Ten Things: Exploring the Infinite Abyss

On certain days I get the feeling that my life would make a lot more sense right now if I were living in an old boat at the top of a rock quarry in Newark, New Jersey. I found Garden State the other night on IFC and once again fell in love with the rock quarry scene. But more important than screaming into a big hole in the ground, I found the conversation and worldview of Albert The Caretaker to be sublimely existential.

Here is Albert, living in the dried-out hull of a big old boat, on the cliff edge of a hole in the ground that no one knows how to define. He’s been hired to guard the hole, but at night he climbs down in it and explores it by himself. No one knows how deep the hole is, but Albert likes to think of it as being infinite. While he doesn’t know what it is he’ll find down there, he enjoys the idea of doing something that’s never been done before, something completely unique.

There are the obvious metaphors for a “hole in the ground” such as the psyche, creativity, the soul, etc, but what I love about this moment is how optimistic and happy Albert is while he faces such a massive unknown. Zach Braff’s character, Largeman, senses this and realizes that there’s really nothing to fear from his own unknowns either. (Watch a clip here.)

Since I too am exploring an infinite abyss, as it were, I thought I’d share what I’ve been reading as a "ten things" post. Some things I’ve read cover-to-cover, some things I’m re-reading, some things are for fun, and some are just for inspiration. As I explained to a friend recently, it’s nice to re-charge a bit, take in some sources, and process ideas instead of being in constant output output output mode, as most of us are expected to be the moment we leave college.

So, here are some excellent reads for input mode:

It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be – Paul Arden

I picked this up at the museum the other day and promptly read it cover to cover in about forty minutes. While this was written for the advertising world, it pretty much applies to any creative industry or creative-thinking in the business world. Humorous, concise, and insightful.

Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite – Paul Arden

This is Arden’s next book; while the first is more about being creative, this one is more about taking risks and being unafraid of failure. While It’s Not How Good You Are... is more humorous, this book has a tone that’s a bit more forceful – more of a kick-in-the-pants for budding entrepreneurs.

You Can Find Inspiration in Everything – Paul Smith

A friend of mine gave me this fantastic book a number of years ago – a great tome on a great designer who has maintained his classic styling and his irreverence as he’s built his success. Paul Smith started from nothing, knowing nothing about fashion or design at all; it’s great to read his story, his ideas, and how he processes his inspirations into products.

Status Anxiety – Alain de Botton

Another friend recommended this read to me. I took it up almost instantly because I love Alain de Botton and I knew I’d love to hear his wit and wisdom concerning the current unpleasantness. De Botton breaks down the book into Causes and Solutions of and for the world’s overwhelming status anxiety, and almost immediately goes after our modern “career” ethic as being a big part of the problem. As someone knows what it’s like to be given status courtesy of my prestigious employer rather than my own humble self, this is a refreshing perspective.

Oh The Places You’ll Go! – Dr. Seuss

I found this book on my self as I was cleaning things out the other day and thought how simple and lovely it is for all stages of life. Yes, it’s a title given traditionally at graduation, but the perfect thing for an occasional re-read, especially when things get tough or go a little sideways. Dr. Seuss just has a way of explaining that sideways is actually sort of normal!

The Art Spirit – Robert Henri

I’ve had this little book on my shelf since art school. You can open to most any page inside and find some gem of wisdom that can apply to anything, not just the practice of drawing and painting. “There are men who, at the bottom of the ladder, battle to rise; they study, struggle, keep their wits alive and eventually get up to a place where they are received as an equal among respectable intellectuals. Here they find warmth and comfort for their pride, and here the struggle ends, and a death of many years commences. They could have gone on living.”

The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use It For Life – Twyla Tharp

I initially read this book when it first came out a few years ago. I still have the original notebook where I wrote out my exercises and thoughts. As a dancer, Tharp encourages the everyday creative practice, finding what that is for you, and keeping at it every day. There are many lessons to learn in this book and it’s another good one for an occasional re-read.

The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World – Lewis Hyde

This is a new one for me, but I know that this work has a lot of respect in the literary and art worlds - it's been in print for 25 years! Any sort of talent or creative communication is a gift, and gifts are to be given and shared. This book talks about this, the traditions of gift-giving, and about honoring one’s creativity.

The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz

I’m not sure why this one occurred to me, but I read this a number of years ago and remember feeling incredibly at peace once I’d finished it. I know it’s sort of like The Secret in that it’s about the power of your own word and the energy you put out in the world, but it’s always good to have a refresher on being a better self!

Letters to a Young Poet – Rainier Maria Rilke

Rilke is just so wise, so tender, so full of guidance – it is incredibly elevating to read this work. Since it is so short it is nice to read and then re-read it; every time one is left with something different. “Because we are alone with the alien thing that has entered into our self; because everything intimate and accustomed is for an instant taken away; because we stand in the middle of a transition where we cannot remain standing…And this is why it is so important to be lonely and attentive when one is sad: because the apparently uneventful and stark moment at which our future sets foot in us is so much closer to life than that other noisy and fortuitous point of time at which it happens to us as if from outside.”