Unemployment rates may still be in the double digits, but if you ask Kate, Mattan, or Matt – real jobs are so passe.

From coast to coast, one by one, my friends (and friends of friends) are quitting their jobs. Whether it be to travel, start a company, or train for the first Modern Pentathlon, they all left their high powered jobs to pursue the life fulfilled. And while there’s plenty of super successful people out there without a college degree or 3-page long CV, my friends who’ve followed the same path as these outliers are overwhelmingly.. ordinary. Without a perfect IQ score or million dollar idea in tow, they are quite simply following their passions.

Having spent far too many hours perfecting my resume and practicing for interviews, I at first just couldn’t relate. How would they survive? What would they do for food/rent/money? What does it even mean to “follow your passion?” Isn’t your job supposed to be your passion,  from 9-5 at least? I then began to take a good hard look at my daily routine. Sure I love where I work, but am I doing exactly what I want to be doing? Or am I putting in my time while more experienced coworkers call the shots? Would they even consider themselves “successful?”

I have no idea what I want in life, or where I see myself in 5-10 years. But I do know that I don’t want to look back and feel regret – for passing up experiences because it wasn’t the Acceptable thing to do, or taking the easy way out because it was more Comfortable. Having a 401K and stock options is cool, but personally I’d rather feel/smell/hear/taste/see my accomplishments now rather than wait for them to accrue over 40+ years.

So while I get back to work and punch some numbers in Excel, I’ll read about Kate getting cozy with some Belgians, Tyler getting a taste of the nomadic life, and Mattan learning how to set his own schedule. And maybe when unemployment jumps another a point I’ll quit my job too – just because I can.

So far, there are 24 Free Schools currently in operation or about to open their doors, many of which are already overflowing beyond capacity (like many of the great charter schools in the US). To read more about these schools, check out the “Back to School” Economist article.

This discussion also points to much wider themes in education: the role of alternative schools in supporting innovation, support for nurturing the creative capacity of students, and an overall sense that education systems all over the world are in need of a big overhall.

In fact, last weekend’s Mega Startup Weekend, a massive meetup of entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, included education as one of the weekend’s three special focus areas.

Lets hope that all of this great entrepreneurial energy gets translated into something usable for students of all backgrounds and income levels.

[Pic Cred: Your h&f)

Here’s a little secret – creatives and developers are ITCHING to do cool, innovative stuff and have great ideas every day. Some of these ideas might just be your agencies ticket to new clients, press, talent or revenue.

So in an industry where clients seem to be king, can agencies peel away from that work and try to function as a start-up? Create the next “big thing?”

In response, the ever-so-eloquent Tim Malbon—founder and director of a digital agency called Made By Many—blogged: “We should all do a start-up project and change the world.”

He makes you think BIGGER than agencies and brands. Read on, my friends.

[photo from geeky gadgets]

All this is accompanied by fresh graphics illustrating Gladwell’s Tipping Point and photos which are a visual smorgasbord to the world of creativity and it’s here that I discovered TED, the Sartorialist, and more. In other words, this documentary is one of the ultimate curations of “cool” and definitely worth quality time off facebook.

For more stuff from R+I Creatives, check out:

Brand Remixing

The Pursuit of Cool

This post however, isn’t about their immigrant experience (that is material for a future post); it’s actually about striking a balance between cultures, toasting at the dinner table, and taking a moment to appreciate all of the things in life you’re thankful for.

Anyway, back to the story – While my parents worked tirelessly to learn English and establish themselves in the U.S., like most immigrants, they still retained much of our Russian culture in the home. As a kid growing up in an immigrant household, I can definitely recall times when I was acutely aware of how “different” my family was from the white-picket-fence, labradoodle walking families we often saw on TV. Even when, after a few years, my parents spoke great English and had enviable jobs, we weren’t much closer to becoming the traditional American family. My mom still tried to put fish eggs (affectionately known as caviar) on much of my food, my dad still thought that the best/only career path was one that required excellent math skills, and family “parties” were really 5 hour long dinners where equal parts of herring and vodka were consumed.

