celebrating a world class contrarian

Our wonder | wander | world pick of the week is the latest bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell's "Revenge of the Tipping Point." Building on a familiar idea from his books, he continues doing what he does best - poking the bear. 

You may think you know how the world works, but you're wrong! The provocative Gladwell talks with correspondent David Pogue about why he's refused to change his approach, his work ethic, or his contrarianism. 

the latest release

Malcolm Gladwell is revisiting the book that made him famous. "The Tipping Point" was a huge bestseller in 2000. 

Its title proclaimed an alluring idea - a social trend or behavior might spread slowly until a tipping point, when it reaches just enough people, and then suddenly it's everywhere, like an epidemic. 

Malcolm Gladwell, "Revenge of the Tipping Point"

Businesses and activists loved this, even as critics questioned some of Gladwell's findings. Recently, he started an update to that book and decided instead on a total rewrite. 

"The job of a journalist is to go and talk to people who know something specific that the rest of the world needs to know about and to translate what they say in a way that makes sense to a broad audience. That is the job description. I'm like, yes. Of course. That's why I wake up in the morning, to do exactly that." ~ Malcolm Gladwell 

Alison Worman: thinking with your hands

Alison Worman is our inspiration for this week. Her sketchbooks and art objects take our meandering thoughts in unexpected directions.

'What Was Once John's Yellow Mug', 2009

Alison fills her sketchbooks with scraps of paper and fabric, stitches, and lace. Often the finished book is so thick it can't fully close.

The Second Black Sketchbook

She is a Book Arts genius and is even featured on one of our favourite blogs, The Jealous Curator.

The Second Black Sketchbook featured on The Jealous Curator

It's deceptively simple work that inspires us to be looser and more relaxed in our own art journals. 

open to possibilities

This June marks the first anniversary of wonder | wander | world. This past year we've written about our art, our projects and our inspirations.

We celebrate the occasion today with grateful appreciation for a fulfilling fun filled year of productive creativity. Thank you for coming along on this adventure as we are looking forward to future creations and collaborations.

Our egg salad recipe

paying tribute to Jess Aiko [not Ayco]

In today’s blog we pay tribute to Jess Aiko [not Ayco] and his art - highlighted in “Fugue Frolic: A Retrospective of Filipino Modernist, Jess Ayco” at the Balay ni Tana Dicang in Talisay City, Negros Occidental. Forming a central part of the VIVA ExCon's 13th biennale, the exhibit ran from November through January. 

Late as this post is wonder | wander | world wishes to recall this stellar Renaissance man and acknowledge his all encompassing artistry - former resident artist of our hometown Bacolod in Negros Occidental [Philippines]. 

Fathom Travel List 2015

#wonderwanderworld is just too happy to see that one of our fave blogs - Messy Nessy Chic - made it to Fathom's 24 Best Travel Blogs and Websites of 2015. Whoohoo! 

Photo: Courtesy of Messy Nessy Chic

Messy Nessy Chic

What we love: Nessy curates quirky travel miscellany from her cluttered Parisian apartment. Our eyes have been opened to Emilio Pucci's brief stint in airline fashion, the Tokyo subculture of '50s rockabilly gangs, and a Spanish population literally living under a rock.

Last seen: appreciating Burkina Faso's architectural designs, checking out the Japanese rockabilly scene.

Nessy travels for the nostalgia, always looking for places and corners of the world she could imagine herself living in a past or future life. 

Springtime Hair

Dolce and Gabbana are not usually on the wonder | wander | women's radar; we're more interested in fashion on an aesthetic level and don't keep up with the couture brands. But once in a while a past or new collection will catch our eye and spark a new project.

The Spring/Summer collection of 2014 featured some of our favourite things: Greek and Roman influence, cherry blossoms, and light floaty dresses. But what really caught our eye was the hair: braided updos twined with tiny white flowers and decorated with antique-looking coins.

Someone else was inspired...this Internet artist digitally coloured the models' hair with pastel and spring colours, and in turn gave us this idea.

Inktense coloured pencils and Winsor & Newton watercolours on heavyweight cartridge paper.

on the topic of books: Brain Pickings

Illustrating a children's book, especially one with shades of autobiography, presents a unique window into a writer's mind. We can see the things they love and look back on, and maybe confront our own self-doubt. Maybe it's our chance to try art that is new and challenging, to us as well as readers.

On the topic of illustrated children's books, we were reminded of one of our favourite blogs: Brain Pickings.

Brain Pickings is the blog of writer Maria Popova, collecting inspirations, reflections, and creative processes from the world's greatest minds. The blog often features unusual, lesser-known, or especially beautiful illustrated books. Read their retrospective of Alice in Wonderland illustrators, or this child-friendly primer on how babies are made, for examples of Brain Pickings's eclectic taste.

joint project: NYC journal

New York City is enormous in its every facet. 

The famous New York City skyline.

Love it? Loathe it? We all want a bite of The Big Apple! 

It is in our collective consciousness. 

It has inspired so many for many many years in so many countless ways.

inspiration file: doors

As we go on various trips we have been collecting pictures of doors. There is a symmetry and potential to doors that call to us all. 

wonder|wander|world is here

wonder | wander | women draws most inspiration from our lives and experience - our conversations and collaborations, together and separately 

Our experiences involve absorbing a lot of different things under constantly changing circumstances, cultures and situations.

We travel regularly, are avid book readers, and both of us are film majors and trained artists.

We're always thirsty for inspiration and stimulation from all sorts of sources. Here are some of our favourite resources.

This new blog - aptly named wonder | wander | world - shares our current projects with you.

Messy Nessy Chic

Brain Pickings

Bren on the Road

This Is Paper

TED Talks

This Is Colossal 

The Jealous Curator