I never thought of myself as a writer but producing this blog is bringing me an enormous sense of pleasure. I truly do love the things I am sharing with you and revisiting them again myself brings me joy and inspiration. Thank you so much for reading my new venture, please consider forwarding it to friends if you feel so inclined, and I welcome any comments, reactions and suggestions you might have for me (you will find the comment section all the way down in the bottom of this post just below the keywords after my photograph). It is always good to get some honest feedback.
three things we love
Music Teacher Greg Breinberg, with his student PS 22 Chorus
Celebrate the teacher! With Jill Biden in the White House, maybe these incredibly important people in our society will finally get their due. Inspiring music teacher Greg Breinberg is cream of the cream of the crop and his amazing PS 22 Chorus, out of a working class Staten Island public school, shows his magic in action. Some of you might have heard of these children as their youtube videos have gone viral for years...Here I share such a nice a rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Watch the longer joyous documentary to see the power of the arts to transform children's lives and the story behind how they ended up performing for millions at the Academy Award Ceremony in 2011.
Many Lives Many Masters, a book that changed my life view
The book Many Lives Many Masters was suggested to me from a friend just after I lost my husband, Gert, in 2013. I can tell you that it literally changed my life, opened my mind, and set me on a new and spiritual path of exploration that continues today, almost eight years later. Having a skeptical mind and someone who has trouble shutting off the rational part of my brain, believing that consciousness survives your body was something I never would have entertained. Having the Yale and Columbia educated Dr. Brian Weiss, respected head of psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, Florida, a total skeptic himself, tell his story of a certain patient that transformed him and his whole life view got me going to take the first steps in believing that maybe, just maybe, this is not all there is.
Artist Stephen Wiltshire
I have long been fascinated by the human brain and things that we cannot yet explain about its inner workings. Savant syndrome is a rare condition in which individuals, often with an autism diagnosis, exhibit abilities that far exceed what we might consider as "normal." In this amazing story, Stephen Wiltshire is an extraordinary example: with his photographic memory and his interest in cityscapes, Wiltshire can fly briefly over a city, in this case, Rome, reproduce it completely and accurately on paper, down to exact details including number of columns and windows in every building. To see a longer video about Stephen, click here. If you want to find out more about savant syndrome, and other intriguing individuals with extraordinary abilties, this short documentary should be a good introduction.
painting of the week
Gert Mathiesen Facebook 70” x 77.5” acrylic on canvas
If I had to pick one painting of Gert's, it probably would be this one. I love the colors he chose and its scale...and it contains all the themes he cherished: people, ceramics, flowers, fish, animals...If you look closely, you can see some writing in the background. Gert used to gesso my canvases for me and would leave me little love notes on it afterwards. On this one, I answered back. To see other paintings of his, click on the image above.
photo by Johanna Resnick Rosen
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her, check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.