For every drink, it was (and still is) customary to say a toast. The toasts would start off as pretty traditional – first to honor the person you are coming together for – for example, if it was my dad’s birthday, we would all raise our glasses to something like “This toast is for Eugene’s birthday. On this great day (fill in the blank) years ago, an honorable, smart, and loving person was born. We wish you health, happiness, and prosperity for many years to come.” Then we would clink glasses with everyone around us, being careful not to knock over the piroshki or gallon of potatoes, and take drink. A few minutes later, we would do a very similar toast, but instead honor my grandparents (for being the parents of the birthday boy), or my mom (for being the wife of the birthday boy), so on and so forth. You would probably think that by the end of the night, we would run out of material, after all, Russians aren’t known to be prohibitionists and with every drink, it’s customary to say a toast…but as the night progressed, we would keep raising our glasses to more creative topics. This could range from toasting to good weather, world peace, or a hangover free morning, to simply saying cheers to good friends or home-cooked meals.

This is what I meant when I said my family retained much of our Russian culture – after all, this is not a typical birthday party experience any American kid would have had. After growing up in this tradition for many years, I became used to it and never really thought twice about picking up my glass a couple of times an hour to pay tribute to someone or something in my life.

It wasn’t until I had an American friend over for dinner a few months back that I really stopped to think about toasting at the dinner table. I got so accustomed to my families traditions I failed to realize that for an outsider, the constant clinking of glasses to whatever topics come to mind  was a bit of a foreign concept….well, I actually didn’t even realize it, my friend had to point it out. I guess as I grew up, I stopped focusing on how my Russian family was different than that white-picket-fenced American’s next door. I embraced them (and myself) for exactly what we were and moved on to bigger, more save-the-world or what-am-I-doing-with-my-life type issues.

But as I stopped to explain the tradition to her, I realized just how much I actually like the toasting. Forget the fact that it’s very “Russian” – that has very little to do with why I like it. It’s just really nice to get together with family and friends and take a minute (well more like 30 seconds) to honor someone we love or say thanks for something we appreciate. Now if only I can remember to do that without a glass in my hand at the family dinner table….

SOPHIA, thanks for pointing all of this out and reminding me how thankful I am to be raised in such a quirky, eclectic, and loving family. Being Russian-American is a lot cooler when you actually appreciate the unique traditions that make you a Russian-American…and as for me taking a minute to say more thank you’s Russian-toast-style – Thanks for being a thoughtful friend. I wish you health, happiness, and prosperity for many years to come. Cheers.

(photo from http://youknowwhereyouare.com/make-a-toast-in-russian/)

Being thrown into a new system of education teaches you a lot about the unique qualities that define the difference with your own.

Not until my semester studying on exchange at Sciences Po Paris did I really start thinking about why we do things the way we do. That idea that an essay or presentation should begin with a thesis and then a proof? Not universal. (Who knew!)  Many of the academic customs American students have grown up with don’t apply when adapting to a philosophy as celebrated, historic, and structured as the French system.

To be clear, there are many types of universities in France and an associated hierarchy, but I’ll speak to my experiences with the Sciences Po model (exported all over the world, especially to Latin America!). I was actually taught this model in a week long methodology course with a fantastic Colombian professor who was visiting Sciences Po for the semester but was trained in the philosophy for his teaching in South America. While I do have some serious criticisms of the system, there are lots of core concepts that I really enjoyed learning how to adopt:

1. Its all about the question

Its easy to take for granted that a paper should begin with the answer. And, its equally easy to expect that you’ll be assigned a question that needs answering. At Sciences Po, the strength of an assignment is defined by the strength of its “problematique“, or question. I was given topics like “Islamic Cities and Globalization” and was then expected to use them as guidance for the process of question creation. Results were as specific as “Can an architecturally Islamic city maintain its identity after being re-designed by Western city planners?”.

The process of searching for connections between ideas, time periods, regions, and philosophies (all with the goal of finding the perfect question) turned out to be a large portion of the learning that resulted from the paper. Even though I’ve taken some English or Philosophy courses in the US that have followed this style, I think the American system as a whole could learn a lot from a focus on exploration and question creation. At Sciences Po, the answer comes at the end of an argument. As I was told many times, “if you ask the right question, the answer will follow easily”.

2. Mixing intense formal structure with subject freedom can produce the most clear (and creative) results

The structure: Intro, Part 1 (then subpart 1 and 2), Part 2 (then subpart 1 and 2), Conslusion

Saying that this format is important to the Sciences Po model would be an understatement. In fact, its so much a partof the culture that Facebook invitations for parties would mockingly follow the same 2 part, subpart form! Talk about drilled into your mind from day 1. Each section, especially the intro, has very specific guidelines. The format is generally designed for 10 minute oral presentations called exposes, a crucial (and very time consuming) part of each Sciences Po course.

