty, but they always tell you what you don't want to hear.
9. Do what you love. Be passionate about it. Then go out and do it ten times better than everyone else.
10. Life is too short. Screw fear. Put yourself out there and go after the things you want. I mean, the zombie apocalypse is coming anyway, right? Just don't forget sunscreen. And maybe a rifle to fend off the zombies.
11. Hand-write thank you notes to people. It really goes a long way.
12. Talk to strangers. I once thought my mom was a certified nut job when she'd randomly talk to strangers in the grocery store about apples. But now I find myself doing it all the time. Must be in my genes? Most times the strangers are warning me not to slip on the spilled spaghetti sauce in aisle five. Never the less, I've managed to meet some pretty cool people who were once strangers to me.
13. Read books about things you know little about. How else do you learn about globalization or how Google thinks?
14. Not everybody will get your sense of humor. Mine is sort of dry and heavy on the sarcasm. Usually, people just think I'm insulting them or they stare blankly at me trying to decipher whether I'm joking or not. I try to keep people who get my humor around and avoid those who don't.
15. Things go much more smoothly when you're respectful and kind to others. This is just as applicable in the workplace as it is when you're serving community breakfast at the church down the street.
16. Cut yourself off from technology on occasion. At first it might feel a little like the dream where you walk around naked and nobody other than you seems to notice. Other people have this dream, right? Anyway, after you wander down to the park (preferably clothed) or delve into a new painting, it's really not so bad. In fact, it feels pretty damn liberating.
17. Have an opinion. Rather than bowing out of a conversation due to indifference, let people know what you think. It's quite refreshing.
18. Embrace your flaws. They're what make you who you are. I laugh off my clumsiness when possible. Otherwise, I'd probably cry at my innate ability to trip over or spill everything within a two foot radius.
19. Family and friends trump pretty much everything. If you are lucky enough to have such special people in your life, keep them close and remind them how much you care.
20. Harness the power of silence. Be comfortable with it. Enjoy it. Open your ears and your mind, but most of all stop being so noisy for a change.

25 things I haven't outgrown on my 25th birthday

Yesterday was my 25th birthday. Having thoroughly celebrated during my weekend-long birthday bash, I don’t mind at all that my gift was to sit on a train bound for New York City. I'm actually excited to escape the office and attend two Google seminars this week. The first one starts this morning. I thought of writing about 25 things I'm grateful for or 25 things I've learned to honor my birthday, but neither seemed quite fitting. Instead, I stumbled on this post by the Everywhereist. (After I wrote this, I went back to really read the rest of her post, and it turns out we have a bit in common.) Anyway, I figured I'd share 25 things I have yet to outgrow at the age of 25. One might argue I've barely had time to outgrow anything at the crisp age of 25. Well, go ahead and argue. I'm telling you anyway.

1. The Muppets.
2. Licking the cake batter off the mixer beaters.
3. Halloween.
4. Bond, James Bond. Looks like I'm not the only one.
5. Writing.
6. Cheesecake.
7. Everything and anything Bill Murray.
8. Getting lost in an unbelievably good book.
9. Eating popcorn for dinner. (Thank you mom for the deliciously unhealthy habit.)
10. Traveling everywhere and anywhere that's new and fascinating.
11. Tormenting my little brothers.
12. Staying up late and watching movies. (Except for the insomnia part.)
13. Card games.
14. The internet. (Let's hope I never grow tired of this.)
15. Eating my dad's pancakes on a Sunday morning.
16. Roasting marshmallows over a bonfire, especially while camping at the beach. Nothing beats moments like this.
17. Drawing things with sidewalk chalk.
18. Football.
19. Running. The feeling of all your stress melting away is amazing.
20. Music older than I am – think B.B. King, Buddy Guy, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.
21. Creations like X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and ThunderCats.
22. Laughing at inappropriate times, often at inappropriate things.
23. Hiking through the woods.
24. Playing Mario Kart on Super Nintendo.
25. The magic of Christmas.

And of course, I can't forget to mention my great friends and family! Thanks for putting up with me and being so wonderful.