Beautiful illustrations made out of washi paper by Erica Sharp. She’s half Japanese, half British and the cultural influence is evident in the work she produces. Love the translucent quality of the washi paper when placed against each other. It adds so much texture to Erica’s simple lines!
You can read her blog and also head over to her Miss Paper Cut Etsy shop to pick up one of her prints!
If the book in the picture seems a little worn, it’s for a good reason. I love Malcolm Gladwell’s books and I find myself reaching for his books whenever I feel the urge for a short read coming on: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures, and especially Outliers: The Story of Success, which is my favorite so far.
Malcolm’s mind is like a giant repository of ideas, questions, answers, and the magic lies in how he tells and links all of them together. Facts that I never thought of learning are brought to life so vividly; facts that never crossed my mind and facts which seemed insignificant at the time — all of them were carefully dissected and presented in simple, layman terms.
Jumping from one chapter to next, the book makes you wonder about all the possibilities out there — Malcolm lay out sequences of events that lead to what we are today; and at the heart of the book’s message: what we can achieve tomorrow.
According to Malcolm, from the year you were born, cultural differences, ethnic backgrounds, language, all these factors seem to play a part in how you are going to achieve success. He lays out a thoroughly researched, chapter-by-chapter explanation on how all of the above has played a part in the rise of an individual. You might think that with all this text and facts that it would be a boring read (I thought so at first!) but the opposite is true: I found myself unable to pull away — at each turn I would be nodding my head along as I read, recognizing the pattern in history and agreeing with the points that he laid out so eloquently.
If you’ve been scratching your head wondering why some people achieve success while others don’t, then pick up Outliers. Like all his books, it is a fascinating insight into the way people think; and for this book, it’s about the common thread that links those who are successful, and those who are not. You won’t find a straight up list of what to do or what not to do. He lays out the facts for you to determine for yourself what needs to be done. It’s subtle yet direct, fleshy without being pompous and an most definitely an inspiring read throughout.
Oh, and I loved how he ended the book. I would love to hear if you did too!
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Have a great weekend everyone, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!
May Ann Licudine is an artist based in the Phillippines who has been garnering a steady fan base with her commissions (there’s people lining up to get a piece of her work!)
I am in love with her playful, colorful style, which is the usual tone done for her commissions – but I am also in awe of her graphite drawings — they remind me of Audrey Kawasaki’s girls, but hers look almost like anime characters that are more innocent. She also sculpts and draws comics — is there anything she doesn’t do?
{Thanks Camz!}
