Tag: time

creativity

Wonder: See what you can see and do what you can do

Christa Avampato

2-24HonorLight“Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.” ~ Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See

Last night I saw my friend, Tunde, a person who shares my passion to do something good with her time and many talents. Our conversation last night reminded me from this quote of the novel All the Light We Cannot See. There is a light within all of us that spurs us to make the world around us a better place. And there are so many avenues to let that goodness shine, so many places and people that need the gifts and talents we have to offer.

Our only job is to find the path that is meant for us, the avenue on which we can be of greatest use to as many people as possible. There’s no one answer. There are many. Every morning, I wake up and say the following to myself: “thank you, and universe, please help me figure out how to help as many as I can, as much as I can, with this day.” And that’s what I intend to do. Ready? Let’s do this.

creativity

Wonder: It’s time to be planted

Christa Avampato
Be planted
Be planted

“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.” ~Christine Caine

Some of my friends are in a tough spot right now. They’re having a tough time seeing a way forward. They feel knocked down and dragged out into situations that they didn’t see coming and wouldn’t have chosen for themselves. This is a tough place to be. It’s uncomfortable. It feels hopeless. It’s disappointing.

In moments like this, I find that this quote by Christine Caine is most powerful. Take what you can learn from these awful experiences, even if they are lessons you had no interest in learning. Let them strengthen your resolve, refine your talents, and sharpen your skills of observation. Watch for actions and outcomes. Step back and clearly identify what you would do differently, and why, and how that might change things.

This is your time of incubation. This is a time of growth and evolution that can lead you to a personal revolution if you take the opportunity as it comes. Be planted so that when the light returns, you can shine.

creativity

Wonder: Do what you can where you are

Christa Avampato
path-through-the-foggy-forest-45100-2560x1600-1
A short distance ahead

“We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.” ~Alan Turing

We can now see further than at any other time in history. Social media, virtual reality, and a news industry that reports in real time through rich media can take us to any corner of the world with a few clicks.

In terms of time, we can only see and know this moment. We can only forecast and hypothesize about later today, tomorrow, next month, and next year. We’ll know how it all shakes out once we get there. For now, let’s just make the most of what we have and know and can do right now, from wherever we are, using whatever we have. If we can all do that, we’ll be able to build a better world together. It all adds up.

creativity

Wonder: Take your time – a lesson from Hamilton, Adele 25, and Serial

Christa Avampato
Adele
Adele

When you’ve done something incredible, there’s an urge to attempt a second lightning strike as fast as possible. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Adele did it right. They took a significant amount of time between their first monumental successes and their second attempts. They wanted to roll the dice again, and they wanted to be the most skilled dice rollers they could be. That couldn’t happen over night. It couldn’t even happen in a year. Lin worked on Hamilton for five years. Adele took 4 years between her albums 21 and 25. They were patient, persistent, and thoughtful about it.

Serial, sadly, wasn’t. The second season isn’t anywhere near as interesting, suspenseful, nor intriguing as Season 1. I’ve already stopped listening because it’s not worth my time. They should have spent more time selecting, researching, molding, and shaping season 2. They should have been more concerned with content and less concerned about turnaround. We would have waited. We would have been here.

If you’re working on your second act, take the time to get it right. Don’t rush for the sake of rushing. Move along as fast as you can, and don’t compromise quality. In a world of so much noise, quality is worth the wait.

creativity

Wonder: New York Public Library Digital Collection expansion takes us back in time

Christa Avampato
The Waterfront on South Street in NYC. 1935. By Berenice Abbott.
The Waterfront on South Street in NYC. 1935. By Berenice Abbott.

One thing that I really miss about New York City is the New York Public Library. Luckily, this week we saw a massive digital expansion of its collections and you can access the now 672,182 digitized items by clicking here. A few short clicks and search terms give you a passport to history like never before. And it’s all free.

Whether you want to see photos of a changing New York City (or almost any of other city for that matter!), construct 20th century floor plans of mansions through archival blueprints, or learn new paper collage techniques, it’s all here for you to use and reuse in limitless ways.

