Alone but not lonely
Lonely but not alone
Greetings
I have always spent time alone. It is a fixture of my life. Sometimes, when you are alone, sometimes, you are not. Sometimes, when you are with others, you are lonely, and sometimes you are not. The global pandemic has forced many of us to sit with ourselves, build a relationship, find a way of doing more than go through the motions of life, and actual engage with it.
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In 2017, Esperanza Spalding live streamed the recording of a full album over a 77 hour period. The album was called Exposure. Only 7,777 physical copies were produced. I have one. Beyond creating beautiful music, it has been wonderful watching her find new ways of expressing her creativity.
Her latest project is the perfect example of how she stretches …. in the accompanying email, she says, “This three-part suite grew out of a collaborative practice, exploring how songwriters might/could incorporate other therapeutic knowledges into their process and production. Each song Formwela is designed for a unique - yet related - affect, intended to relieve the tension and grief of being home-bound during this global pandemic (!)
Each song was composed via consultation with practitioners from various disciplines, including: music-therapy, neuroscience, Black American music, Sufism, psychology and South Indian Carnatic music.”
2
In Building on Architectural Traditions of the Sahel, Francis Kéré says:
“… an appreciation of what came before must go hand in hand with an understanding of how modern conditions differ—whether climatically, communally, economically, or technologically. Doing so allows one to build in a manner that neither dismisses tried and tested expertise, nor simply repeats the past without honoring it and tweaking it to fit the present.”
African art, design, architecture, etc cannot continue to be viewed with a static, colonial lens. It is as if we have been frozen in time or have discarded the past and are firmly operating in the present. Culture evolves; we need to take control of that and be more deliberate about it.
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A new favourite Instagram account to follow. Seb Lester is an England-based designer, calligrapher and artist.
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A few weeks ago, I spent some time on the Digital Hustler show talking to host and founder of Just Palm TV, Patrick Palmi, about the digital space, content and its evolution. Full episode is available HERE.
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I just finished writing a book, Listen To Your Footsteps, in which I reflect on the fatherhood journey, to date. This post from Austin Kleon resonated and is line with some of the things I have learned: Give yourself what you needed then and give your kids what they need now.
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Love me some Massive Attack and having been playing with a playlist. This is the second iteration of it.
That’s it for this week. Have a dope one.
Easy
Kojo