At first, I thought this thing was ridiculous. How could I possibly fit an argument into this reductive framework?  I still think exposes are a huge waste of class time, but generally I learned to love the format. Being forced to truly refine a concept, cut the BS, cut the extraneous details, cut the fluff (or as the french say: chantilly) made for some really tight arguments that were probably the clearest I’ve ever been able to organize.

Point is, having an open ended topic and the charge of developing a problematique works perfectly within a rigidly structured framework. Freedom of topic + rigidity of structure = total win.

3. A grading system where perfection is impossible is… perfect

All grades are out of 20. As it was explained to me: 20= God, 19= Sartre, 18= the professor, and anything 15-17 is pretty darn good. 10s are passing, and its not that uncommon to not pass a class. The message I got was that further exploration, refinement of concept, and connection of ideas is always always possible. Receiving a 20 would almost symbolize a  certain cap on responsibility to continue exploring. Even though some say the system is too harsh, I really enjoyed the challenge. Knowing that you can’t be perfect is a huge stress relief in itself!

To sum up, especially if you’re interested in becoming an educator, experiencing a new system of education is the best way to learn about what makes your own so unique. I absolutely loved the experience of being forced to think according to new structures and to approach familiar topics with a different toolbox. Would love to try out the British system next… (grad school!). Always looking for new ways to be a fish out of water for a little bit! And, in the end, I do miss the giant smoke cloud that was the Sciences Po entryway!

Thanks to fellow HauzMate Julius for all the laughs during long nights of Sci Po studying!

Those who support gaming cite a number of benefits such as stress release, increased cognitive function, new relationships and team building. Joi Ito, the new head of MIT’s Media Lab, said that he learned most of his leadership skills from being a guild leader in World of Warcraft. Nintendo used a semantic search service to study what users online were discussing in regards to its Wii, and found that a large group of users were using it for stroke rehabilitation and physical therapy (the company began to tailor its games accordingly). An Oxford research study found that playing Tetris within 6 hours after a trauma greatly reduces the risk of flashbacks.

While I do believe that games provide individuals with a sense of accomplishment, camaraderie, and perhaps a social outlet where they may not have one, the risk of taking things to an extreme has had serious consequences. A 22 year-old mother killed her infant son after he interrupted her FarmVille game. A teen killed his mother and shot his father after they took away Halo 3 from him, the Judge stated “the teen was so obsessed over a video game that he may have believed that, like characters in the game, death wasn’t real.” Anders Behring Breivik who killed over 85 individuals at a Norwegian summer camp left this note in a 1500 page Manifesto:

“I just bought Modern Warfare 2, the game. It is probably the best military simulator out there and it’s one of the hottest games this year … I see MW2 more as a part of my training-simulation than anything else. I’ve still learned to love it though and especially the multiplayer part is amazing. You can more or less completely simulate actual operations.”

One could argue that these extreme cases get a disproportionate amount of media coverage and are outliers when dropped into the pool of total gamers, but it is difficult to take such severity lightly. In what some have called the Golden Age of video game development, the realism with which games are created will continue increase and with millions sold per year they are here to stay. Will this allow for even greater benefits to users, or will it propagate addiction and violent acts?

I recently moved to New York, and went through that painful process of reducing down my giant stash of stuff to two large suitcases. During the mess of selling, throwing away, donating, and trading things for food, I was reminded daily of our ridiculous tendencies to amass so many…things.

Why do we feel the need to solely own a lawn mower we use for one hour a week? Or why do we spend so much money on a car/huge-hunk-of-steel that sits parked for 95% of every day?

Collaborative Consumption challenges our thinking of not only what we seem to need but our mental models of ownership that lead to a giant stash of “stuff” that we hide away in extra storage rooms and rental containers.

I think this infographic by the ever-innovative Collaborative Fund is a super sweet starting point on the topic of CollCons. Designed by the talented Kelli Anderson (who also makes this ridiculous Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fudge that’ll reduce your taste buds to elated-yet-never-to-savor-anything-as-wonderful shadows of their former taste bud selves), the infographic blows out a depiction of a home and the various platforms people are using to rent/share/re-sell household items.

Think… the Zipcar model for all your other stuff…or innovating on the spirit behind Craigslist’s massive resell economy. It’s a story of the potential that exists when you realize you don’t need that one thing you bought that one time for that one reason, there’s just a better, social, more human way to do what you need to do.