Enjoy and never stop exploring!

creativity

This just in: It’s time to grow

Christa Avampato
Grow
Grow

A few years ago, one of my yoga teacher training classmates choked up during her final presentation and wasn’t able to complete it the way she wanted to complete it. She got very upset (as anyone would!) and said she felt like a failure. Then our teacher, Jeffrey, said words I will never forget: this isn’t failure; this is growth. You might feel like things are falling down around you, and maybe they are. That’s certainly how I’ve felt this week. Jeffrey’s words rang in my ears yesterday, clear as a bell, like a gift from the Universe because that’s what they are and because they are exactly what I needed to hear.

creativity

This just in: What to do after you lead the horse to water

Christa Avampato

A horse at waterYou can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. What you can do is let it stand there and see its reflection. The person you are trying to help has to want to be helped, has to meet you halfway. And some people can’t, or won’t, accept your help. You can’t change that.

Yesterday wasn’t a great day in my world, but something great came from it. It gave me an opportunity to express certain things that have been on my mind. I said them respectfully and firmly. Most of my concerns fell on deaf ears, and that’s okay. I said them. I can sleep at night, and now I can move on knowing that I did what I could do to keep a ship from sinking.

As sad as I am about the situation, I trust the timing of my life. I imagine that a few months from now I’ll look back on today from a different vantage point and realize that this is what had to happened. I let my disappointment go, and turned my energy toward finding what’s next. I trust that I’ll find exactly what I need to find.

creativity

This just in: What Andy Rooney learned and shared with us

Christa Avampato
Andy Rooney
Andy Rooney

I was and still am a big fan of Andy Rooney’s essays. The quintessential curmudgeon, he was honest, funny, and poignant all in the same breath. Here is an essay of his that’s always been one of my favorites.

I’ve Learned

  • I’ve learned … That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
  • I’ve learned … That when you’re in love, it shows.
  • I’ve learned … That just one person saying to me, “You’ve made my day!” makes my day.
  • I’ve learned … That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
  • I’ve learned … That being kind is more important than being right.
  • I’ve learned … That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
  • I’ve learned … That I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way.
  • I’ve learned … That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
  • I’ve learned … That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
  • I’ve learned … That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
  • I’ve learned … That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
  • I’ve learned … That we should be glad God doesn’t give us everything we ask for.
  • I’ve learned … That money doesn’t buy class.
  • I’ve learned … That it’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
  • I’ve learned … That under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
  • I’ve learned … That the Lord didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?
  • I’ve learned … That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
  • I’ve learned … That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
  • I’ve learned … That love, not time, heals all wounds.
  • I’ve learned … That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
  • I’ve learned … That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
  • I’ve learned … That there’s nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.
  • I’ve learned … That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
  • I’ve learned … That life is tough, but I’m tougher.
  • I’ve learned … That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
  • I’ve learned … That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
  • I’ve learned … That I wish I could have told my dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.
  • I’ve learned … That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
  • I’ve learned … That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
  • I’ve learned … That I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.
  • I’ve learned … That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you’re hooked for life.
  • I’ve learned … That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.
  • I’ve learned … That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances: when it is requested and when it is a life-threatening situation.
  • I’ve learned … That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.
creativity

This just in: What’s in a picture? A lesson on what matters through photography editing.

Christa Avampato
One of my favorite photos of the Christmas market in Budapest
One of my favorite photos of the Christmas market in Budapest

I’m in the process of editing all of my photos from my trip to Sarajevo and Budapest. As I sort through them, the editing process reminds me of what matters. What’s the focal point? What’s truly necessary to have in the frame? What am I saying or showing with each image? It’s similar to the editing of life: what do we keep, what do we cut away, and what does it all mean to us? Editing anything is time-consuming, and it’s absolutely worth the effort because what we’re left with is something of real value.

creativity

This just in: Now it’s time to let go and dream

Christa Avampato
Let-Go
Let-Go

It’s been several years since I’ve given myself the luxury of a true break. While I’m traveling, I won’t have access to much technology beyond my camera. Most of my daily writing will be with good ol’ pen and paper. I plan to listen more than I talk and to explore more than I seek. There is a time for expanding our views and a time for focus. For me, this coming week is a time for expansion, for thinking about possibilities without any regard for barriers, hurdles, and limitations. This is a time for letting go and dreaming.