Inspirational and good news.
Here’s a trailer for a documentary that is playing in Toronto as part of the Hot Docs festival and it looks like it’s all about goodness. If you’re in the city you should try to check this out.
Need a little inspiration these days? This stirring experiential journey connects us to the core of how spiritual activists, such as Desmond Tutu and Alice Walker, find motivation to keep fighting for good despite impossible odds.
Some good design news and how you can improve your decor to change how you think for the better.
Architects have long intuited that the places we inhabit can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now, half a century after Salk’s inspiring excursion, behavioral scien -tists are giving these hunches an empirical basis. They are unearthing tantalizing clues about how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep students focused and alert, and lead to relaxation and social intimacy. Institutions such as the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture in San Diego are encouraging interdisciplinary research into how a planned environment influences the mind, and some architecture schools are now offering classes in introductory neuroscience.
You learn something new everyday, and today I learned that you can paint with milk! I found out from this handy green painting guide from National Geographic.
Milk paints are virtually odorless and are made using the milk protein casein and lime. They contain no solvents, preservatives or biocides, though some do have synthetic ingredients like acrylic and vinyl. They come in powdered form and once opened or mixed with water, they should be used quickly, as they can mold if left to stand for a few weeks.
So I did some research on milk paint and found a company that is dedicated to reproducing old fashioned milk paint. From their about us:
In 1974, after much experimentation, we recreated an old Milk Paint formula to provide an authentic finish for our primary business of building reproduction furniture. Since then we have sold our paint to professionals who are either restoring original Colonial or Shaker furniture, making reproductions, or striving for an interior design look that is both authentic and beautiful. Milk Paint is now gaining an even wider usage because it contains only ingredients that are all-natural and will not harm the environment. Our authentic real milk paint is truely a “green paint” that comes in 20 colors.
I also found elsewhere a gallery of milk paint.
And here’s a video explaining how to use milk paint:
How have we missed out on milk paint on Things Are Good for so long? Anybody out there now anything more about this painting style?
I’m having trouble thinking of a way to describe this, so I won’t. I present to you the Walking Tree Man.
What is it that can capture a heart and take it to a peaceful awareness instantly?
Many say, “A WALKING TREE MAN”.
The crowd is stunned. People, begin moving more slowly, breathing deeply. They seem to drop into that meditative state where we’re connected with the true reality of life.
The walking body of a tree with the mask of a man is an image that can only inspire awe in the hearts and minds of those who see view it.
This archetype, of ancient origins signifies rebirth, renewal, and life, is the image of the GREEN MAN
He symbolizes our ineffable connection with Mother Nature.
Sometimes it’s the kids who see what’s going on first. Then that brings on a frenzy of photo snapping and comments like, “That’s the best costume I’ve seen in my life!†“Absolutely incredible!†“Wow!†“Amazing!â€