For more delicious, related morsels:

CollaborativeConsumption.com

Rachel Botsman (TED Talk)

What’s Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption

Collaborative Fund

(image courtesy of http://blog.envirosax.com/)

With so much fantastic online content produced every day, great curators are more important than ever. From SwissMiss to Brain Pickings to Cool Hunting, amazing minds are helping us distill all that information into a vision of whats just plain cool.

Maria Popova, author of Brain Pickings and one of the best curators out there, did a great CreativeMornings talk on the value of remix culture and the creative importance of connecting diverse ideas and concepts. More than an explanation of her own work, this visually annotated transcript shares the inspiring philosophy that truly innovative ideas are developed by bringing together existing bits of inspiration and recombining them. Popova explains it best herself:

The idea that in order for us to truly create and contribute to the world, we have to be able to connect countless dots, to cross-pollinate ideas from a wealth of disciplines, to combine and recombine these pieces and build new castles.

No matter what it is your working on, this is a piece of wisdom that you’ll probably want to visit more than once — I know I will. (Best read of my week for sure). PS. Thanks KEVIN for sharing. Check it out: Maria Popova: Networked Knowledge and Combinatorial Creativity

At least Reich gets us thinking about how we can turn this thing around.  While he idealistically takes on overwhelmingly huge issues like the shipping of business overseas and the power of financial institutions, I find myself drawn to his line stating that millions of Americans are already be waiting in the wings to be mobilized… they are “mobilizable.”

My question is, “to what end?”  Where will we see the next groundswell?  Do we see the US take the lead on green energy and start providing millions of new jobs in this area, or do we now lack the comparative technological advantage to make us leaders in anything, anymore? Or do we all turn against the financial institutions and do a switcheroo role reversal on them where we put the boss-hat back on?

I’m down for whatever. Revolution, anyone?

Check out Reich’s article here.

During my freshman year at UC Berkeley, I would subconsciously spend tons of time in a local card shop called Avant Card. It made me happy to walk around the small store housing rows of quirky, sentimental greeting cards.

Then I noticed that I would often touch the designs on some. The letters were subtle imprints made into thick, beautiful paper.

Little did I know that the style had a name: letterpress.

To put it simply, letterpress is a nearly ancient printing method that has been evolving with time, especially recently. The history dates back to when the printing press was invented (think: Johannes Gutenberg, 15^th century). Traditionally, printers use individual wood or metal letters to set the design, and in our digital age they also use custom-designed plates.

What this video that explains the process simply and beautifully.

Why I love it:

• Craft: There’s a level of artistry that goes into every step of the process. From choosing a particular typeface (or set of typefaces) to ensuring that the design just “kisses” the paper to make the imprint, letterpress requires care as much as it requires deft hands.
• Quality: Letterpress ain’t cheap, as are organic foods and custom-made anythings. But the quality (or perceived quality, depending on your stance) is what your money gets you. Each print is slightly different from the next, and each one is a work of art to be cherished.
• Effect: There’s a joy to creating and receiving a work that’s handcrafted. It’s like receiving snail mail in this e-communication filled world! The printing process is also interestingly therapeutic—once you get into the rhythm, it just feels oh so good.

Next steps…

This past summer I was in New York City and got to attend an awesome, free, monthly “breakfast lecture for creative types” called Creative Mornings (holla, HauzKeeper Kevin!). Yancey Strickler, the co-founder of Kickstarter, spoke, and our nametags had a fill-in-the-blank. Here’s what mine said:

It actually got me thinking about putting that after… “I would love to get funding on Kickstarter for:” And once my mind set off in that direction, it hasn’t gone back. It’s actually turned into something more like: a student-run, collaborative letterpress studio open and accessible to all. Dream big! And if you need something to kickstart (ha..) that kind of thinking, watch some Creative Mornings talks, ask a friend to think with you, whatever.

Before even thinking about setting up a studio, though, I should learn the basics, no?

So, I’m carving out some time and money to get “certified” in letterpress printing at the San Francisco Center for the Book. I’m giving up four Saturdays (and a few more in the future) to do this, and it’s a bit scary. What if I need my Saturdays to rest? Or study? Or…? But I’m gonna go for it.

I’m not sure where it’ll take me, but I think this may be what people mean when they say to “follow your heart.”

(Image credits!):
http://btglondon.com/2010/08/retro-letterpress/

Sometimes I’m intimidated by editing code (I did in fact lock myself out of sharehauz the first time I tried to edit the code… woops!) This site has great explanations and tutorial vids for non-web designers. Even if you’re not interested in being an expert, just knowing the vocabulary and basic language is a huge help. Time to get your HTML and CSS on.

