{"id":681,"date":"2018-10-19T12:08:38","date_gmt":"2018-10-19T19:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aligncenter.org\/?p=681"},"modified":"2018-10-20T13:42:27","modified_gmt":"2018-10-20T20:42:27","slug":"newsletter-38","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aligncenter.org\/newsletter-38\/","title":{"rendered":"Align Center Newsletter #38"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"\"Here’s what’s worth reading from the last two weeks: the not-so overnight success of “The War of Art”, paring down your life, occupation and self-identify, and the problems with terms like “Man Up”. Our long read ties into a new PBS documentary on the American circus, and the digs include microphotography, a color guide from 1921, a recent concert and a School of Life video, and we close out this issue with a distracting habit I’m working on changing.<\/p>\n

\u25e6 selected words<\/h1>\n

The Artist\u2019s Journey in the Real World<\/a><\/h2>\n

Before writing The War of Art, author Steven Pressfield worked as a taxi driver, in advertising and as a screenwriter. In the twenty-one years it took him to write the book, he continued to write books that never sold. Pressfield’s frank recollection of the obstacles and dead-ends that would culminate in his classic book on creativity is an example of persistence and of “overnight success”.
\nStevenPressfield.com (2min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Paring Down Your Life<\/a><\/h2>\n

A new word entered my vocabulary this year \u2014 over-scheduled. It crept in like the clutter that accumulates the longer you stay in one place, fed by a “not-enough” culture and expedited by the ease of online shopping, where the latest gadgets and home decorations are only a click and a day away. Having co-started Vancouver’s minimalists meetup #YVRmins, I’m feeling like an imposter with the amount of stuff I have and appointments on my calendar. It’s these distractions and over commitments leading to a feeling that you’re always behind. A reminder to cultivate mindfully, remove, simplify, and focus.
\nZenHabits.net by Leo Babauta (5min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It’s OK to Be a Writer and a ____<\/a><\/h2>\n

As I find the time to prepare this newsletter roughly every two weeks (I’m letting go of the “every Tuesday” arbitrary stupid goal), I’m keenly aware of spreading myself thin. I’ve always been a generalist, but I also see the value of a singular focus. In an environment where you can reinvent yourself overnight and learn guitar by watching YouTube videos, it can be overwhelming to have so much choice, but at the same time I am supremely gratitude for the world my parents helped build for me to have these luxuries. With the passing days that feel too short and an organizational culture that has rewarded specialization, where is the room for creative pursuits? A deeply affecting essay by a college president and poet on identity in a world that aligns your job title with the self.
\nthemillions.com (5min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

For the Love of Maps<\/a><\/h2>\n

To get children interesting in taking better care of the world, they must fall in love with it first. Writer and artist Austin Kleon shares his favorite maps, and how the power of drawings with words evokes different meanings and metaphors on life.
\nAustinKleon.com (5min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Dutch Reach: A No-Tech Way to Save Bicyclists\u2019 Lives<\/a><\/h2>\n

A 2015 study by the City of Vancouver identified doorings as the most common type of cycling collision. As more bikes take to the roadways, start practicing this brilliantly simple technique when opening your car door.
\nThe New York Times (6min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 listen in<\/h1>\n

How “Manning Up” Restricts Us All<\/a><\/h2>\n

The poignant 2015 documentary, The Mask You Live In, unveiled the culture-conditioning boys are unwillingly raised with and constantly reinforced through adulthood (and is also the most clever movie title). NPR’s podcast “on revealing the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships” takes on this timely subject.
\nNPR’s Hidden Brain (42min podcast)<\/a> \/ The Mask You Live In (3min Trailer on YouTube)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 eat well<\/h1>\n

Refrigerator Pickled Beets<\/a><\/h2>\n

From the founder of the SimplyRecipes.com, a family recipe that “pickles” the beets by boiling or roasting, then using apple cider vinegar. I made it for the first time last week in Portland, and it got the friend approval. A new staple for my easy potluck toolkit.
\nSimply Recipes<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 read slow<\/h1>\n

The American Circus in All Its Glory<\/a><\/h2>\n

When you hear the word “circus”, which of your senses peaked? What images, sounds and smells do you think of? Is it the buzz of a modern circus with death-defying feats by high-flying acrobats, or is it the wonder of circus’ of the past with elephants and tigers and all things of its eccentricities? The magazine for the National Endowment for the Humanities returns to the heyday of the big top where personalities like Barnum & Bailey and the Ringling Brothers shaped the center ring with the backdrop of a country experiencing rapid industrialization. Written in conjunction with PBS’ four-hour documentary, American Experience (Part 1<\/a> and Part 2<\/a>, U.S. IP required), relive the moments that drew ordinary townspeople to the exotic curiosities and impossible acts of the traveling circus.
\nHumanities Fall 2018 Vol 39 Issue 4 (10min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 current read<\/h1>\n

Fluent Forever<\/a><\/h2>\n

When it comes up in conversation that I’m learning Spanish, people are quick to offer advice usually consisting solely of “have you used Duolingo?”. I’ve been learning Spanish on-and-off for eight years, tried Pimsleur, Rocket and Rosetta Stone. It wasn’t until the month I read Gabriel Werner’s Fluent Forever and went to Benny Lewis’ language hacking workshop did it become clear that I needed to stop over analyzing like adults do, lose the crutches, and start speaking. It’s not enough to have all the tools like the flash cards and gamified apps, nothing replaces necessity and all the discomfort that comes along with. I still reference Wyner’s book as I am about to pursue the next chapter in my language learning journey. He’s also created the most crowd-funded learning app and uses proven methods like spaced repetition and a very specific flash card method that really works.
\nFluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner (326p book)<\/a> \/ Fluent-Forever.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 dig this<\/h1>\n

What I’m digging lately:<\/p>\n