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I don’t know about you, but several people have texted me about feeling sluggish, bored, meh and downright exhausted. Since I’ve heard from so many with the same ennui and malaise, I’ve concluded that many (including myself) are hitting a (another) wall.
I myself felt such crushing exhaustion for no obvious reason that I got tested for COVID and the flu. One friend summed it up in a text - “I just don’t have any gas in the tank and can’t cheerlead my children on one more thing.” I could relate 100%. My husband and I went to great lengths to have an imaginative holiday season, to get the kids outside to skate and ski, and to celebrate anything celebratable. We had balloons and pizza for the inauguration, games for a road trip, a Valentine’s dinner and party with heart shaped pancakes and finally a socially distanced Mardi Gras parade in 9 inches of snow and sub-zero weather. This isn’t me trying to be a super parent-my pancakes were lopsided and the heart shaped balloons looked more like something that should accompany a hen party weekend. :) It definitely fell short of Pinterest standards.
What I didn’t expect was the giddiness and sheer joy from a family Valentine’s present I bought for the family. The excitement reached “I just got a pony of my own” levels. The object in question? A Sodastream! LOL. My children have been having tasting tests and root beer floats and I’m eternally grateful to the makers of said appliance for providing my offspring with a distraction.
As many are on half-term break in lockdown in Europe and many are in frigid temperatures unable to go outside here in the US, our thoughts are with all who are juggling so many different roles. We’re also thinking of so many without power and water in Texas. If you feel compelled to help in some way, here is a link to an article with some ways to donate to help heating centers and food pantries.
Hang in there, we’re in this together. Call a friend. Paint a picture. Meditate. Throw snowballs. Play. We will get through this because we must.
Have a great weekend,
Suzanne
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- Read about a collaboration between the English National Opera and a hospital in London uses opera vocal exercises to aid “long haul Covid” patients
- A Philadelphia artist just broke the record for the world’s largest drawing made by one individual- and her message about creativity is worth reading!
- The latest Rover to land on Mars will have a microphone designed by an LA musician with a passion for space
- Here’s an explanation for the science behind art therapy- and why any sort of artistic expression will benefit you during this time
- This interactive article studies a few 20th century pieces in depth, explaining the role of collage in Cubist art history
- This study focused on the impact of studying empathy on students’ creativity (and the results are inspiring!)
- You can ‘tour’ medieval Amsterdam with an historical novelist.
- Google’s new interface makes it easier to buy from Black brands.
Things to Do Around the World
- The “How the Light Gets In” virtual philosophy festival takes place throughout the day on February 20th
- These online activities from the MassArt Museum in Boston are perfect for beginners & use materials you most likely already have.
- London’s Natural History Museum provides a wonderful tour of its Tank Room and some of it’s 20 million wet specimen with the museum’s Curator of Fish
- The New York City Ballet’s Digital Season kicks off February 23!
- Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue – a creative hub housed in the industrial Al Quoz district – is rendering a selection of its galleries in 3D, just for you. See the latest exhibitions unveiled at art incubators like 1x1 Gallery, Showcase, Elmarsa, Lawrie Shabibi and more, as if you're right inside their warehouse-enclosed studios.
- The Louvre in Paris offers a virtual tour examining how illustrators, sculptors, painters, puppeteers, filmmakers, and musicians around the world have drawn inspiration from myths, given them form, and brought them to life.