Check it out: Don’t Fear the Internet

Almost 200 days ago, I started a project called Create Every Day. Yes, it’s just as mind-blowingly complicated as it sounds, I create something every day (flexible on the something).  The so-called magic allegedly happens somewhere around 1am each night, when I carve out a little me-time to photograph, photoshop, doodle, craft, code, cook, etc.

I’ll tell you now, it’s not all inspiration and rainbows.  Sometimes I giggle to myself with excitement as I animate small cutouts of mini-Kevins diving into an empty boxed wine container and other times I begrudgingly pull myself out of bed to lazily photoshop a burger on a Banksy painting.  Yet so far, this open-ended journey has provided some new perspective on not only what it means to be “creative” but also how to maintain a habit through thick and thin.

Hence, here’s five delicious scoops of that perspective sundae–a couple things I’ve learned from Creating Every Day:

1. Define Your Zone

Keep doing your work in that favorite spot, keep listening to that certain special song on repeat, keep wearing that pair of headphones. Physical cues and a familiar environment can definitely get you in the right mood (hehe). This is not to say you won’t still get frustrated or stuck, but defining your space and associating an act with tangible cues can help move you along.

2. Create Constraints

…Even if they’re random and arbitrary. I’ve definitely had nights where I’ve been at a loss until I said to myself, “Ok. I’m going to make something clever out of this salt and pepper shaker.” Asking yourself to produce something from nothing is a pressure cooker situation. Asking yourself to get clever with a certain set of resources is a manageable puzzle. Get all MacGyver on it. Work within constraints.

3. Start Moving

Sometimes you just gotta put your pen to the pad and start doodling. I just heard a great quote from Chuck Close in Andrew Zuckerman’s “Wisdom” project (so good),

Inspiration is for amateurs.

If you plan to wait for the skies to part, the movie montage music to fade in, and other convenient magical events (e.g. the entire plot of all seven Harry Potter books), you’re not going to create a lot of work. Sit down, start in, and get to it. Connections will emerge, and things will come.

4. Know How the Good Stuff Tastes

I think there’s a certain feeling you get when you become truly excited about what you’ve made. For me, I become that slightly odd person smiling and laughing to himself in the corner. And when I turn into that giddy school girl I know I’m doing my best work.  Know what it feels like when you’re in the groove. It’s obviously not going to happen all the time, but it’ll keep you honest and remind you of why you’re there.

5. Embrace the Just Because

I feel like there’s a lot of focus on following the process, doing your research, and making purposeful choices when it comes to creative output. Don’t get me wrong, that’s important. Nonetheless sometimes I think you need to feel free to make brash decisions. Follow your gut, do something just because you think it’s awesome, and don’t sweat it too much.  That contrast between well thought out elements and sprinkles of instinctual unpredictability keeps it interesting.

I find a lot of my creations not particularly special. if you pick apart every single morsel, there’s no way they’ll all be shiny and radiant. I think it’s when you look at the sum of that day to day and recognize the type of basic human love you need to “do you” day in and day out, things get interesting.

The journey continues (looking to make 365 days,) and I’m curious to see what happens.  But as with many things, I think it’s important s to just take it one day at a time.

But this isn’t a happy story.  Most of the tomatoes we eat are picked by migrant farm workers, some of the poorest workers in the country.  When I was a sophomore in college a migrant worker came to speak to my class on a campaign to raise migrant worker wages.  Their hope?  To increase the amount tomato farmers got paid four cents per 32lb. bucket, from 41 to 45 cents.  They had already convinced one major fast food chain to make the switch, and were trying to get the three or four others on board.

Migrant tomato farmers, many of which work in the southeast United States, make around $6500-$10000 per year.  They also have to deal with some of the worst health risks of any profession.  In their off-time, they often share mobile homes with up to twelve other workers.

Second:  I’m going to be a lawyer someday.  Probably.

When I was applying to law school, I retold the story of the migrant workers campaigning for four cents per tomato basket as part of my personal statement.  It relayed why I wanted to be a lawyer:  if you can’t convince businesses to pay their workers properly, why not force them?

In hindsight it was a bit naïve of me to thing I could get a JD and play enforcer for corporate social responsibility.  One year in law school has pretty much dashed the dream that I can graduate and champion causes immediately.  At least for migrant workers, there are serious legal obstacles that prevent lawyers from helping improve conditions.  It’s clear to me now that the issue is a lot more complicated than going Legally Blond on fast food companies.  Lawyers are going to need a lot of help from other responsible workers—from politicians to businessman—to make much headway on the issue.

