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Here are 5 things I was looking at and loving this week:

1. When I walk into my office each morning with my coffee still steaming, before opening emails or other work-related things, I sit at my desk and open The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin and read a few short chapters. I find it’s a little like a meditation on starting the day in the creative headspace.

2. Speaking of creativity: In the immortal words of David Bowie, “I think it’s terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people’s expectations — they generally produce their worst work when they do that.” Now, let’s dance.

3. The Instagram page of artist Devon Rodriguez. What I love is his approach, his sincerity, and his lack of judgment. Photographers take note: “Excuse me miss, my name is Devon. I’m an artist and I love your look. I’d love to draw your portrait.” The conversations that come out of his sittings are amazing, and his work speaks for itself.

4. I loved learning that there are 12 levels of friendship in Arabic, and how it’s rare to find all 12 levels in one person.

5. I found this lovely zine called Mila Loves Rainbows in a Little Free Library. “I like to wake to see the rainbows. What I like about rainbows is…” and then she writes about the colors and how when she sees a rainbow her “eyes start to sparkle.” I’m impressed with Mila’s storytelling and her vocabulary. I love that while she may not know how to spell the word (yet), the phonetics of it are there and she’s using the words in the right context. I also love how obvious it is that this comes from the heart. Mila likes looking for rainbows with her friend Vera." After Mila makes up a song about rainbows and about how she’d like to “decorate her house in rainbows” we get to my favorite part, which says, much to my chagrin “The rest of the chapter book will be pictures.” Followed by some fun drawings of her telling this story.

   And, of course, rainbows.