Interviewing, writing, reviewing, and editing - it sure takes time to create and publish a quality piece of content. But what if you need to be fast? You learn from the startups. One of my favorite podcasts is DarkNet Diaries. Some days ago I was listening to an episode about the infamous WannaCry ransomware. I'm …
3 things great games and great content have in common
While strolling through the scenic paths of Ard Skellig the other night I came to think about the things that make some games great: compelling storytelling both in writing an visuals. Here are three things I think great games and great content share: 1. The story is compelling and well told I'm a sucker for …
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Why looking at dead horses might be good for you
'Tis the time of sales, shopping and the sacred. Because of that, I’ve been thinking about an unexpected run-in with the sacred I had this past Autumn. It got me thinking – could the concept of sacred be useful for someone like me, at times like these?I was visiting Toni R.Toivonen's exhibition at Galerie Forsblom. …
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The mouth of Helene – or why art is important
Like a lightning flash, I realised I had seen that mouth somewhere. Dads mouth was open, with a slightly confused and pained expression. Then it dawned on me: it was a self-portrait by a then 80-year old Helene Schjerfbeck, facing old age. Some six months ago I was standing next to a hospital bed in the ER, …
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Posing with pulla – can self-portraits shed a light on our relationship with food?
Pulla is a finnish traditional pastry, similar to the world-famous cinnamon roll. In her self-portrait Symbioosi (symbiosis) finnish artist Iiu Susiraja poses with pulla in a way reminiscent of the icons of Virgin Mary. In my previous post I wrote about arts ability to grant perspective on cultural phenomena. In this blog post I'd like to invite you to see with me, if art can act as guide to questions about body image. In other words: what can self-portraits show us about our relationship with food?
Why though?
We’ve probably all had to deal with that devil on the shoulder asking if whatever you’ve chosen as your professional career makes any sense – it’s not really worth anything, is it? Most of the time, there’s a relatively easy way out, something to validate the choices made: "I’m a nurse to help save lives" …
Why do artists paint (gross) self-portraits?
You know the feeling. Accidentally flicking on the front-facing camera on your phone, and coming face to face with the horror: a double-chin and squinting eyes. So why would anyone deliberately waste time and energy to paint themselves looking, well – gross? There’s a reason this is an important question, and it’s not just about the looks.