Strands of Genius: Interactive Mathematics Map, Rape's Afterlife in Social Media, Toolset: Font & Color Pairings
plus, our thoughts on: Covid careers, hand-washing, and our changing plans
WRITING FROM | Nashville, TN
WORKING ON | taking a deep breath
LOOKING AHEAD
March 15-??: Nashville, TN
:: WHAT’S NEW & WEEKLY GRATITUDE ::
Wow, guys. What a crazy week it’s been since we came to you last. Most of our projects on the books have been canceled or “indefinitely postponed,” and we’ve heard from so many others who are experiencing similar situations. We’ve written before about resilience and the power of a positive attitude, but we don’t discount how challenging it can be sometimes. We’re feeling especially vulnerable ourselves, but at the same time acknowledging that a whole lot of the situation is out of our control.
Will we do more remote webinars & consulting? I’m sure. But we’re sad to miss out on some awesome events, and have to change plans so significantly. It feels like the chandelier has dropped, and before we start re-building, step one is to sweep up the glass, and to take care of yourself. It’s OK to take a breather, and to close your laptop for the day. Or to binge watch Love is Blind. Or to go hiking (while staying 6 feet away from others). We truly believe that everything is going to be okay, but potentially a bit stressful in the interim.
I’ve said to Faris that this is the sign we should take a gap year. Set aside some savings, set a budget, and treat it like the first six months we traveled. If we want to take on work, we can, but we can also go into the experience expecting not to. We’ve saved diligently over the past seven years, knowing that project based work is unpredictable. This ‘Gap Year Reframe’ has been the trick my brain needed. Because it’s not that different from how we normally live: travel, make money. But instead of panicking about lost income, I’ve somehow gotten my brain to relax a little. To be into the idea of going with the flow.
Last week was a week of minor panic, and not gonna lie, there were some tears. This morning, we made the tough decision not to go to Mexico City today. But we’ve got Faris on a flight to Nashville, and we’ll self-quarantine here for a few weeks and then re-evaluate the situation. Because going with the flow is all you really can do!
Thanks to all those who reached out to us and checked in - We appreciate it! If you need any remote strategy support, we’d love it if you kept us in your consideration set. <3
This week, we’re especially thankful for:
airplanes, green cards, friends & family, grocery delivery services, Netflix, good books, wine, & social distancing.
:: THE LINKS ::
‘YEARS AFTER BEING ASSAULTED, I CAN’T ESCAPE MY RAPIST -- AND HIS PICTURE-PERFECT LIFE -- ON SOCIAL MEDIA’
A woman writes about her experience when Instagram serves up her rapist’s profile on Instagram. But it’s more than a sob story, she thoughtfully questions redemption, and comments on raising kids today: “The ongoing project of raising boys is to create a world where they can absorb and reflect kindness and empathy.”(The Lily)
TOOLSET: COLORS & FONTS
We are loving this curated library of colors, fonts and resources for web and digital designers. Seriously useful, especially those Google font pairings. We’re thinking that this week might be a good time for some deck design :) (Colors & Fonts)
THE MAP OF MATHEMATICS
A beautifully done map of mathematics, using simple starting points (numbers, shapes, change), the map branches out exploring the relationship between numbers, questions/contradictions within the field. The creators say, “If mathematics is the poetry of logic, as Albert Einstein once wrote, then through this we hope to provide an appreciation for all the beauty that it describes.” And they invite you to “explore our surprisingly simple, absurdly ambitious, and necessarily incomplete guide to the boundless mathematical universe.” (Quanta Magazine)
:: WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT: HAND WASHING ::
We’re not doctors, so we’re not going to dish out medical advice. But we’re not shying away from reinforcing some common sense: Wash your damn hands!
The World Health Organization says that hand washing is one of the best defenses we have to spreading COVID. But here’s the problem: Most of us are doing it wrong. The average person washes their hands for 6 measly seconds. And that doesn’t help us. You need to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
They say you should wash your hands for the entire length of “Happy Birthday.” But here’s a fun little trick you can steal.
My hand washing has become a gratitude practice. Instead of singing Happy Birthday in my head, I think in the same cadence, “I’m thankful for you. I’m thankful for you. I’m thankful for Lauren. I’m thankful for you.” Fill in the blank with the name of any of your friends, and send ‘em some positive vibes. Cheesy? Sure. Fun? Yep!
:: AND NOW… A CARTOON BY BRIAN MCFADDEN ::
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Getting to meet like-minded folks is one of the best parts of living nomadically, so please let us know if you see if we'll be in a city near you :)
rockON,
faris & rosie & ashley | your friends over at geniussteals.co
@faris is always tweeting
@rosieyakob hangs out on instagram
@ashley also writes for deaf, tattooed & employed
Know someone who could use some inspiration in their inbox? Send ‘em our way!
It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.
Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.
Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)
SPEAKING:
We're currently booking speaking gigs for the year.
Check out full descriptions and key learnings from our talks on here:
http://bit.ly/TalkDescriptions2020