Digital Magpie #8

The one with Urchins and The Abyss

Author

Melissa Attree
July 11, 2024

This is Digital Magpie #8

Some goodies I’ve unearthed in the past two weeks.

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Mary Oliver on a Creative Life 🌿

I’ve been thinking a lot about the creative process and how things get in the way. Here, (courtesy of The Marginalian) Mary Oliver writes about ‘The Third Self: Mary Oliver on Time, Concentration, the Artist’s Task, and the Central Commitment of the Creative Life.’ It’s worth a read with a cup of tea.

“The world sheds, in the energetic way of an open and communal place, its many greetings, as a world should. What quarrel can there be with that? But that the self can interrupt the self — and does — is a darker and more curious matter.”

Always Astonishing 🐠

I’ve been following Capetonian Helen Walne on Instagram for a while, her images of the ocean floor (usually in False Bay) are just astonishing. As someone who recently discovered the joys of snorkelling in those waters, it’s incredible to see what lies even deeper in the large kelp forests. Her images are fantastic and her captions are often pretty damn entertaining.

Hah! 🌧️

Bamboo dancing, I had to check this was not AI-generated 😮

While we’re on the topic of creativity…🎨

I’m reminded of Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED Talk on creativity, one of my favourites.

Your elusive creative genius

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_your_elusive_creative_genius?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

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Before I go - are you a Sci-Fi/Fantasy reader based in Cape Town? Check this out 🔮

🥁 I was going to share my scary story of when I was attacked by squirrels, but you'd think I was nuts.

If you enjoyed this forward this email to someone who could use some joy 💡

Here’s to more of the same, ✌️