What I’m Reading: Freakonomics – Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

This book has been on the back burner for a while now, but I’m really glad I got around to reading it. Unlike most of my reading list, Freakonomics doesn’t focus on a central theme. Rather, Levitt and Dubner take us through some interesting questions and show us how conventional wisdom may be easily broken if we only look at the right data. The book is filled with great studies and anecdotes, It’s got me thinking a lot on how similar situations may be dealt with in our lives.

What I’m up struggling with: Free Time

It’s been a while since I’ve had so much time to myself. I’ve mostly been working back to back to back for about 8 months now. I’m now confronted with (entierly on purpose) by a ton of free time. It’s really great to be able to relax but I constantly find myself going a little bit insane. I think this time will serve as a great creative resource but also as a nice mental reset.

What I can’t get out of my head: This TED Talk

I watched this about a week ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Though Shirky directs most of his examples towards internet culture (that is his specialty after all) it also applies almost directly to everything we do as artists, especially in the theater. I think it’s easy to rail against the institution as collaborators but Shirky draws some interesting conclusions on the application of both.

The quote I’m thinking about: “You must respect the body you are trying to heal”

What if that body is an institution, a system, an industry?