Have convictions. Be friendly. Stick to your beliefs as they stick to theirs. Work as hard as they do.
— Eleanor Roosevelt
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Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’
Writers For the Win
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, ideas, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Leveling Up
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, creativity, current events, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Storytelling is good for so many things: entertainment, shared cultural touchstones, lessons from elders, or other instruction manuals for living. Even so, speculative fiction has always been burdened by accusations that it is less able to comment on reality than, say, literary fiction.
I disagree.
In fiction or nonfiction, no matter the genre or approach, storytelling is always, always, grounded in the cultural currents from which it springs. It’s how we pass on what’s important, even if it isn’t always “real.” Whether it shows us futures to avoid, goals to achieve, values of importance or daily ways to survive, the work’s foundation always reflects its context.
On a related note, here’s a short document on surviving difficult times, written in the form of an RPG-style guide. It wouldn’t surprise me to see an actual game follow soon.
Because life and art are two facets of the same die. And we’re all just players, trying to level up.
“The idea that any of us can do everything is instant failure. We all have our own skill sets and our own passions and we will accomplish the most if each of us works within those arenas to do what we’re already good at, what we already care about. You don’t have to do it all. Just a little.”
— Bree Bridges
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An Absolute Treasure
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, good people doing good work, inspiration, kindness, taxes, Thoughts on February 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I recently had a bit of tax-related drama. I believe I’ve mentioned that I pay taxes in two countries, and that doing said taxes can be a bit of a pain. That’s particularly true when one receives unexpected mail from a tax agency requesting a complicated document within a given time frame.
All fine and good, except when the request gets stuck in the mail during a postal strike and that deadline is now looming.
I reached out to my accountant in a bit of a panic and heard back from her right away. Not only was she familiar with the form that needed to be filled out, but she could do it that day.
The whole process took about an hour in an otherwise unremarkable afternoon, but it brought home the value of people who are able and willing.
I wrote a note thanking her for being an absolute treasure.
Accounting is her profession, of course, and maybe this wasn’t a big deal for her. That said, her timely and thoughtful help was a big deal for me.
In a world that is often dark, it’s worth trying to bring a little light.
The nice part? This isn’t about heroism or constant perfection. It’s about doing what you can, where you can.
If we can do that, we can all be treasures too.
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A Brief Technical Update From the Future
Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, innovation, inspiration, quantum, science, Thoughts on February 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Some days you realize that yes, we really are living in the future. Point in case:
Oxford Scientists Say They’ve Achieved Quantum Teleportation
Researchers at the University of Oxford say they’ve achieved quantum teleportation — stitching together separate quantum computers to run an algorithm collaboratively, across a distance, in a “breakthrough” they say could lead to powerful quantum supercomputers.
Still lots to do on the road to practicality, of course, but how cool is that?
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You’re Ready
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, artists, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“If l’d waited to know who I was or what I was about before I started ‘being creative,’ well, I’d still be sitting around trying to figure myself out instead of making things. In my experience, it’s in the act of making things and doing our work that we figure out who we are. You’re ready. Start making stuff.”
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Saturday Night Remixed
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, family, home, inspiration, music on February 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
This one’s for my father, who introduced us to Saturday Night Live and to music.
Questlove’s Fantastic Video Mix of 50 Years of SNL Music
Oh this is just delightful: for the opening of his documentary film on the history of music on SNL he co-directed with Oz Rodriguez, Questlove produced what the NY Times calls “a high-speed, six-minute DJ mix of SNL music highlights”. So. Good.
There’s a link to the video in the article. It’s mostly blurred but the audio is still playable (you can watch the full video on Peacock if you have it; I don’t but the audio was still fun).
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Wishing You Happy Endings
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, ideas, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »
To a Future of Promise and Ingenuity
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #ChooseYourFuture, books, climate, climate change, climate fiction, creativity, environment, free fiction, green futures, inspiration, Writers on January 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Perhaps you remember me mentioning the submission call for this year’s Grist climate collection. Folks submitted (1200 of them!), editors did their editing thing, and now we have a brand new collection of free climate stories for 2025!
Here’s the full collection, including twelve new stories with the goal of looking “beyond the current moment to picture what could be.”
Imagine 2200 climate fiction contest: The 2025 collection – Grist
Welcome to the 2025 Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors collection. For four years, this contest has celebrated stories that invite us to imagine the future we want — futures in which climate solutions flourish and we all thrive. These stories have never pretended the path will be easy — some of the most compelling Imagine stories showcase the struggle as well as the successes — but they all offer the promise that through the transformative power of radical imagining, we can envision a better world and work toward making it our reality.
Yes, please!
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Art Is Inevitable
Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, creativity, inspiration, NASA, space on January 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »
A NASA astronaut may have just taken the best photo from space—ever
Check out the article for the specific photo, but this is from the same series:
For more of Astro Don’s imagery, see his photos at the Portraits of a Planet exhibit, his book Spaceborne, or find him on social media.
“Art is an inevitable consequence of being human – even in space.”
— Donald R. Pettit
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To Dreams, and Waking
Posted in Holidays, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, action, inspiration, persistence, progress, Thoughts on January 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, everyone! Today, I plan to celebrate the beauty of dreams, and the satisfaction of bringing those dreams to life.
“Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more about Dr King, his impact, speeches like “I Have a Dream” and more, check out History’s site on Martin Luther King Jr.
I also appreciate this related quote:
“The best way to make a dream come true is to wake up.”
— Anna Wintour
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