Third:  It’s a good time to be young.

Photo by Bob Jagendorf

Despite my vision of my career path drastically changing in the last year, I’m more hyped than ever.  You don’t have to wait to be forty to make serious noise these days.  In fact, being young might be an advantage.  With everything increasingly technological, there are a number of ways to reach out to people, to innovate even in entrenched fields like law, and to fit the world to you instead of fitting yourself to the world.  Here are my humble suggestions:

1.)    Make friends:  What you can’t do, someone else can.  Maybe it isn’t as simple suing companies for migrant workers.  But my blogging and tweeting friends can spread the word.  Me and my lawyer friends can get involved in workers rights clinics and pro bono firms.  My business friends can help craft incentives that help businesses proactively change.  Friends are as cool as tomatoes.  I’m confident my friends could MacGuyver pretty much anything into existence.

2.)    Diversify:  We’re young.  We have lots of time to learn.  When I entered law school, I wanted to do a dual degree.  One of my past professors told me, “You’re too smart to just be a lawyer.”  I think he was just being nice, but he had a point:  we’re all too smart to just be one thing.  Don’t just be a lawyer.  Be a lawyer-lobbyist.  But a lawyer activist.  Be a lawyer-blogger-activist.  A Blawgactivist.  If you’re a designer, you probably already have four twitters, two tumblrs, and a website.  Pick up a political issue.  I guarantee you, not many politically-minded people have the design skills you have.  Put a new spin on it.  See if it goes anywhere.  Refuse a single label and dabble a bit.  Your degree (or lack of a degree) doesn’t define you.

3.)    Start Something Meaningful:  Combine your skills, put it towards a purpose, and see how that combination differs from what else is out there.  Chances are you’ll never be the best lawyer, businessperson, designer, or consultant in your area.  But few other people have the same interests and experiences that you do.  Start something unique to you and make it meaningful.  Side-projects are great.  Side-projects with a purpose (SWAPs?) are beautiful.

4.)    Conquer:  Even after having my big-bad-lawyer dreams squashed, I’m still a bit idealistic.  I still want to help people like the migrant tomato workers, and I believe we can.   Make a plan that Start something small you think might grow into something big, and see if you can knock a few ghosts out of the corporate closet (or otherwise).  Have a ten year plan to start a small business or a nonprofit or a firm, but start a blog, a club, or a volunteer project on the topic now.   Even if you’re not a fan of tomatoes, the world is a big place.  I promise there is something meaningful out there you care about.  You can probably contribute in a way not many others can.

I’m rooting for you.  Your own blawgobbyist on your side.

For more about tomatoes and some of the progress that has already been made, check out these articles:

http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/migrant-tomato-workers-face-chronic-abuses

http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics/2009/09/chipotle-tomatoes-labor-friendly-companies

From quasi warehouses of great art like the Louvre to boutique museums with exhibits of experimental work like David Hockney’s pop images on iPad, all museums tell a different story. The best ones, I think, share a vision that is cohesive, have a direct point of view, and propose an impression of a particular period, style, artist, or concept.

Though the Louvre is one of the most impressive museums in the world (in terms of size and breadth), to me it represents more a cataloged archive. There are a few exhibits that make contemporary comparisons and have a direct voice, but for the most part its defined by rooms and rooms of works organized by period, style, and region. This is definitely a specific type of museum (one that’s common) with certain functions and expectations, primarily suited for research and less for casual browsing. My favorite museums and exhibits, though, are smaller, more intimate, and more focused.

One of the best I’ve visited recently was a small (5 room) collection at an architecture museum in Paris comparing photos from Charles Marville’s pre and post Haussmann city reforms. I think about these photos all the time because I really spent time with each one, observing the comparison, thinking about the city today, and wondering if Haussmann’s reforms were justified. The exhibit had a simple theme but perfect execution, making it easy to walk away with a totally changed perspective about the city I was living in.

Of course, an exhibit with a massive balloon sculpture in an art nouveau palace (above: “Monumenta” by Anish Kapoor) will always leave a lasting impression, but the larger point is that focusing on a few pieces at a time is crucial to leaving museum goers with a thesis (and a parting idea to ponder). I can’t even count how many times I’ve been to a museum and have left with only a memory of blurred images, sounds, and crowds. More than anything, its exhausting to try to absorb everything (hello, art fatigue).

