The Tremendous 10 link roundup, #270

1. How to Stay Creative Forever | “How do writers stay in shape? They usually don’t. But writers (and all creators) do have to keep their minds in shape over the decades if they hope to maintain that career or hobby.”
2. Creative wisdom from Rick Rubin: Embrace your inner gatekeeper | “Unlock the full potential of your creativity with holistic detachment. This is the way of the editor.”
3. Gimme a break—the hows, whens, and whys of taking breaks in virtual sessions | “This may come as a surprise, but virtual sessions generally create more fatigue than in-person meetings. The combination of being seated, extended screen time, and the lack of in-person stimuli often mean that even a 90-minute session can result in participants losing focus and feeling tired.”
4. How to Spot AI-Generated Art, According to Artists | “Creatives disagree about the ethical uses of these tools, but one thing is clear: AI art identification is about to become a whole lot harder.”
5. How Florence Nightingale Changed Data Visualization Forever | “The celebrated nurse improved public health through her groundbreaking use of graphic storytelling.”
6. Action Mode | “Just 30 seconds long, no words, and it says so much. Love it.”
7. How to Focus Like It’s 1990 | “Smartphones, pings and Insta-everything have shortened our attention spans. Get some old-school concentration back with these tips.”
8. Going through the motions | “One of the many things Lynda Barry has taught me: If you don’t know what to write in your diary, you write the date at the top of the page as neatly and slowly as you can and things will come to you.”
9. How a St. Louis architectural illustrator’s work shaped many well-known fantasy worlds | “What would Batman’s Gotham City be like without its towering skyscrapers and moody energy? What would Superman’s Metropolis look like without its massive suspension bridges or the Daily Planet? Can you imagine Dorothy’s Oz without its glistening Emerald City? No one can. These well-known fantasy worlds and countless others were inspired by the illustrations of St. Louis architectural illustrator Hugh Ferriss.”
10. How to Find Attention, Mindfulness, and Creativity in the Ordinary | Bill Keaggy | TEDxVienna | I did a talk last year about my personal projects—others’ too! “In this funny talk Bill showcases some of his creative art projects. Bill Keaggy is the author of Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost and Found and 50 SAD CHAIRS. His work is an ongoing experiment in exploration, re-use, and self-publishing. Most of his projects mix art and journalism, mashing collecting with connecting. They are part formal experiment, part social document, and part wellness practice. His projects about appreciating the everyday and “the life behind the things we leave behind” have been featured in The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine, amongst others. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx.

Image: One of Florence Nightingale’s data visualization, from link #5.