We have been reflecting over the past few months about what we do here and in other places. Every week for nearly 7 years we have sent out a curation of the stories that inspire us. ‘Field Notes for Curious Minds’ arrives on a Sunday evening, brimful of optimism and positivity. It offers trails of breadcrumbs to makers, writers, photographers, designers, and artists; creatives of every hue.
In the grand scheme of things, it might be seen as lightweight … trivial.
But, as we wrote in a recent edition, in a world where it is easy to be weighed down by darkness, we all need to be able to see some light.
This is why we do what we do.
[taken from the opening words to ‘Field Notes for Curious Minds’]
In a world gone mad ...
... what do we do?
We do what we can. We control what we can control. In our little corner of the world, we seek out the light ... and the light touch. Trivialities, of course, in the grand scheme of things, but they are the things that bring us joy.
You too, perhaps?
We seek out the inspiration and the positivity.
Hope, maybe … optimism, certainly.
Why do writers write ... or artists paint ... why do cooks prepare beautiful meals ... how do comedians joke, and travellers take pictures of beautiful places unsullied by the brutal realities of a troubled world blighted by the very worst of (in)humanity.
How and why, indeed?
They do so for the moments that uplift, for the chance to transport us to 'somewhere else'.
They hope to offer an alternative to the awfulness that we can do nothing to make better.
In a world gone mad, this is what we all have to offer.
It's not much, but this is all we have.
Thank you for making my little corner of Substack brighter. Your positivity and optimism are both infectious!
Thank you you for the message