Leave yourself time for museum-ing. Don’t feel pressured to see every floor of blockbuster works, because you’ll actually learn a lot more if you don’t. Spend time on a few key pieces or just one exhibit. Sit with each piece, observe the details and think about how it compares to what’s displayed around it. And, if you really want to appreciate what you’re looking at, try sketching it. The first time I did this (George Braque’s “Violin and Candlestick“) I was amazed at the level of detail, wit, and technical perfection that was lost to the eye that only glanced for 10 seconds.

As soon as it all feels less like a curious adventure and more like work, leave, reflect, and come back another day for the rest.

The following is an archive with brief descriptions of the 45 museums I somehow made it to from January-May of this year as I was studying in Paris and traveling around Europe. Going to this many in such a short period of time was an amazing experience, but definitely lead to a bit of  art fatigue. Time for a little break, but I’m sure I’ll be back at it soon, with all of the great exhibits still left to see in San Francisco! (Above image is from the Pick Me Up print exhibit at Somerset House, London)

1. Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam) - Loved the collection of Asian-inspired Van Gogh work (never knew that he even did paintings with Chinese characters, let alone ones that are fake and don’t actually mean anything!)
2. Tate Modern (London) – Visited for the fantastic Ai Weiwei sunflower seeds exhibit. Was fascinating to see all of the little porcelain seeds as well as a great short film explaining the project. Definitely one of my favorite museums in the world because of its fantastic permanent collection and great organization
3. Somerset House (London) - Had the fantastic “Pick Me UP” contemporary graphic art fair when I visited, basically rooms and rooms of print makers and graphic designers showcasing their work and process (inspired a continuing interest in print making!)
4. Prado (Madrid) – Room after room of Spanish masters, royal portraits, and textbook favorites
5. Reina Sofia (Madrid) – A fantastically designed museum with some of the most important works from the last century, notably Picasso’s “Guernica”. I had noidea how large the work was, but it takes up a whole room which feels almost like a church built for the painting
6. Circulo de Bellas Artes (Madrid) – Has a fantastic roof view, performance space, and some lesser known pieces from some of the Spanish masters. An overall eclectic place
7. Museo Picasso (Barcelona) – An overall unimpressive Picasso collection except for a great comparison of Picasso’s rendition of Velasquez’s “Las Meninas” and direct video comparisons to the original – super cool
8. The Alhambra (Granada) – Amazing Moorish architecture, gorgeous tile work, walls that look like embroidered lace, spectacular views of the countryside, a place to put at the top of your lifetime bucket list
9. Pinakothek der Moderne (Munich) – Had a fantastic exhibit of architectural photography and some more theoretical interpretations of art criticism that I haven’t seen in a museum setting before – cool and well done
10. Alte Pinakothek (Munich) – The German master classics if you’re into that
11. Brandhorst (Munich) – Thanks to a really impressive partnership with Cy Tombly, this gorgeous museum had rooms and rooms of monumental works including a rose series and legendary ship battle series
12. New Acropolis Museum (Athens) – Has some great free-standing statues that are fantastic to see up close, especially after a trip to the Acropolis next door
13. Museum of Cycladic Art (Athens) – One of the worlds finest collections of cycladic figures. Gorgeous stuff that definitely anticipates more modern geometric shapes and forms. Completely ahead of its time if you ask me
14. New Museum (New York City) – Very theoretical, but cool (and has a great roof-top view). Especially love the idea behind the ad campaign that launched the museum.
15. SF MOMA (San Francisco) – Great current exhibit on the Picasso and Matisse collection of Gertrude Stein. I had no idea she was from the Bay Area! Definitely paints a well thought out story of here life as a collector and visionary

30 Paris Museums and Art Fairs in (Breif) Review – The length of this list is partially the result of a weekly “Cultural Wednesday” date with a few friends at school that we kept up pretty well. Thanks Ilona and Tom for all the fun times and chocolat chaud! (above image is Monet’s waterlilies at L’Orangerie, Paris)

1. Palais de Tokyo – Had one of my most bizarre museum experiences ever here – wound up in a deserted (windy) warehouse with multiple german films simultaneously projected on concrete walls. Visit if you want to see the (often strange) avant guard exhibits.
2. Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton - Fantastic contemporary collections that have nothing to do with the brand. It begins with a ride to the top of the building in a pitch black fuzzy elevator, where you’re meant to cleanse the senses.
3. Musée Rodin – Classic because of its gardens, impressive collection, and the way the sculptures shine thanks to the massive open windows and impressive architectural space.
4. Musée Carnavalet – When I went, a great Louis Vuitton retrospective on the development of the iconic trunk was at this must-see museum of Paris’ history.
5. Musée Quai Branly – A completely underrated Asian, African, and Oceanic art museum that has fantastic contemporary architecture and a great garden.
6. Cité d’Architecture – As a city planning nerd, one of my favorites! Saw great exhibits on social housing reform and global cites’ new mandate to interact with nature.
7. L’Orangerie – Monet’s famous water lilies, les Nymphéas, are perfectly displayed in circular halls in this museum.
8. Jeu de Paume – Contemporary pieces including some interesting multi-screen short films and experimental political works. Wouldn’t be top of my list though for a short visit.
9. Fondation Pierre Bergé YSL – Though infrequent, the small exhibits here are very impressive. I saw David Hockney sur iPad, a really creative and new way to combine pop with modern tech.
10. Musée des Arts Décoratifs – Though connected to the Louvre, not many wind up here. There are always great furniture retrospectives as well as quirky things like the history of toys or pool floats.
11. Musée de la Mode et du Textile – Part of the Musee des Arts Deco, this great little museum has fashion retrospectives featuring different time periods and stylistic trends.
12. Centre Georges Pompidou – One of my favorites because of its amazing inside-out architecture, bold contemporary collections, and excellent presentations of classics like Piet Mondrian.
13. Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris – Bit of a weird place next to the Palais de Tokyo. I missed the Basquiat exhibit, but the following one on the Canadian Haute Culture movement seemed a little forced.
14. Musée National du Moyen Age (Museé de Cluny) – Small museum, but has some cool swords and things. Probably cool if you’re into this time period more so than I am.
15. Academie d’Architecture – Small boutique museum, but had a really memorable exhibit of photographs depicting Paris before and after Haussmann. Really enjoyed it!
16. Musée du Louvre – Go to see the blockbuster works quickly and then escape to the smaller rooms. Try Friday nights when it’s less crowded. Not my favorite place in terms of museum experience, but it’s definitely something to see.
17. Musée d’Orsay – I’m not a huge fan of Impressionism in general, but a lot of people consider this their favorite Paris museum. The old train station architectural setting is a great backdrop for all of the French Impressionist masterpieces held here.
18. Petit Palais – Saw a fantastic father-daughter photo exhibit here on classic Paris and oppression in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Lots of great exhibits come through here.
19. Grand Palais – Though public exhibits are infrequent, they are fantastic when they do happen. Went to Art Paris, a high end art gallery fair, and Monumenta by Anish Kapoor. Both were great and also an excuse to see the amazing art nouveau glass and iron ceiling. A must must see.
20. Maison Européenne de la Photographie – Really impressive place that isn’t on everyone’s major museum list. Saw a moving exhibit on Vietnam War photography as well as some amazing photos of contemporary Brazilian dance movements and urban party culture.
21. Maison de Victor Hugo – You can see lots of Hugo’s personal items, but there was also a great color photo exhibit on de Beauvoir and Sartre when I went. This museum is about more than just Hugo – check out the frequent exhibits on other writers and artists.
22. Bon Marché Exhibits – Saw a great little Dior exhibit here, awkwardly placed at the time of Galliano’s firing, but still a great afternoon visit.
23. Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain – I happened to go for the Moebis comic exhibit, which wasn’t really my thing, but its a cool place with continuously changing programs.
24. Institut du Monde Arabe – Go for the amazing architecture and the rooftop view. The exhibits are ok, but nothing special.
25. 59 Rue de Rivoli – A really eclectic art squat with 6 or 7 floors of messy art studios and (seemingly drunk or crazy) artists. Fun place to stop by. Very strange given its location on one of Paris’ major tourist streets.
26. Musée Maillol – This small (expensive) museum in the 6th had a great Miro sculpture exhibit, but its permanent collection isn’t worth visiting.
27. Musée Jacquemart-André – Waited in line for 45 minutes to see the Caillebotte brothers exhibit, but it was worth it. Beautiful building and thoughtfully put together exhibit.
28. Paris Art and Design Fair – Cool experience. Saw lots of fancy galleries and equally fancy people buying the art. Definitely lots of bizarre social interactions between both parties. Lots of completely overrated contemporary stuff, though.
29. Salon d’Agriculture – Lots of cows. and more cows. But it was cool to see the big exhibition spaces and learn more about the different French regional specialties.
30. Pavillion d’Arsenal – Another city planning nerd place to go, this is a great free museum on Paris’ urban history as well as its new architecture and planning projects.