The Art of Doing

Month: December 2012

Get Smarter About Your New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions often seem most attainable in the rose-colored imaginary future that will begin just after the confetti has come down: It’s a new year, it will be a new you. But according to a survey conducted by the British psychologist Richard Wiseman 88% of all resolutions end in failure.

We’ve all been there, I’m going to join a gym and get fit this year. The first few days, even weeks, may go well. But after the initial enthusiasm wears off you no longer want to get out of bed an hour early to make it to the gym. Five days a week seems too much. So does four. Then three. By May you’re not going at all. Your original optimistic goal seems not only unattainable but a stinging rebuke.

But why do the majority of resolutions end so ignobly? Continue reading “Get Smarter About Your New Year’s Resolutions”

What Dogs Can Teach Us About
Coping with Holiday Stress

Photo by Theron Humphrey

Imagine a dog that is so habitually electroshocked that when it is presented with an opportunity to escape further shocks he or she just gives up. Instead of forming an escape plan the dog acts as if the pain is inevitable and accepts it.

Sound familiar?

During the holidays as we gather with our families many of us can feel a sense of helplessness in the face of destructive family dynamics—whether it’s the presence of a meddling aunt, an overpowering mother, a caustic uncle, bickering in-laws or an alcoholic father. Continue reading “What Dogs Can Teach Us About
Coping with Holiday Stress”

When Making Art is a Moral Dilemma

Illustration Edel Rodriguez for New York Times Op-Ed article, “Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?” Nicholas Kristof, Dec 15, 2012

Just hours after a gunman forced his way into an elementary school in Newtown, CT, killing 20 children and 6 adults including himself, Edel Rodriguez, a prolific illustrator, received a call.

The caller’s request was simple: Would Rodriguez illustrate a New York Times Opinion column on the topic of gun control and gun violence in America?

Before becoming an illustrator, Rodriguez had worked for Time Magazine as an art director. He told us,

“I became accustomed to concentrating on work even when covering some of the worst news imaginable. There was always a magazine to get out and we had to focus on telling the story.”

But, how, he wondered, could he tell this story? Continue reading “When Making Art is a Moral Dilemma”

Fifty Shades of Green, or
How I Got Over Andrew Solomon Envy

If E.L. James had based the life of her protagonist Christian Grey on a literary star instead of making him a financial master of the universe, she could have modeled his career on that of award-winning author Andrew Solomon. (Not that Mr. Solomon has ever indicated a penchant for whips and chains!) The glamorous, heady life of the fictional Mr. Grey bears some resemblance to the glamorous, heady life of the very real author Mr. Solomon whose superbook (“Far From the Tree”) sold by superagent (Andrew Wylie) to supereditor (Nan Graham) now has the supermedia giddily throwing open their doors (and pages and broadcasts and bandwith) to give Mr. Solomon and his tome a hero’s welcome. Continue reading “Fifty Shades of Green, or
How I Got Over Andrew Solomon Envy”

Kids’ Art of Doing: How Does a 12-Year-Old Prodigy Make Friends in College?

For our new section, Kids’ Art of Doing, New York University student, Carson Meyer, talked to 12-year-old prodigy Benjamin Krasner.

We’ve all seen them—the bite-sized violinist effortlessly playing Chopin or the 5-year-old with a fine art career—and wondered: What’s it really like to be a prodigy?
Continue reading “Kids’ Art of Doing: How Does a 12-Year-Old Prodigy Make Friends in College?”