Filmmaker Anna Samo's Cool Animation

Here is a gem of a short animated film about resiliency and the opportunity of growth that comes out of adversity. I originally saw it on the newsletter Colossal, based on filmmaker Anna Samo's experience as an artist of rejection and failure in entering her films in various competitions, only to be repeatedly rejected. Although Anna Samo has directed her stop motion film Conversations with a Whale to the creative community, the message really applies to us all. There isn't a single one of us who hasn't been knocked down, some of us many times over--but the key here is to get right back up and keep going and do what you do...
You can find more information about the film and see more work from Samo on Vimeo and Instagram.

Saved by a Humpback Whale

I have loved animal stories since I read my favorite childhood book, How Smart Are Animals when I was six. Here is a good one. Scientist Nan Hauser talks about her very incredible experience with a humpback whale.

During the pandemic, when everything was at the height of shutdown around the globe, nature thrived. Animal populations grew, flora and fauna flourished, and pollution levels went way down due to the lack of human activity and abuse. It is not that I have given up totally on the human race and the possibilities of turning around our evil ways, but I have come to believe that planet earth will survive with or without us and in fact, might thrive even more if we are out of the picture.

Michael Moore and Kansas

I subscribe to Michael Moore's podcasts and always find his point of view in line with mine. My sister Judy and I used to ask each other "where is the outrage?"--Michael Moore personifies it and I love him for it! Here is his reaction to the the vote in Kansas on Tuesday...

Medecins Sans Frontieres

Photo of the Week

What I was working on this week in the studio

photo courtesy of Poliana Espirito-Santo

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.