Hysterical Literature // probably NSFW

Ever since one of my friends showed me this amazing and funny video art, I have been fascinated by it and showing it to everyone. (Well, at least everyone I felt it was appropriate to show this to.)

Hysterical Literature is a video art series by NYC-based photographer and filmmaker, Clayton Cubitt. In each of the videos the settings are the same: The women in the videos have chosen their own clothes and which book they want to read from. They sit at a table and read the book aloud - while an assistant stimulates them with a vibrator! When the woman is "too tired" or "too distracted" to read (the actual wording on the website), the session is over. It sounds weird and it is weird, but it's also hilarious, beautiful and liberating art.

I was shocked the first time I watched it, but then I started paying attention the text, and later their gestures. Much like a great painting, you can discover little details, you didn't notice before. And like great art, it's very entertaining.

photo via thedailybeast.com

My favourite TED talk

Hi everone! This is Mac Barnett. He is a children's book author, former manager at this time travel shop in Los Angeles, and the speaker of  my absolute favourite TED talk "Why a good book is a secret door". (Yes, this guy is ranking high on the awesome scale!)

Mac Barnett does not only talk about children's books, but also his career as summer camp leader, time travel shop manager, and his philosophy behind his books: How reality and fiction can melt together and turn into art, wonder and amazing experiences. And best of all: It gives you all the details on how to get your very own blue whale with a 30 days trial period!

I highly recommend everyone(!) to watch it. It's adorable, inspiring, and really really funny!

photo via ted.com

What we all could learn from Pippi's "mum"

Recently a new biography on one of my all time favourite authors, Astrid Lindgren, has come out here in Denmark. I adored her books as a kid (and still do) because they transcend the reader to a whole different time and place. But the stories are still full of themes that everyone can relate to: Friendship and family, life and death, being brave or scared. This new biography focuses on something entirely different, though: Being alone.

If you've ever read the books of Astrid Lindgren, you'll know that most of the main characters are alone in one way or another: Like Pippi, who has decided to live in a big house all alone, or Ronia the Robber's Daughter, who goes out on adventures in the woods by herself. The point is: They are neither lonely or sad people. Instead they use their alone time to explore, have fun by themselves, or just daydream. I think it's such a powerful message to both children and adults: Being alone can be just as inspiring and rewarding as spending time with others.

I'm definitely putting the new Astrid Lindgren biography on my reading list. Hopefully it's filled with lots more inspiration.

photo via dagens.dk

How creativity works

Have you ever wondered, how creativity works? I have for a long time.I love being creative! Writing, drawing, or just coming up with fun, new ideas. But somehow creativity at uni was a lot more difficult to get my head around. Especially the long deadlines and abstract mindset were a challenge, and it took me a long time before I was able to have a creative process that wasn't based on panic and random internet surfing. (Yes, the graphs above are pretty much spot on, when it comes to a lot of my work at uni.)But it made me think: What made a good creative process, and what could I do to improve my creativity?Although, there are no easy answers, I have really enjoyed reading the book Imagine - how creativity works by Jonah Lehrer. It offers a great insight into how we are creative on our own, in groups, and as a society. One of my favourite chapters is about the Pixar Studio's interior design and how the very deliberate location of the offices and toilets are actually improving people's creativity.

Shelving inspiration

I'm giving my room a much needed makeover next week and I need ideas for shelving for my posters and books. I found these photos, which I think are a fantastic inspiration. It looks so effortlessly cool. Hopefully I'll be able to pull off something similar.

(Photos from fromtherightbank.com and remodelista.com)

Favourite children's picture book

Did you have a favourite picture book as a child that you still snigger at as an adult? I have several, some of which have been bought for my nephew and niece, so they can enjoy them just as much as I have. One of the books I loved as a child (and still love) is 'Dr Xargle's Book of Earthlets', an alien's (misunderstood) view on babies. As a kid I would laugh so hard I cried every time I heard the story. And the illustrations are just funny and adorable.

What was your favourite picture books as a child? And do you introduce them to your children, nieces, nephews etc?