I continued working on my 3d box sculpture in progress in my last post. My sculpture will be in an exhibit at Caplan Art Designs in October this year. I worked on filling in the lettering of the elephants “mural” and more on the elephant herself.

Since as I work on this sculpture I’m thinking about thinking I also did two newsletters this week: one about my notebook/sketchbook process itself and another newsletter showing locations where I do my notebook/sketchbook process.

One of the ways I try to practice thinking outside the box, the box of our current snap-judgement era, is to stay off the hard binary extremes of reverence and rejection as best I can. [There’s a good article about the false dilemma thinking bias here.] I can remember that if I like something I don’t have to hold it so sacred that I get upset if someone questions that thing I like. Similarly if I don’t like something I don’t have to be upset if someone else doesn’t share my view. My feelings don’t have to be set in concrete around one of the two poles like/dislike. I can remember that there are often many degrees of nuance between them. I can reserve judgement. I can change my mind as I learn more I don’t have to express a strong opinion, I can even have no opinions at all. I can encourage the development of my own spirit of reasonableness and compassion. I can encounter the complex world without needing to immediately put things into simplistically labled boxes. In fact I find it useful to occassionally encounter things as if I’ve never seen them before. Kindof like this meme a friend shared with me.

Anyhoo here’s my sketchbook page…

This week on my newsletter I shared my illustrated thoughts about developing our mental lives by making available a downloadable  ebook version of one of my sketchbooks that is on the topic of reading books. There’s a printed version of it available here.

Speaking of books and thinking: I’m currently reading an anthology “Stories Of Books And Libraries” edited by Jane Holloway. I’m enjoying the pleasant pastoral survey over a large span of time of all things bibliophiles like me might relate to or appreciate. Of course I like some of the stories more or less than others… in many ways reading this book is similar to opening and indulging in a finely crafted box of assorted chocolates.

And yes, the napkin you see in the photo with the book is a small cocktail size napkin printed with one of my designs from my sketchbook.  I like the cocktail size napkins for use during breakfast. Here’s a look at my coffee and books sketch.

I hope your week is pleasant and full of nuances to choose amongst and enjoy.

See you next Monday.