Pursuit Of Spark

The last few days of hard rain sent earthworms to the surface. We sipped pu'erh tea and listened to the birds battling over the neighbor's birdfeeder on this cloudy day.

Tiny shots of green tea in the rain.

Sweet Gyokuro tea in a new yunomi, watching the clouds

Tea on a gray morning, full of birdsong.

Chinese green tea with mourning doves in the afternoon rain.

A glimpse of color on a rainy day.

Sculptor Miya Ando has created a work of art that is both a kimono and armor, formed from thousands of squares of anodized aluminum. I met Miya in her studio, where she told me stories about growing up in two cultures, apprenticing to a swordmaker in Japan, and fixing cars in California. To see more of her work, visit miyaando.com.

In Jody Oberfelder's 4Chambers, we're pulled into the power of the heart by dancers who let us feel their heartbeats -- and make us aware of our own. In my story for Studio 360, dancer Mercedes Searer offers a visceral experience of being in the piece -- and shows us it's possible to dance on the radio!

Last fall when I spoke at Middlebury College, my hosts told me about a fascinating program at the vocational/technical high school in town, where students learn how to weld, paint, sew, hang lights, and build just about anything, all in service of theatre. Alumni from the program are mixing sound for Motown the Musical, rigging Cirque du Soleil, and acting on TV shows such as The Office. I'm thrilled that NPR's Weekend Edition asked me to report a story about the Addison Repertory Theater high school program at the Hannaford Career Center. Here it is. Thanks to Sarah Popov for production assistance on this story, and Laura Bertran at NPR for her insightful editing. And thanks to Steve Small and all the students and teachers at A.R.T.

Now that school has ended, college graduates are ready to take on the world and take on a new job. Negotiating a salary - in particular your first salary - is a complicated task, and Dick Nodell offers some wisdom.

Being an intern is an exciting (or, for some, scary!) step from college into the world of becoming a "real person" with a real job. What is the most important work one can do as an intern? And how might it lead to something that pays? In this conversation, Dick Nodell explores the work mystery of what it means to be an Intern.

Photographer Joel Meyerowitz and writer Maggie Barrett talk about their life together, and their collaboration on their new book Provence: A Lasting Impression. Their honesty, about the pleasures and challenges of their creative partnership in life and in art, is an inspiration.

In Today's Work Mystery, Dick Nodell talks about the Spark conversation with Maggie Barrett and Joel Meyerowitz. He notes the vibrant creative connection the two have in the way they talk about their work and their life together, and offers a couple of ideas about how to revitalize a relationship.

Ed Zimmerman is a lawyer who specializes in tech deals. He's happiest in gatherings where he's the host, so for many years he's organized conferences and workshops for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists so they can get to know each other, and he can get to know them. Ed came up to me at TED right after I'd given my talk, and invited me to one of these meetings, where I got to see up close the informal and engaging way he gets people to talk about what they do. I was interested in how he chose this kind of work, and in talking with him found that the answer is complicated and fascinating, and that part of it comes directly from his father. Here's the entire interview, which is full of Ed's humor and generosity.

On my way home from recording with Dick Nodell in Connecticut, I stopped to listen to these tiny frogs sing their desire on a spring night.

In social situations and at work -- and maybe especially at social situations that are work! -- it's not uncommon to face an uncomfortable situation (like being mistaken for a waitress at a gathering of CEOs when you're one of them!). In this episode of Work Mysteries, Dick Nodell offers some intriguing ways to turn an uncomfortable situation into a powerful interaction, as well as thoughts about how to create a public persona that's true to who you are.

With the money she'd saved from babysitting jobs and a sewing machine her parents gave her for her birthday, Liz Forkin Bohannon began Sseko Sandals, a company in Uganda where women earn the money they need to go to university. Liz Forkin Bohannon was just named as a finalist in Cartier's Women's Initiative Awards. Liz was my first interview for Pursuit of Spark, here's her delightful and inspiring story. