I found Rubin’s readings to be
insightful. There were some quotes that really stood out to me. The first quote
was in relation to mindfulness of death and memento mori. “But everything
changes, everything passes.” It’s about seeing the “big picture” leading to the
ability to enjoy the small details.
Rubin read memoirs of catastrophic
circumstances, which gave her gratitude for not being in similar situations.
When she read memoirs of serious illnesses, she was thankful for her health. It
gave Rubin a certain realization. When her husband Jamie went to his liver
doctor and the review was calmly, “no change.” She understood this no news to be great news!” I do believe it is important to realize this is great news rather
than no news. This simple change of perspective can have a lasting impression
on your sense of gratitude. The last few weeks I’ve been trying to live by a
simple quote, “Gratitude’s the attitude.” When we notice the beauty all around
us—SB, for example—you may appreciate the people and relationships that
surround you as well. When a friend gave me great advice about a certain
situation I was facing, I let him know how it positively affected my outlook on
the situation. I thanked him, let him know it does not go unnoticed and showed
appreciation for our long-living friendship.
Being present is crucial to being
grateful. “You know what I was just thinking? ‘I’m in the pool, it’s summer, I’m
seven years old, I’m wearing a very cute bathing suit, and my grandmother is
asking me if I want anything to eat or drink.” By which she meant: life doesn’t
get better than this. This innocence is accurate. A seven year-old understood
where she was, what was going on around her, and had the mindfulness to
appreciate the moment. A skill that many adults have still never grasped or
understood.
“Me @ typewriter. ‘paintin
in a cave’ windowless room. Jail cell looking sort of thing. -->typewriter: First Chapter…pause…section 1: cut to heavy ripping intro.” -Dane Reynolds “Margarita is here from
Milano. She is pregnant and I volunteer to be the godfather before she has a
chance to ask." -Keith Haring "After repairs, at 20 min.
after 11 o’clock Will made the second trial…"-Orville Wright
Dane Reynolds, a world-renown professional surfer. Keith Haring, an 1980’s pop-art icon. Orville Wright, one of the Wright Brothers, who invented the first airplane. Each from different centuries and decades, what do these three men have in common? All three kept notes. All three kept a diary. All three kept a journal.
Dane’s legacy is still being forged as he continues to push the sport of professional surfing. In the late 1980s, Keith Haring left his deep and memorable impression on the world of street/fine-art. The perseverance through countless failures of the Wright Brothers can be seen everyday with a simple glance through the clouds. Beside each of their innovations and dramatic effects on their respective fields, they kept a documentation of their days, data, thoughts and plans, all evidence of their individual mindfulness.
Dane’s journals spawn from the more than a year-long making of his debut surf film. At 20 years old, it’s interesting to see how present and meticulous he was about the making of Dane Reynolds: First Chapter. He divides the film into sections and his journal carrries notes on how he wants the film to look and progress. His journal is a very VERY rough draft of a “screenplay” to his movie. “Me @ typewriter. ‘paintin in a cave’ windowless room. Jail cell looking sort of thing. typewriter: First Chapter…pause…section 1: cut to heavy ripping intro.” The writing is sloppy along with his cross-outs. Reynolds uses a lot of questions, creative thoughts and ideas that he isn’t 100% sure on. His notes are specific and exclusive. “section 1: heavy shredding? Opener. Something fresh. Not punk. Wierd beat. Section 2: Ideas cut up. Olivia tremor control?” He is simply focused on the feeling of the music and presentation for his introduction. Apparently these notes are just notes because the song for his intro is raw gritty punk music, ideas that he isn’t 100% sure on. His writing was based on planning for his production. Things to come in the future and his desires for the end product.
Keith Haring’s journal has a more traditional feel. His entries were detailed as Dane’s, but the contents are different. Haring wrote about his days, who he saw, met, and how he was feeling. His entries are from 1987, at the age of 29. Blue cursive on white grid-paper. He wrote of his friendships. “Margarita is here from Milano. She is pregnant and I volunteer to be the godfather before she has a chance to ask. She is delighted. That was the most exciting thing of the day besides the unveiling of Jeff Koons’ sculpture.” He also explains he meets Jeff Koons for the first time and says Koons seems nice. “He’s one of the few people from this group who are really interesting to me.” It is a very detailed look into his life and how he was constantly surrounded by names that are respected, esteemed, famed. Koons, Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquait, He goes on to explain the rest of his night. Surprisingly, his entries are—in my opinion—dry, basic, dull, which is contrary to all his work and paintings. It seems he sits down at the end of the day and writes about what he did and when, I say at the end of the day because most of the times he discusses are rounded, “I wake up at 8AM…At 5PM I returned to BBDO with Jean…at 6:30 I began to paint with black paint…we get to school at 8:30…” so on and so forth. Daily journaling.
