a quiet magic. » wonder

exercising my perspective…

admin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:43:12 +0000

in last week’s lecture at risd, john stilgoe preached to “bloom where you’re planted”. then during a phone chat on sunday, abe morell excitedly told me to remember that “fairly close by, there’s a lot of extraordinary stuff going on”.

& so on a particularly blustery fall morning, i sat inside my slightly warmer living room to put these ideas to work…

found inspiration.

admin — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:21:12 +0000

from sir albert einstein, of course:

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to WONDER and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.…To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms-this knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness.”

oh, wonder…

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:42:59 +0000

i met with two of my extra lovely advisors, matt monk & nancy skolos, today & it was suggested that perhaps what my thesis truly is about is wonder: to create wonder, display wonder, give wonder & cause wonder.

it seems so simple…& though i talk about “wonder” when describing my thesis goals, i never thought to distill my ideas to simply that — wonder.

won⋅der

verb (used without object)

1.	to think or speculate curiously: to wonder about the origin of the solar system.

2.	to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel (often fol. by at): He wondered at her composure in such a crisis.

3.	to doubt: I wonder if she’ll really get here.

verb (used with object)

4.	to speculate curiously or be curious about; be curious to know: to wonder what happened.

5.	to feel wonder at: I wonder that you went.

noun

6.	something strange and surprising; a cause of surprise, astonishment, or admiration: That building is a wonder. It is a wonder he declined such an offer.

7.	the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising; a feeling of surprised or puzzled interest, sometimes tinged with admiration: He felt wonder at seeing the Grand Canyon.

8.	miraculous deed or event; remarkable phenomenon.

idiom

9.	for a wonder, as the reverse of what might be expected; surprisingly: For a wonder, they worked hard all day.

even the dictionary agrees…it’s time for me to make wonder.