Friday. The 13 Arts, Faith and Community Links you Need to Visit.

This week I've got 13 more links about art, faith and community for you. We'll learn a bit about all there is to learn, listen to some new music from Leonard Cohen, meet a young songwriter named Braden Gates and carve out some sacred space. Sound good? Dive in.

1. Before you go reading any of this stuff, remember that knowing does not necessarily make you wise. This charming animation reveals a great truth for our times from Maria Popova; Knowledge DOES NOT EQUAL wisdom. 
2. This is Leonard #CohenWeek folks! Why? Because on September 21, the legend turns 80. And because CBC Radio 2 says so. To celebrate, Cohen releases his 13th album, Popular Problems, next week. If you can't wait that long, you can have a 'first play' right here, right now.
3. Speaking of Leonard Cohen, you have read his poem, God is Alive, Magic is Afoot, right? Maybe you'd rather if Cohen read it to you?
4. While we're onto words, do you like quotes about creativity? How about 45 creativity quotes in one post?
5. And while we're onto music, last weekend at Kaleido I stumbled upon Braden Gates in a back alley. It was, perhaps, the best possible way to discover this local folk gem. 
6. Amid the roar of the new U2 album, no one is really talking about the music. Well, neither is this guy, until the end of this insightful New Yorker article on U2's Christianity.
7. While U2 gives an album away for free, many of us wonder how to make any money off of music. New models keep emerging, like my friend Jonathan J Bower's 'kick-ender' campaign. Have a listen and support great music.
8. Wonder what it's like to start something you know little to nothing about - like a business? Listen to the process on a new podcast from the Producer of This American Life at http://hearstartup.com/.
9. Of course, here's what might really happen when you follow your bliss.
10. But there are plenty of resources to help you succeed. CARFAC is launching a new series of Webinars (online seminars over Wednesday lunch hours) for just $15 each - and less if you register for all six at once. The series covers topics ranging from Marketing 2.0 to Doing Business With Commercial Galleries and crafting the Perfect Portfolio.
11. How do you get the important stuff done? Here's how the most successful people manage their time.
12. Rather than doing any of this, you might want to carve out a sacred space for deep thinking.
13. You can get some good tips on crafting your own Sacred Space through a weekly Sabbath from the folks behind the Sabbath Manifesto. They've been slowing down lives since 2010.

Friday's Kaleidoscope of 13 Finds

I know the sky has not shone brightly, but surely there is yet some joy to be found? Look no further, in fact, than this magical kaleidoscope of 13 artistic finds!

1. The title of this week's post is a wink and a nod to this weekend's fabulous Kaleido Festival. If you've never been, you NEED to check this out. If you have been, you'll be back I'm sure. Did I mention people dance on walls? Here's what I had to say about it last year.
2. And our friend Karla Adolphe will be there. And here, too. Oh, and here, too.
3. Want to know what an Arts Potluck looks like? What do people share? Who shows up? What they recommend? You can find all of this and more on my recap of last Friday's event.
4. Jonathan J Bower is a musician I met at the Glen Workshop this summer. He just put out a great album, and launched a Kickstarter to pay for post-production of Hope, Alaska. I love this way of supporting an artist and his work so directly. 
5. I recorded a demo of a song inspired by words and images emailed to me from participants of the recent JusticeCAMP: Land event. I hope you like it.
6. Aaron Srumpel, synthesizers and the Book of James collide.
7. While we're on music, maybe you're a U2 fan and maybe you're not. Either way, you've likely heard by now that the new U2 album is free for all 500 million plus iTunes users in the world. You may also, like me, have had troubles finding and downloading the free gift. In my opinion, Songs of Innocence is a very solid release from U2 and worth the listen. If you are still wondering how to get yours, this article from CNET makes it simple.
8. If you are a U2 fan, you likely have The Joshua Tree already. But if you don't, you need it. You can get it for just $5.99 from iTunes right now, along with all other U2 albums on sale.

