Backstory: I am new to the Twittersphere, and I've just started Twittering regularly (maybe a little too regularly...). I follow @rainnwilson, star of one of my favorite shows, The Office, and a hilarious actor. While many people follow celebrities @perezhilton for his gossip, or @britneyspears, who can't possibly say anything intelligent, Rainn's Tweets (following someone on Twitter makes me feel like we're on a first name basis since I get to see all their thoughts...) are not only knee slapping, but also insightful (Others include @jimgaffigan and @michaelianblack, for example).
Rainn tweets at least once a day about Soul Pancake, so I felt like I had to explore it. And it's glorious. It was partially created by Rainn Wilson. Here's his description of it on the What is Soul Pancake section:
We want to make discussions about Spirituality, Creativity, and Philosophy cool again. Were they ever cool? I have no idea. But it seems like a good idea. We want to engage the user to “Chew on Life’s Big Questions”™. (I was kidding about the ™ symbol; you can use that phrase however you want. Even to sell frozen taquitos.) Where do you go on the Interwebs if you want an irreverent, fun, and profound take on God and Art and the Soul and Faith and Beauty? Fox.com? Maybe. But maybe also here at SoulPancake.com.
We provide some rockin’ content (interviews, blogs, challenges, contests, features, and more), but it’s really all about having YOU—the SoulPancake community—bring this site to life. Say what’s on your mind. Be real. Talk about WHY WE’RE HERE. And if I say something that offends you, let me have it.
Just remember: Life is a rich, weird, difficult experience. So join us as we go on the spiritual and artistic journey that is SoulPancake.
Make discussions about Spirituality, Creativity, and Philosophy cool again? Sounds like a GREAT IDEA.
Today's post was particularly thought-provoking. It started with a quote:
"A GOOD WRITER POSSESSES NOT ONLY HIS OWN SPIRIT BUT ALSO THE SPIRIT OF HIS FRIENDS." —NIETZSCHE
Then, it asked the reader to come up with a five-item list of people who influence your art and how.
Hm. Sounds like quite a challenge.
I would never go as far to call myself an artist. My art includes graphs of supply and demand, and what happens when you shift said curves. My art includes my [arguably] fabulous sense of humor. My art includes creations in the kitchen. My art includes my love for travel, exploring new cultures (from a new country to a new-found shop around the corner), and combining the two in the most efficient, educational, and cheap way. My art includes cuddling up with a good book and enjoying it for its content. This seems like a good place to start.
Economics
After 4 years of studying the major that makes people gasp, swoon, and faint, I found Professor Jerry Miller. He has a passion for Economics. He has a sense of humor with his students, and isn't afraid to call us out or make fun of us. I walked into his class the first day of Mathematical Econ - the scariest class I've ever grown to love. He said that we were to complete problem sets, and he would call us randomly to the board to do problems in front of the class while he asked us questions about our work. He forced us to think out of the box. On nights before the exam, you could find the entire class at the library in the study room fighting over markers to correct each other on the white erase board, wondering to each other, "What would Jerry be thinking?" Everyone in that class is now best friends. I didn't get the best grade in the class, but he taught me a deeper love for the field of Economics when I was considering blowing it off completely post-graduation.
My class will be getting dinner with him tomorrow night.
My sense of humor
Easy. My mother.
Never have I met someone more sarcastic, or with a more biting, at-the-expense-of-others, evil sense of humor than my mother. She invented the "Ohhh...too soon." While I try to tone it down a bit and avoid making random strangers cry, I've started to see that our senses of humor are becoming more alike. I'm even starting to laugh like her. F my L.
Cooking
My grandpa on my dad's side. He hailed from Siciliy and not only ignited my love for the Red Sox (he was the biggest Boston fan I've ever met - he passed away weeks before they won the World Series in 2004. He was definitely up there making stuff happen), but definitely has been the inspiration for my cooking. Most of my memories of him either include watching Boston games or him in the kitchen with an apron on.
Some of his dishes included pasta with giblet sauce (Google giblet. Yeah. He made it delicious). He marinated different types of meat in marinara for hours and hours, and served it over pasta. Even though he hated Spiedies (Google them too. My all time favorite food), he still made them delicious. If I end up half the chef he is, I'll consider it my life accomplishment.
Exploring on a budget
My grandpa on my mom's side is the kind of guy who, when discovering a restaurant has free refills, will order one glass of pop for a table of 4. And I love him for it. I'm fairly sure that my knack for finding deals came from him. I spent countless hours driving through the countryside and scouring antique stores for the best bargain. Where else would I have learned how to travel efficiently?
The world of literature
As much as I hate to admit it...my dad. He used to make me read for literally hours every day from when I was in 3rd grade. I read some really mature stuff. I remember thinking Animal Farm was a really dumb story about pigs, and crying through The Yearling. But, something must have rubbed off. I can't get my hands off books. I'll read anything, fiction and non-fiction, from Harry Potter to The World is Flat. The only acception: Twilight. Seriously, it's 400-page drivel about over-hormonal teenagers, some of whom happen to be vampires. Give. Me. A. Break.
Yeah, so after writing this, I realize that most of these are family. I think that's fitting, seeing as I'm trying to be as unlike them as possible.
posted by caitie at
4:44 PM
2 Comments:
Art is not necessarily something you can hang on a wall or stand on a pedestal. Art is what comes out of your best efforts, when your brain and your heart and your inspiration are all engaged.
Economics can definitely be art. I remember proving that pure economic rent didn't exist. Yeah, sure, some famous old dead guy whose name escapes me at the moment did it before me, and I was just using his theories and doodling on a piece of paper, but all of a sudden I'd proven that pure economic rent didn't exist and it was like being struck by lightning. Sure, you can read that stuff, but when you prove it on your own? That's art. I was so overwhelmed that I had to stop writing my paper and go to bed (hey, it was after 2am, and I could handle only one major advance in economic theory a night).
Reading and/or writing can be art. Finding the perfect object at the perfect price is art. Comedy is an art (you started early -- you made your first pun before you were two). Cooking is an art. As I said, art isn't just something you look at -- art is what you do when you're at your best.
Becoming an Economics major has seriously hindered my drinking availability as of late..
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