💎 Friday Gems #8 (Hayao Miyazaki, Unknowing, Seeking within)
Three gems of ideas to unleash your mindset!
Happy Friday!
Are you comfortable with not knowing how things will turn out or do you need to be sure before you move forward?
Each time I think I need to be sure I overthink and fall prey to anxiety, doubt, and fear of what lies ahead. My new approach is to take the first step quickly and adjust the course along the way. By taking the first step, I can bypass the negative thoughts that may keep me from starting.
Yes, there are times when planning is necessary but for most of the situations in our life, what if we moved forward with curiosity and a focus on the experiences we can gain instead of focusing on the way things can go wrong and giving in to fear?
So let’s get to the gems, and please let me know if any of these gems resonate with you. ✌🏽
Today's Gems
💎 How to Paint Like Hayao Miyazaki
If you're a fan of Studio Ghibli movies you will appreciate the subtle colors used in the artwork. The movies have a nostalgic feel that reminds me of wonderful childhood memories. The clouds, the wind, and playing in the grass free without worries.
This guide was written in 2000 by Hayao Miyazaki as part of a sketching set sold by the Ghibli Museum. I love painting with watercolors and found the tips enlightening, especially the one to mix colors just a little to create a unique color palette. Also, the tip about drawing without an eraser is important and one that I recommend for anyone sketching. Ditch the eraser when sketching, so you don't try to make your lines perfect.
I was curious to see if these sets are available anymore, which I know was a long shot, but I did find someone selling an unopened set. For $200! yet I'm so tempted. :)
Source:
💎 The Cloud of Unknowing
_"Unknowing isn’t ignorance; it’s recognizing a world flush with wonderment and puzzle and mystery."_
- Tom Lutz
What does it mean to be lost, aimless, or uncertain? Does it bring up anxiety or fear of the unknown, or can we move forward with a focus on experience?
Think back to when you got lost and found a new route with its sights and sounds wonderful and refreshing.
In The Cloud of Unknowing, Tom Lutz, a writer, and literary critic, invites us to consider “what it means to be lost, to be aimless,” and to recognize the “import and subtleties” of uncertainty through travel stories, childhood anecdotes, and reflections on various authors, poets, and philosophers.
Reflect: Quick Thought
Instead of moving away from uncertainty or the unknown, what if we became more open to the new experiences not knowing brings?
Note: If you're interested in listening to the full set of talks as well as the meditation programs within the app you can try the Waking Up app for 30 days, no credit card required.
💎 Be a world unto yourself!
“I know no advice for you save this: to go into yourself and test the deeps in which your life takes rise; at its source you will find the answer to the question whether you must create. Accept it, just as it sounds, without inquiring into it. Perhaps it will turn out that you are called to be an artist. Then take that destiny upon yourself and bear it, its burden and its greatness, without ever asking what recompense might come from outside. For the creator must be a world for himself and find everything in himself and in Nature to whom he has attached himself.”
- Rainer Maria Rilke
This quote gets to the heart of how we can remove the noise that can distract us from our calling. By making space for inquiry within ourselves and by, becoming curious about what we want to focus on, and then being still enough to listen for the answer, we can take action. We can hone our craft without external validation. We can practice our craft because it energizes and makes us feel alive.
What we seek is within us.
Thanks for reading Low Fidelity! 🙏🏽
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Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic weekend!
Cheers,
Rizwan