Internet Inspiration – October 3, 2014

I have to lead with this impeccable article on the legacy of Lauryn Hill and the relationship between artists and fans. For all creative types or anyone who produces anything, it’s a must-read.

Artists make art for themselves. Art is an honest expression. Artists who pander to their fans by trying to make music “for” their fans make empty, transparent art. The true fan does not want you to make music for them, they want you to make music for you, because that’s the whole reason they fell in love with you in the first place.

I wrote my first rap when I was 12 years old. I had no fans. I didn’t write it for the fans, I wrote it because I had something I desperately needed to express. When Black Star came out, Yasiin and I did not have a huge fan base. We did that album for us. It is that honest personal, expression that fans crave.

We love you, Anne Lamott. Indeed.

How to travel America for free.

This experience is about much more than just not spending money. It’s about showing that you and I can be contributing members to society whether we have money or not. It’s about showing that there are much more rewarding ways to live than just throwing money at every situation. It’s about living a life that is truly beneficial to the earth my community, and myself. It’s about being more involved in our communities and treating each other and respect.  And it’s also about teaching you how to live with less money so that you can follow your dreams and live independently of corrupted systems that don’t serve your best interest.

I think the title of this piece is a little misleading, but the actual article is excellent. I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while, how the reason criticism stings and stays with you is usually because you suspect it might be true and you don’t want it to be. If someone calls you a bitch, or selfish, that hurts more than if they told you they think your third arm is ugly. Also, the author does a really great job of articulating specific challenges for women.

There’s another, deeper factor that informs women’s relationship to criticism and praise. For centuries, women couldn’t protect their own safety through physical, legal or financial means. We couldn’t rely on the law if our safety was threatened. We couldn’t use our own money to escape or safeguard ourselves and our children, because we could not own property. Being likable, or at least acceptable to stronger, more powerful others, was one of our primary available survival strategies. For many women around the world, this is still the reality, but all women inherit the psychological legacy of that history. Disapproval, criticism and the withdrawal of others’ approval can feel so petrifying for us at times — life-threatening even — because for millenniums, it was.

In case you need a laugh, here is a hilarious way to respond to spam texts.

Susannah Conway on choosing our adornments.

Such a fresh take on the benefits of cooking at home.

All homes have smells, domestic pheromones I call them, and good homes smell like good cooking, clean sheets and fresh flowers and draw you in. When I cook tasty, rich, clean food everything feels good in my home. When I cook bacon, the kids from next door come over (but I do use the exhaust fan!). Good cooking smells will season a home and sink into its pores. This attracts people.