Searching for Inspiration
Taking to the skies, an incredible audio book, subway sketches, and how our brains work.
Hello there,
The pandemic has changed so much about how we live our lives, and there's a possibility there will be big shifts in how and where people work after the worst of the pandemic ends. Some people are also in a phase called “languishing” and are seeking change in their lives. So that got me thinking about finding inspiration.
Watch
Sky Ladder (Netflix) is a documentary that follows the life of Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, known for his literally explosive works. Despite a successful commercial career, one of his biggest dreams as an artist was to build a ladder to the heavens made of fireworks, and the movie takes you on this strange but inspiring quest.
The Eagle Huntress (on demand) is the story of a 13-year-old Kazakh girl trying to become an eagle hunter, a centuries-old profession restricted to men. It's visually stunning, inspiring, and a fun G-rated watch.
Full list of watch and read recommendations here.
Read
I don't usually have patience for audio books, but a singular exception is Trevor Noah's memoir Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. It's an incredible, heartbreaking, inspiring tale of being born biracial in apartheid South Africa, his extremely difficult childhood, and what life was like before he became an international star. It's even more moving told in his voice. I've found comedian memoirs to be hit or miss, but this is an exceptional, wonderful book. And trust me on this: listen to the audio version.
For those who already read it, good news and bad news: he sold a second book, but there's no word on when it will actually come out.
Follow
Devon Rodriguez is a New York City-based artist with an inspiring life story who's best known for doing incredible sketches and paintings of people on the subway and occasionally giving them to his subjects. It's so fun to watch people go from trying to avoid him to their emotional reaction of seeing his work.
Do
I'm typically not into self-help things, but I found this Ezra Klein interview on anxiety with a self-help-style author and psychiatrist to be really interesting. He posits that anxiety functions in a similar way to addiction, and that worrying actually “rewards” the brain. You can listen to the episode or read the transcript here.
Until next week,
Rachel