Make Trump Irrelevant
- At October 14, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Current Events, Editorial
0
Make him irrelevant.
This man is a scourge upon our nation and a plight upon the world. Since returning to the US, I’ve been pretty quiet about politics and my opinions on this guy. I’ve sat, listened, and watched him actively work to destroy and divide our country and I’ll be honest, his behavior rings so damn familiar to the reason I escaped from Sweden that it serves to re-traumatize me. The same type of behavior. The same holier-than-thou attitude. The same vindictive, vengeful, smirking personality. The same brilliant, two-steps-ahead, crazy-making cancer of an individual with an agenda for harm and hate. This is the destructive and vicious handy-work of the wildly creative animal known as a malignant narcissist.
Read More»Being in our body
- At October 02, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings, Wellness
- 0
It was almost shocking – the feeling of submerging my body into that crystal blue pool on a brilliant September afternoon.
I can’t remember the last time I went swimming. It had become a long forgotten experience and the sensation of cool water completely suspending me was so foreign, so surprising, that it took my breathe away. It was a visceral awakening and I wanted more. I plunged beneath the surface.
Setting myself to dry in the sun, I thought about the last time I actually inhabited my body? Meditation and yoga will encourage these feelings of mindfulness, but what about all the other experiences we have – the daily experiences – that we miss because of our too busy schedules, our addictions on mobile devices, and fact that we are all too often lost in our own minds. Or perhaps it is that we simply are no longer aware of the pleasures our body can give to us.
Read More»Thoughts on rebuilding a life
- At September 16, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings
- 8
A friend of mine recently wrote to me asking, “How does one go about starting a new life?” She explained that everything in her present situation was unacceptable and she desperately needed changes. She needed really big life changes.
Her reason for writing to me was because, knowing my past history, she considered me to be a bit of an expert on the subject. I’ve gone about and reinvented my own life twice in the last five years – the first time through choice, the second from trauma. Both events were life changing and challenging, the second much more than the first.
Having given my friend’s question a good deal of thought – for this is not a question to be taken lightly – I wrote to her providing the only answer I could, “It takes something extraordinary”.
Read More»Writing for Artscope Magazine
The September/October 2017 issue of Artscope magazine is hitting the streets now. I’m pleased to share with you my piece on legendary graphic designer, Vaughan Oliver – Walk of Life, which has been selected as the cover story for the issue.
The work of Vaughan Oliver reminds me why I love graphic design: it’s wizardry.
The Assault of Digital Distraction
- At June 14, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Editorial
- 0
Living in the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election is akin to being tangled up in a domestic violence situation. No matter how much or how loud you plead for the abuse to stop, it continues. It’s noisy. There is word salad, and chaos, and confusion. One tends to constantly re-examine one’s grasp on reality – checking and re-checking to ensure that what we just heard or what we just read makes sense. Or not. It’s emotional abuse on a grand scale.
Read More»The Importance of Place
The New York Times ran a piece on their Learning Network, October 22, 2013, entitled How Much Does Your Neighborhood Define Who You Are? While the post was written several years ago, the notion of it stayed with me in particular because of the country where I was living at the time.
No, Sweden was not for me and the culture – while I had always dreamed of embracing it and did so while living outside the country – in reality, I found that it countered everything I held dear. The inability of being able to authentically express myself in word and deed stymied me profoundly both personally and professionally. The ways I went about marketing my business were no longer truisms in that Scandinavian country. I often felt as if my IQ was being systemically drained because very few people, while they were smart and well read, were willing to discuss what they read or how they felt about it. Debating ideas is not conversational fare at your typical Swedish diner party.
But, intelligence is not only based on how much one knows but also in how one expresses it. Or not. Gone were the days of healthy political debate and intellectual conversation. I missed them dearly.
All of this begged the question, would I – would we – be different people if we were born and raised elsewhere?
Read More»Hello Boston – writing and photography from Lisa
- At May 16, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Writing
- 2
I’m thrilled to write that after five long years in Sweden, I’ve returned to the place I call home. Now based in Boston – a city of art and culture – everything feels deliciously new. There are bright opportunities, new friends and new points of view, but there is also the benefit of looking at and building upon the tapestry of past experiences.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to have worked as a regular features and editorial contributor for several US and European publications. Much of my work in the US focused on art, design, and culture and I endeavor to once again provide these services along with photography for my clients.
In Sweden, my work took a decided turn toward news writing and current events and those areas provide me with the experience to write about our present state of national madness and also how to best care for ourselves, and others, during such madness. These are dark times for our country but they are also times of renewed focus and activism.
Read More»Meditation bliss is crap
- At September 22, 2016
- By Lisa
- In Editorial, Wellness
- 0
Whoever said that meditation will bring you bliss was full of shit. For the last year or so, I have embarked on a quest for self awareness. I’ve found that breathing exercises can release stress, relieve anxiety, clear one’s mind, and calm the soul. Yoga has released knots and bundles of tight muscles in my body, increased my flexibility, and provided peace.
But the quest for self awareness, if done properly, is anything but blissful. Breakthroughs and epiphanies bring forth a lot of painful memories long ago repressed. New insights and awareness regarding not only yourself but those closest to you can be heartbreaking. Not always is what you learn through your study of mediation going to be peace, love, and tie-dye. In fact, I can tell you … it’s often very unpleasant.
Read More»
RSS - Posts