9. "Good books tell the truth, even when they're about things that never have been and never will be. They're truthful in a different way" - Stanisław Lem (from Good Reads)

10. I had the pleasure of watching the film Enough Said on Netflix recently. It is a warm and real romantic comedy with great writing. It is also good to watch Julia Louis-Dreyfus bumble awkwardly for a couple of hours. She's just so good at it. If you are a Netflix subscriber, you can watch it here.
11. Speaking of movies, remember how terrifying these end-times movies were? Watching these as a kid led to issues therapy could probably help me with. Somehow, being from the 70's only makes them scarier now.
12. I've been reading Anne Lamott, a Christian author who would likely have strong disagreements with the rapture theology presented in the aforementioned film. Her book, Bird By Bird, is a classic for writers. Oh, and she's on Twitter.
13. Surely you have enough time to check out these links? After all, you have 168 hours this week. How are you using them?

Friday Finds: Embracing Critics, Making Plans and Doing Nothing

Welcome to a brand new feature on The Bleeding Heart Art Space Blog. The goal? To curate a weekly collection of links about art, faith, hope and love. Each week I come across many ‘goodies’ and events that I’d love to share, but have had no proper venue for doing so. Consider this ‘grab bag’ approach a way of getting it all out there - taking the best and brightest and sharing it with you.

I hope you enjoy!

Embracing Your Critics: A Video That Will Inspire You to Tears from Brené Brown

Brené Brown is someone who studies love, vulnerability and community. She studies them. Scientifically. Her findings seem to lead us closer to the life we are invited to in Christ’s Kingdom, methinks.

This video is not a short watch, but it is worth every moment. I teared up. I got inspired. I wanted to put myself out there and risk my heart.

I discovered this video thanks to the fine folks at 99u.com, whose email newsletter comes highly recommended.

You can also find more videos from Brene Brown on The Work Of The People here (thanks to Nova on Facebook for the tip).

CS Lewis Thinks the Hobbit “May Well Prove a Classic”

I’m sure this is not news, but the second instalment of The Hobbit film comes out today. To celebrate, here is a reprint of a review the CS Lewis did of Tolkien’s book when it first came out. Thanks to Jordan Majeau for tipping me onto this one.

http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2013/11/19/c-s-lewis-reviews-the-hobbit-1937/

Weekend Plans: Yule Ave

Yule Ave is a remarkable weekend of Christmas cheer on Alberta Ave. It’s free, and focussed on breaking through the commercial clutter of Christmas. Things kick off tonight with carolling at The Carrot, and a Christmas variety show called Yule Ave: A Blast, which The Bleeding Heart gets to be part of. We cannot wait, and we hope you’ll join us.

All the details can be found on the Yule Ave website at http://www.yuleave.ca.

SIDE NOTE: The Yule Ave website was built and is hosted by The Bleeding Heart Art Space as part of our sponsorship of this great event!

Summer Plans: Join Me at The Glen Workshop for Some Transformation

Sometimes when you hit that ‘buy now’ button your heart just flutters with giddy glee. This week I felt that excitement as I registered for The Glen Workshop West in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Glen just recently announced their 2014 dates and plans and opened up for registrations.

I am especially excited for two reasons. First, this year marks Image Journal’s 25th Anniversary, and there are some surprises in store. Second, I’ll be taking songwriting for a week with Over The Rhine.

The Glen Workshop is a rare hybrid of arts conference, festival and workshop. The faculty are excellent and the time spent in community with creative Christ followers is second to none. For a glorious week, you are in the abundant centre, rather than on the thin margins. Food, lodging and all conference activities are included. It is SO worth it.

I think getting on that plane with me and heading down to Santa Fe for a week of art and faith is likely the best thing you could do this summer. But I may be biased.

Anyone care to join me?

http://glenworkshop.com

Or Maybe You Should Just Do Nothing

James Altucher’s post on when we’d be better off to 'do nothing’ is a breath of fresh air amidst  productivity pollution. Heading towards New Year’s resolutions, you may feel the pressure to do more and to be more. Before you make those lists, stop and read this.

Altucher’s post promises 5 Ways To Do Nothing And Become More Productive, but to me it’s more an invitation to let go of the need to prove yourself constantly. To simply be.

http://99u.com/articles/20576/5-ways-to-do-nothing-and-become-more-productive

To me, that sounds an awful lot like Paul's words here,

"The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.” - Romans 12:3b, The Message

A good encouragement, and perhaps the best last words, as we head into the hectic holidays.

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Let us know if any of these finds are meaningful for you in the comments below.