Minerva's Muse
Vol. 24: July 1, 2022
Minerva’s Muse is a column of inspiration named after the Roman goddess of creativity, wisdom, medicine, and war. From art to music to literature and more, my hope is to remind you that inspiration is everywhere, and that creativity is a revolutionary act.
Listen…
In January of this year I decided I needed to start dancing on a regular basis. After almost two decades being at war with my body through restrictive eating and stressful workout habits, I quit all of it cold turkey about four years ago. This turned out to be a great choice, as it helped me opt-out of many ingrained bad habits, but ultimately, after so many years, the lack of movement left me feeling sluggish and disembodied. Dance is a form of movement that I deeply enjoy, and that I’ve always had a healthy relationship with, so I made a commitment to myself to get up off my ass, put on music, and move. Here is a collection of songs I’ve been moving my body to as of late, and I hope you’ll join me in whatever way feels right to you.
Read…
A beautiful, touching and vulnerable piece by Freddie deBoer about his first semester in college. He writes about the experience of losing his virginity, and the difficult and painful journey of maturation.
Watch…
I recently watched C’mon C’mon at 2am on a flight from Istanbul to Tbilisi. If you are a parent, a sibling, or a human of any kind, I think you’ll find this film endearing and relatable.
I met Jeff Frost at Tao Ruspoli’s place in Joshua Tree last summer, just weeks before for two of his (and Tao’s) closest friends committed suicide. It was a harrowing series of events to learn about from afar, and a debilitatingly grief-laden experience for those who knew El and Shig closely. Jeff is an artist who creates unique and complex time-lapse movies, so in an effort to process the grief over the loss of his friends, he created Transmutation House. Below is a link to the final product on Instagram, and you can click here to learn the backstory.
Look…
I recently visited the Cultural Heritage Center in Arusha just as they were beginning to set up an exhibit for the Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Awards. I didn’t get to see the exhibit in person, but practically drooled over all of the photographs which are posted online here. The one below, “A Turbulent Swim” by Buddhilini de Soyza, featuring Cheetahs in the Talek River is absolutely fucking insane if I do say so myself.
Support…
My friends! I’ve met some pretty rad and talented humans through this podcast, and I want to make sure to support and highlight their work as much as I can.
First, Angie and her sister Hyllery create some pretty awesome art - watercolor, jewelry, stickers, natural tie dye, and more, and it’s all available on Etsy here.
Lyndsey, another wonderful human I met through the podcast, makes handmade pressed flower “botanical treasures” in the form of stickers and prints, and her work is also available on Etsy.
