Hasta La Ideas

The last couple of years have just been a roller coaster of ups and downs for the Seattle Art Museum. First, right in the middle of the economic collapse, JP Morgan pulled out of the museum’s new building, leaving it in the lurch for roughly $60 million. But then they had a year of record attendance and Nordstom stepped in to pick up some of that rental space slack the bank had stuck them with. However, five months after all this good news, the museum was announcing layoffs, salary cutbacks, and a two week closure to help them catch their financial breath. It appears that the rollercoaster is still pointed downward at the moment, with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporting that the museum is now asking “a court for approval to borrow up to $10 million from its endowment fund to avoid defaulting on its downtown lease.” It’s the first time the museum has needed to borrow from the fund and desperately needed while fund-raising and Nordstrom’s rent checks still aren’t covering all their bills. The paper goes on to report that museum has promised the court that if it’s allowed to use money from its endowment to pay these expenses, it has planned “a major capital campaign to both repay and increase the endowment.” Eventually the roller coaster has to start chugging back up again, right?

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When I learned Chris Guillebeau had written a book, I begged him for an advance copy. In person, Chris is charismatic with extra doses of magnetism, practicality, and kindness thrown into the mix. I imagined his book would be similar (it is) and I would want to carry it with me even after I read it, like a trusted companion (I already do).

The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World is hitting bookstores today and is a handbook for anyone who wants to break free of an unfulfilled life. As Chris explains, “It’s your own life, so why not set your own rules. You can do good things for yourself while helping other people at the same time.” It helps you plan a course for a remarkable life, get over the fears and obstacles that are currently in your way, and get started living the life you imagine. It is detailed, plausible, and full of concrete examples.

Chris is obsessed with traveling the world — he’s on a quest to visit every country by April 7, 2013, and has made it to 149 of 192 already — and he explains how he transformed his circumstances to make achieving his non-traditional life possible. The book is full of advice for how to achieve similar ambitions — whatever type of life your heart desires — even if it doesn’t include traveling. In addition to Chris’ first-hand experiences, there are interviews and biographies of more than a dozen others who have bucked the system and lived life on their terms.

At the end of most of the chapters is a “Remember This” section that highlights the major themes in that block of text. At the end of the chapter “Setting the Terms of Your Unconventional Life,” are the following notes that spoke to the unclutterer in me:

REMEMBER THIS

• The pathway to world domination, or whatever it is you want to do, begins with clearly understanding what you want to get out of life.
• Once you begin taking your ambitions seriously, you can usually accomplish most things in less time than you initially expected.
• In the end, it’s not all about you. Most of us want a life that leaves a positive impact on others.
• When you start doing what you really want, not everyone will understand. This is okay.

The reason I pursue an uncluttered life is so I have the time, energy, and resources to live remarkably. I don’t want to be weighed down by my stuff; I want to have as much freedom as possible to focus on what matters most to me. Chris’ philosophy is similar, and his book even includes tips for creating a “stop doing” list and suggestions for how to live with 100 things. A key component for living his remarkable life is keeping clutter out of it, and he provides strategies for doing this.

A word of note: If you are not interested in setting your own rules and changing the world (even just a little part of it), this book is not for you. This book speaks directly to people who already have the desire to live in unconventional ways. No pages are used to persuade or convince someone to pursue a non-traditional lifestyle. Either you’re on board from the beginning, or you’re not. In my opinion, this makes the book stronger because it doesn’t waste time preaching to the choir.

If you are interested in living a remarkable life, I highly recommend Chris Guillebeau’s The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World.

Book details:

• Available as a paperback and e-book
• Suggested cover price $14.95, Amazon price $8.97
• 243 pages

Like this site? Buy Erin Rooney Doland’s Unclutter Your Life in One Week from Amazon.com today.

Raleigh’s lightweight, steel-frame beauty

Sure biking makes commuting more healthy and eco-friendly, but cyclists looking for almost frightening speed will like Raleigh’s Record Ace, a bike that seems to catapult through streets. You can look good while careening too, thanks to the modern road bike’s vintage-inspired styling that extends from the clean lines of its frame to its beautiful Brooks saddle.

The original all-steel bike brand, Raleigh (founded over 100 years ago) introduced the Ace in 1939, paused production in the ’90s, and brought back the lugged steel design this year in favor of the “better road feel” that steel lends. With a longer life span and similar weight to aluminum or carbon, the steel bike is light enough for urbanites to climb stairs with and strong enough to survive pothole-ridden roads or cross-country treks.

Of course, a quality frame demands quality components and this model comes equipped with a Shimano Ultegra groupset—which I put to the test on many occasions. The brakes allow you to stop at a moment’s notice (such as when a cab pulls out in front of you), and provides a rebellious (read: badass) squeal for full effect. Switching gears is a snap, and Shimano’s Hollowglide construction provides even greater stability. The upshot is a bike that Bicycling magazine describes as “much more nimble” than city or hybrid models.

While the price tag is a little steep at $1,900, Raleigh has made an off-the-shelf bike with the types of essential racing components and a stripped-down weight usually only found on custom builds. It sells from Raleigh dealers around the world.

Ogilvy & Mather in London has created this series of ads to help promote a restaurant local to its offices, called First Edition…

The aim is to celebrate the 15th birthday of First Edition, based in Canary Wharf and a favourite with Ogilvy staff. Clearly taking inspiration from the restaurant’s name, the creative team of Jon Morgan and Mike Watson came up with the idea of doing pastiches of rare, first edition paperbacks from the 1950s to 1970s. The ads also twist the titles of the classic novels to reflect the catering theme, and Pamela Schneider, First Edition’s owner, is listed as the author of each book.

The ads will run in local press and on poster sites around Canary Wharf throughout September. There is a charitable element to the campaign too, with limited edition screenprints of the ads created to be auctioned off at a wine-tasting event on September 28. All proceeds will go towards the 2012 Olympic Fund.

It’s one thing to try slipping a construction project in at your home without the proper permits. It’s something else entirely if you also happen to one of the world’s best known architects. Such is the case with Richard Rogers, who was just slapped with a stop work order on renovations and water damage restorations to his massive, £12 million house in London after it was discovered that he hadn’t filed everything deemed necessary by the government. In particular, because his home is more than 150 years-old, the Telegraph reports that it is required that he have something called a Listed Building Consent (pdf), which serves as a kind of historical preservation, making sure any renovations use authentic-looking building materials to maintain the original facade. A spokeswoman for Rogers has said the project started off as simply minor renovations, until it was discovered how much water damage the building had suffered over the years and quickly became something much larger, thus leading to this “potentially embarrassing” oversight. Thus far, it looks like all will be taken care of, Rogers will get his Consent without issue, and work will resume shortly.

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