⚡️ Taylor Swift's psychology is a new university course
PLUS: Feeling blah? How to stop languishing
Clayton Hester
August 16, 2023
Happy Wednesday, creatives!
Hope you all are enjoying this jim dandy of a day.
We’ve had a nice cooler spell here in southeast Missouri — so if you’re still in the blazing hellscape that has been this summer, I wish you vicarious coolness from yours truly.
In the meantime, we’ve got stories on diving into the sea for what may be one of the most interesting hidden exhibits.
We’ve got stories about the future of intrusive advertising.
Oh, and if you’re lacking mojo, we’ll get you your mojo back — new ideas on how to deal with languishing.
Plus, we’re examining the psychology of Taylor Swift — or at least we’re taking on a class that’s examining the psychology of Taylor Swift.
—Clayton
HIDING THE ART
Turns out, if you go diving off the Tuscan coast of Italy, you can see hidden sculptures.
What’s up with hidden public art? (A wonderful oxymoron, isn’t it?)
From prehistoric cave painters to medieval cathedral artisans, this tradition persists, driven by energy and authenticity that resonate for those fortunate enough to encounter it.
For an exhibition like this one — underwater — it’s part of a dynamic setting.
The seafloor is changing.
Thus, so is this showcase for the sculptures.
These sculptures are becoming a modern Atlantis.
ADS ON ALL SIDES
Doesn’t advertising belong among the arts?
Well, maybe in an Andy Warhol pop art sort of way.
Now the New York Times is turning the subway into an advertisement — a very colorful one.
I’m fascinated by the way our organic public places continue to evolve with advertising.
On the one hand, we border on intrusiveness.
But on the other hand, depending on the merit of what we’re trying to advertise, we might be able to lead people down the rabbit hole (i.e., public op art installations for a film, an idea I’ve tossed around for a while).
It’s probably a case-by-case thing.
For an institution like the New York Times, this seems like a worthwhile effort to put yourself in the public eye.
Especially since it’s the subway.
I’ve put QR code stickers out before for this very newsletter on public trashcans.
Why?
No one cares if you vandalize a trashcan.
And everyone’s gotta visit one eventually.
It’s territories like these that we don’t think about that need conquering.
BLAH
Ever felt just… blah?
Sometimes that’s the only word for it.
Are you depressed?
Are you burnt out?
Who knows anymore!!!
Been there — actually, was there all last week, if not the week before too.
You might call it “languishing,” which is a mental state where you feel blah, struggle to take an interest, and experience a sense of stagnation.
A new piece from Psyche is all about breaking through that languishing.
PSYCHED OUT
The deep well of the human spirit.
Every great once in a while, there comes a poet who can speak for the people.
In our age, maybe that’s Taylor Swift.
You can explore this in a new course from The Psychology of Taylor Swift.
“The course is basically using Taylor Swift as a semester-long example of different phenomena — gossip, relationships, revenge,” said the course’s instructor, PhD student Alexandra Wormley. “The class is not a seminar on how much we like or dislike her — we want to be able to learn about psychology.”
PODCAST RELEASES
Near Allied: “If Not For My Art: Beethoven loses hearing but keeps mission”
Redshift: “The Constellation of History”
Square One: “Building Eternity | The Works of the Ancient Egyptians”
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