Orville Wright’s journal was the most impressive in the sense of details, form, structure, and presentation. With beautiful cursive, annotations, and minimal cross-outs his data was clear. His entries were from December 17, 1903. Wright must have had a small notebook to write down numbers and data from flight trials and then later transfer data to a more formal journal. “A sudden dart when out about 100 feet from the end of the tracks ended the flight. Time about 12 seconds (not know exactly as watch was not promptly stopped)… After repairs, at 20 min. after 11 o’clock Will made the second trial… Dist. not measured but about 175ft. Wind speed not quite so strong.” This must have been an extremely exciting and inspiring time for the Wright Brothers’ work. Their machine was in flight and they were working on the controls. Orville writes in a very mechanistic-style, with little emotion mostly statements of occurrences, numbers.
These three gentlemen used journaling as a different tool. An artist used his journal for day-to-day remembrance. A surfer used his journal to plan and transcribe his vision. An inventor, determined to defy the laws of gravity, used his journal to document his data and research. Each of these individuals have/had their own purpose when it came to writing. Orville Wright’s and Keith Haring’s journals were far more similar than to Dane Reynolds’. Wright’s and Haring’s were similar in the sense of recapping and stating things that occurred. Mr. Reynolds’ journal encapsulated feelings, thoughts, ideas, questions, far from Orville’s recalling or Haring’s. The lesson to be learned is that these three dudes were aware and present.
There was plenty that I enjoyed
about this week’s reading of Writing Down the Bones, Happiness Project, and The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing of Natalie
Goldberg (Writing Down the Bones). She has a very conversational tone and a
style as if she is in front of a classroom. There were some quotes in the
reading that spoke to me and that are key for journaling. 1. “Capture the
oddities of your mind” (p.9). Goldberg was describing the timed writing
practices and some rules to follow. One rule emphasizing “Don’t think. Don’t
get logical.” Since it’s a personal journal, you should forget about social
politeness and ignore internal censor. “[Write] what your mind actually sees
and feels, not what it thinks it
should see or feel.” Another quote spoke to me.“When you are present, the
world is truly alive”(p.10) meaning when you’re not consumed by superficial
thoughts, but rather enjoying a moment the small detailed beauty around us will
not go unnoticed. For instance, today was a beautiful day downtown and I
decided to walk to a deli near AUSB. As I walked the few blocks on Anacapa, I
noticed a tether of colorful balloons. Soft colors. I mused at the consistent
style of architecture for Santa Barbara is so duly noted. I don’t normally take
my time or leisurely walk the side streets of downtown, but at that moment I
was present, I enjoyed almost everything around me. The small nuances.
As for the Happiness Project, I know there is a lot to be digested and absorbed
through linings of thought in this book. One quick example was the email she
wrote in response to a negative review she received from David Greenberg. Her
positive and friendly email was an unnatural response. The review made her feel
depressed, defensive, and angry, but she made herself do something she did not want to do, send a friendly email to Greenberg to
show herself that she was confident enough to take criticism graciously. I
enjoyed this anecdote because it is important for every writer to be humble
enough to hear criticism of their work.
The Pleasures and Sorrows of
Work was an intriguing read. It seemed to
be written as a personal journal entry, appropriately. I appreciated the deep
complex vocabulary used, but it made the reading a task rather than a
pleasurable ride. I was constantly searching for definitions and synonyms
(concomitant, disquisition, interlocutor, genuflect, etc.). Maybe it’s my lack
of depth in vocab.
My name is James. I was born and raised in Carpinteria. Once I finished high school, I moved to San Francisco and lived in the city for a couple years. There I attended San Francisco State University and the City College of San Francisco. It was a great experience, but Santa Barbara was calling me back. Currently, I am a student at Antioch University of Santa Barbara, entering my 4th (2nd to last) quarter. My focus is in Business Management & Entrepreneurship. My goal is to one day operate my own business or company. I have a passion for many things. It goes without saying I adore my family and value my friendships. I find peace on a mountain top or in the ocean. Music is a huge part of my life.
I've learned a lot here, at Antioch. There have been many lessons that will stay with me. More than business, more than finance, more than marketing, and more than communication, I've learned more about myself. Over my time here, I've been pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I have found new confidence that I didn't have before such as speaking in front others, voicing my opinion, formulating arguments, even teaching a class. I learned to look at myself as well as look at others. I have found I value honesty, integrity, and to never judge a book by its cover. I have learned that time flies and that time is valuable. I've learned it's important to share it with people who build you up or people you can inspire. I'm grateful for the life I was given and enjoy everything it has to offer.
