Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them. So go out and start creating.
Someone quite wise.
THE RUFFALO FACTOR Ever since 13 Going On 30, I’ve been “in love” with the easy, gentle charms of Mark Ruffalo. Something about Ruffalo (his smiles) and/or the characters that he plays (in 13 Going On 30 and Just Like Heaven) makes me want to spend an evening by the fire chatting about nothing-in-particular with him.  NOWNESS interviewed MR in his upstate New York home by the foothills of the Catskill Mountains where he lives with his wife and three kids. Their “small house” has a vegetable garden, carved wooden animal sculptures, a barn and an eco-friendly guest house.  “The whole guiding idea for living upstate was to simplify,” Ruffalo explains why he purchased the land and eventually moving in permanently in his bucolic world three years ago. “We asked ourselves, what do we need all this shit for? What is it adding to our lives?”  Is there a difference in the family dynamic since you’ve moved upstate (New York)?  It’s the best thing I could have done for the family as a whole and for the kids in particular. We made a pact to let them be and let them work out their differences on their own. We’re letting them grow a little wild and we step in when it’s essential, but in a lot of ways they figure stuff out on their own and they do it in a way that’s organic and lasts. We live in a small space and we’re really influenced by the natural world around us. Eventually that is reflected in one’s behavior and how you get along with other people. There’s a lot of quiet in the country and there’s a lot of quietness in my children.  There’s a sincerity and naturalness that comes across in your performances. Is that a conscious effort on your part? I don’t feel like that. I feel like I just get by. I do my job and I do it proficiently but I’m not some great actor. Sometimes I get better parts than others and my sensibilities mesh better with certain parts, but I don’t see myself as a great actor. Ruffalo loves living in a place where people watch birds, not celebrities, where life is simple and far from the superficial distractions of Hollywood. He shares in his NPR interview: “You always get to look your kid in the eye. My wife, in the eye. And as a family, it’s been the healthiest thing I think we’ve ever done. We’re always together. It’s not like that in the city. Here, it’s basically us and our friends, and there’s nowhere to run.” At Home With Mark Ruffalo.
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THE RUFFALO FACTOR

Ever since 13 Going On 30, I’ve been “in love” with the easy, gentle charms of Mark Ruffalo. Something about Ruffalo (his smiles) and/or the characters that he plays (in 13 Going On 30 and Just Like Heaven) makes me want to spend an evening by the fire chatting about nothing-in-particular with him. 

NOWNESS interviewed MR in his upstate New York home by the foothills of the Catskill Mountains where he lives with his wife and three kids. Their “small house” has a vegetable garden, carved wooden animal sculptures, a barn and an eco-friendly guest house. 

“The whole guiding idea for living upstate was to simplify,” Ruffalo explains why he purchased the land and eventually moving in permanently in his bucolic world three years ago. “We asked ourselves, what do we need all this shit for? What is it adding to our lives?” 

Is there a difference in the family dynamic since you’ve moved upstate (New York)? 

It’s the best thing I could have done for the family as a whole and for the kids in particular. We made a pact to let them be and let them work out their differences on their own. We’re letting them grow a little wild and we step in when it’s essential, but in a lot of ways they figure stuff out on their own and they do it in a way that’s organic and lasts. We live in a small space and we’re really influenced by the natural world around us. Eventually that is reflected in one’s behavior and how you get along with other people. There’s a lot of quiet in the country and there’s a lot of quietness in my children. 

There’s a sincerity and naturalness that comes across in your performances. Is that a conscious effort on your part?

I don’t feel like that. I feel like I just get by. I do my job and I do it proficiently but I’m not some great actor. Sometimes I get better parts than others and my sensibilities mesh better with certain parts, but I don’t see myself as a great actor.

Ruffalo loves living in a place where people watch birds, not celebrities, where life is simple and far from the superficial distractions of Hollywood. He shares in his NPR interview:

“You always get to look your kid in the eye. My wife, in the eye. And as a family, it’s been the healthiest thing I think we’ve ever done. We’re always together. It’s not like that in the city. Here, it’s basically us and our friends, and there’s nowhere to run.”

At Home With Mark Ruffalo.

“I guess one big piece of advice I give a young designer is … be prepared to reinvent yourself. Be prepared to go out on a limb. Be prepared to do the things that YOU feel strongly about that maybe other people don’t.” ~ Hillman Curtis

For more films by Hillman, visit Hillman Curtis on Vimeo.

Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work.
Gustave Flaubert

“Beet Cake” - the most beautiful, moving recipe I’ve ever seen … yet. :)

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Ever drifting down the stream,
Lingering in the golden gleam,
Life? What is it, but a dream.
Ari Karpel
03.08.2012 - Google celebrating “International Women’s Day”
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03.08.2012 - Google celebrating “International Women’s Day”

Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Happy Valentine’s Day!

There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
Nelson Mandela

January 26, 2012 - My sister sent me this video today. It blew me away. Here’s a glimpse at “Goldfish Salvation” by the amazing artist … Riusuke Fukahori. You will swear these fish are real.

January 20, 2012 - Today is my nephew’s 10th birthday. This little film is for him, my creative, talented Liemer.

(Thanks Rick Poon for sharing this cute whimsical short film with me - by the husband & wife team Sean Ohlenkamp and Lisa Blonder Ohlenkamp.)

“Isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?”- Celine (“Before Sunrise”) January 7, 2012
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“Isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?”
- Celine (“Before Sunrise”)

January 7, 2012

Good design is as little design as possible. Less but better—because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with inessentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity!
From Jason Santa Maria’s Instagram.

My Love Affair with Super 8MM Films Continues …

NAZ FILMS | California Coast: My Road-trip Movie On Super 8MM Film | Travel Film from NAZFILMS on Vimeo.

December 13, 2011 ~ I’ve been bitten by the filmmaking bug since discovering the 8mm app for iPhones. With a mere $1.99 (really!), you can make your own versions of Super 8MM films without the big cost of a real Super 8MM camera. The effect is uncanny and oh-so-nostalgic. To inspire you, here’s a mini Super 8MM film by Nazar Melconian documenting his road trip to San Francisco. Me love!

To see more of Naz’s films, follow him on Twitter @NAZFILMS. Don’t forget to download the 8mm app and play with it. I’m obsessed. Totally obsessed.

If you’re going to be passionate about something, be passionate about learning. If you’re going to fight something, fight for those in need. If you’re going to question something, question authority. If you’re going to lose something, lose your inhibitions. If you’re going to gain something, gain respect and confidence. And if you’re going to hate something, hate the false idea that you are not capable of your dreams.
Daniel Golston