My friend k_space gifted Just Kids to me a decade ago and since then Patti Smith, with her music and her writing, have been my spiritual savior. I squeezed M Train out for months, not wanting to let go of her company.
“Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.”
Patti Smith
There’s a game we play at work, called Facts and lies, which goes like this: you have to share three things about yourself that others may not know, and the others have to guess which one is a lie.
I played this with our teams in India and in the States –
So, what did you think? Leave a comment below / send an email.
Said Maira Kalman in her wonderful book Cake, and I take those words very seriously. If you’ve been reading my blog for some time you will know that’s all I ever think about and sometimes do things…
Here’s a drawing of morotskaka that the brown boy has loved ever since Malmö and we are made to eat it often.
This wishful drawing is from my birthday two years ago – when I was more concerned about growing older than I am now.
“The wonderful thing about cake is it really is connected to so many moments, not just celebratory moments, but moments of heartache.”
Maira Kalman
and last year I discovered this wonderful concoction.
So what’s your favorite? Or can you even have favorites?
Real growth comes from getting out of your comfort zone and confronting new challenges. It’s not easy.
Drawing is my silent cry. It’s my way of staying resilient and remember that the journey is more important than the destination.
Honestly who would have thought that we would spend a quarter of a year in physical isolation from each other. A story to recount in my old age.
And speaking of old age. Umberto Eco once wrote that books are the most robust format of content transmission that we have seen over centuries, and so that if nothing else, my sketchbooks would probably survive till my old age at least, and I will look back on these days and laugh…
"Although I cannot see your face As you flip these poems awhile Somewhere from some far off place I hear you laughing - and I smile..." Shel Silverstein
These lockdown weekends we get to share our tastes with each other. One weekend morning we watched Maira Kalman videos on Youtube.
Be allowed to be broken and go on anyway…
she said
Words to remember as we try to restore our sanity and get on with life. And Orin really enjoyed Cake, one of her lovely short films which is really a book.
Another Saturday we watched Cars. I remember really loving the character design in the past but I was so dismissive of the movie when it came out, saying “It’s just for four-year-olds!” I laugh at those words now, having seen Agastya go through his Cars phase and also Orin.
‘It’s not Mack Truck Amma, it’s a truck called Mack.”
says he.
And then one evening we were talking about lizards.
This is from my lockdown journal, the usual day at work and eating lunch between meetings, but we had sandwiches that day!
And it was yum 🙂
Happy Friday folks!
This was drawn some years ago…in the early confusion of a new role. It’s quite common when you’re in a situation like that, to not know what to do – the challenges are new and how should you be in the role is also unclear.
It’s ok to ask mentors and advisors but ultimately it’s you yourself who has to identify the goals, figure out the next steps and take decisions. Of course I know all this now…
Good thing I had the anteater to keep me grounded.
And in the end it’s nobody but you…
There are many things I dislike about the Kindle but I must admit its convenience has changed my life.
My head is full but my heart is empty.
inktales 
