7 Curations & 2 Videos for August 2023 + A Mind Map
Vol. 06, No. 05
7 Curations for August 2023
A bit of a quiet month for me over here, but sometimes it just be’s that way. Here in the South, summer hit with a vengeance. Every time I go outside I feel the need to tell everyone, “It’s just stupid effin’ hot.” To which everyone is like, “noooooo….rly?” (Which reminds me: PSA - wear your sunscreen, y’all!)
Justine Leconte (YouTube Short)
This reminded me of the issue on Physicals and Virtuals from Vol. 05. I thought it was interesting how we can see the crack between digital and physical worlds growing even in fashion designs. I found especially interesting her comment that we’re seeing “two aesthetic directions that are not compatible, and each one mirrors a profound evolution in society.”
Spiritual Disciplines for the Digital Age (podcast)
As someone with a degree in (and a life-long fascination with) human communication, this interview with Dr. Stephanie Bennett about media ecology and the need for silence in fostering good communication was fun to listen to.
How to Organize Your To-Dos with Apple Reminders, Peter Akkies (YouTube video)
Did you know you could do all this with Apple Reminders?! I didn't. I've been sleeping on a tool literally in my back pocket for years. And, just goes to show, getting things done doesn’t require fancy tools or techniques. Sometimes it’s really just as simple as a list and a checkbox.
Anonymous: Jesus’ Hidden Years…And Yours, by Alicia Britt Chole (book)
I'm not sure how I came across this book, but I'm glad I did. Hiddenness and anonymity as key means of faith and personal formation is close to my heart these days. I often wonder if visibility works against authenticity or genuine influence. Katelyn Beaty (author of Celebrities for Jesus), suggests that visibility in the form of celebrity (which may be the only way we conceive of it these days) is actually “social power without proximity” (17).
Anyway, Chole offers an interesting thought that I'm still sitting with. We're used to comforting or encouraging each other through tough times by saying that such trials prepare us for other challenges to come. But, Chole flips that on its head. She says, "Trials tell us less about our future than they do about our past. Why? Because the decisions we make in difficult places today are greatly the product of decisions we made in the unseen places of our yesterdays." (p. 15)
This speaks directly to what I’m most interested in: how do we become who we’re supposed (or want) to be? The choices we make, and the things we love, matter.
Part One: Piranesi (podcast)
I think a friend recommended this podcast episode to me a year or so ago, and I just listened to it recently (oops!). I enjoyed revisiting Piranesi through someone else’s perspective, and some of their themes and ideas dovetail with a lot of things I'm thinking about these days.
And speaking of Piranesi, have you read my series of posts exploring that little jewel of a novel? Navigating Enchantment: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction, Jamie Kreiner (book)
This was delightful. I know...a book on medieval monks, delightful? Truly.
Kreiner offers a succinct (though well-founded) summary of the various reasons and ways in which early Christian monks chose to devote themselves to the contemplation, study, and practice of living fully in God’s presence. (The chapter on books and early efforts to compile biblical texts and history in graphic displays was fascinating.)
And, it just goes to show, we’re only human. Some frustrations and complaints about distraction and trying to live in community with others sound remarkably (and laughably) familiar. 10/10 recommend.
Honeymoon in Vegas (soundtrack)
Sometimes you just gotta revisit the classics. Or in this case, covers of classics. I remember nothing about the movie (other than it’s early Nic Cage), but the soundtrack is a gem.
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2 Videos for August 2023
I’ve got two new videos this month, each designed to help us assess our tools and act effectively. To do either, we need to give our time and attention to both the tools we’re using and how we’re using them. These videos offer a chance to slow down and think things out.
Using a 2x2 Matrix to Assess Your Tools (out now!)
Tools exist to extend who YOU are into the world and help you do the things that only you can do. But in order to use our tools properly, to apply the right tool to the right job, we need to understand the type of work we're doing, and the type of tools we need to do that work well. So how do we put our tools in their proper place? In this video, I share a quick, simple exercise using a 2x2 matrix that you can use to figure out if you have the right tools for what you need to do in your life.
Adapting the Bullet Journal Log to Notion (August 20)
Another BuJo video?! Yep, I couldn’t help it. In this video, I want to show you not one, not two, but three ways you can adapt the Bullet Journal log technique in Notion. Since I really appreciate Ryder Carroll’s emphasis on mindfulness, attentiveness, and slowing down long enough to figure out what actually matters, I wanted to experiment with different tools to see if I could adapt the Future & Monthly Log technique to a digital tool. Cuz sometimes that’s just what you want.
Mind Map
I thought we’d try something a little different this month; you’ll have to let me know what you think. I’ve started using Milanote (yes, I’m stepping back from using Notion for everything…I know, hold your pearls), and I’m really enjoying its free-form capabilities paired with some elements of structure.
Anyway, it’s helping me put into one visual field alllll the ideas that have been circling around these last couple of months. (Because, well. My mind is full of squirrels.) The next exploration issue will zoom in on attention, so if you take a look at the upper left quadrant, you’ll get a preview of some of the questions or concepts that will probably show up.
If you’d like to take a look at the whole board, click the button below to embiggen!
Let’s be hopeful, creative, and wise—together.
Shalom,
Megan.