'I saw your blog postIt was fantasticThat was sarcasticBecause you write like a spastic' - Weird Al Yankovic breaks it down for all of us online spastics
Modern Mysticism
A mix of Maori, Eastern and Celtic Pagan mysticism.
Ancient word of the day: Uncanny
The ancient word of the day is Uncanny. This is the feeling of encountering a landscape, person or object that is both frightening and unsettlingly dissonant. Freud coined a similar word for this “unheimlich”— which is to say, eerie and both homely and unhomely. I'm sure you would be able to recall some uncanny encounters,…
Album Review: Robohands ‘Green’
In case you have been living under a rock, Robohands is a UK jazz musician whose real name is Andy Baxter. His debut album Green which came out in mid-2018 is superb. With almost zero effort to promote the album, Robohands has grown in underground popularity getting over a million views on his album and…
Boring Yet interesting: Drone Music
Drone music doesn't change much in tonality or tempo. The nature of this means that it can confuse some people and attract others. Unlike most other types of music, drone cultivates a unique emotional soundscape that allows people to sink deeply into it. Some drone music is less like a warm fuzzy hug and more…
Before Time Began: Latin Quotes on Ancient Sundials
Ancient sundials of Greece, Egypt and Babylon often featured provocative and emotional expressions in Latin. They were succinct and powerful calls to action which were designed to waken up the senses and peel back the blinkers on what really matters. These concise messages highlighted the passing of time, mortality, life, death and enjoying one’s brief…
Continue reading ➞ Before Time Began: Latin Quotes on Ancient Sundials
Featured
An indepth exploration of the aesthetics of cosiness
There’s a lovely subreddit I recently found called Cosy Places, which calls for people to submit their log cabins, hideaways and cosy loungerooms. This is a veritable treasure trove of different ideas for cosiness. Someone even parsed the photo content in the subreddit and came up with the recipe and criteria that make up a…
Continue reading ➞ An indepth exploration of the aesthetics of cosiness
How to banish the harsh inner critic – by Nick Cave
Nick Cave's incredible blog The Red Hand Files features Ask Me Anything question and answers. It's a beacon of pure creative joy for anyone in search of inspiration. Here's an unforgettable nugget of wisdom from Nick on how to forge on with big ideas and ignore the asshole inside of you, telling you to stop…
Continue reading ➞ How to banish the harsh inner critic – by Nick Cave
Ancient word of the day: Athene Noctua or Athena’s Owl
The Greek goddess Athena had as her sacred animal familiar the owl, also known as the Athene Noctua in Latin. The Romans, fond as they were of stealing from the Greek pantheon, renamed Athena to Minerva. Athena and her owl are considered to be symbols of wisdom, in both cultures. Silver tetradrachm coin at the…
Continue reading ➞ Ancient word of the day: Athene Noctua or Athena’s Owl
Enoshima Dreaming on Content Catnip TV
This surfy, ultra chill and slightly magical island was more amazing than we imagined.
Film Review: Cornershop (Kjötborg)
This feel-good documentary is set in Reykjavík, Iceland on corner of Ásvallagata and Blómvallagata streets. Where there is a little unassuming grocery store called simply Kjötborg or Corner Shop. Two brothers own and run the local shop, which they inherited from their parents. This is the last bastion of stores like this, as many others…
Wild Woman Quote: Worship
In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.David Foster Wallace Dusk at Okahu Bay Copyright © Content Catnip 2018 www.contentcatnip.com I love this quote from David Foster Wallace. In…
Nordic and Japanese Design Fusion: Fuglen in Asakusa, Tokyo
Norwegian waffles with brown cheese, jam and yoghurt. I died and went to breakfast heaven. The homely mid-century furniture in Fuglen, Asakusa On a recent trip to Japan I noticed that the Japanese love to pay homage to different cultures, their foods and aesthetics. This is really great and impressive because they have such a…
Continue reading ➞ Nordic and Japanese Design Fusion: Fuglen in Asakusa, Tokyo
“One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul.” Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Women Who Run with the Wolves.
“The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you…
Would you buy this kooky modernist cuckoo clock?
Guido Zimmermann is a German graffiti artist who recently created Cuckoo Blocks, a remix on the traditional Germanic wooden cookoo clock of olden times. Forget about cutesy animals and people popping out of a wooden clock on the hour, this remake of a cuckoo clock takes inspiration from Brutalist architecture of tower blocks build in the…
Continue reading ➞ Would you buy this kooky modernist cuckoo clock?
Wild woman quote: Love
Thanks Tish for your wonderful reminder the other day of the legendary writer Clarissa Pinkola-Estes. In case you don't know of her, Clarissa wrote the book Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of The Wild Woman Archetype, This book calls upon the eternal feminine qualities in each of us and asks us…
The nutritious order of things
Here's a short media consumption list, from the worst and least nutritious to the most nurturing. Rule of thumb don't eat anything that will give you cancer. Vice - The exhaust fan of a Chinese restaurant. Buzzfeed - A soggy bagel brandished by a drunk guy who wants to fight you. Instagram - A litre…
About Neon Art and Loneliness
There's something comforting yet eerie, hypnotic yet sexual about neon signs. They garishly proclaim sales on items, announce a lonely diner on a dark stretch of road, and tout the nefarious activities inside of peep shows and brothels. Neon signs have always fascinated me. They seem to emanate a metaphysical glow as though there is a…
EP Review: Notion by Tash Sultana (2016)
Tash Sultana is the real deal. A genuinely talented and unique Melbourne multi-instrumentalist who made a name for herself the old fashioned way, by busking on the streets of Melbourne (Bourke St mall and Degraves St) and making homemade videos to YouTube. These simple and raw B&W videos of Tash subsequently went viral and gained…
Mana Wahine: The Female Moko in Māori Culture
Tā moko represents a person's mana (status or power) in society. This is best highlighted by the time when the chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi with their mokos in 1840. The Moko Kauae is a chin tattoo traditional reserved for Māori women with mana (high status and power). Traditionally, female healers (tohunga) had a close relationship…
Continue reading ➞ Mana Wahine: The Female Moko in Māori Culture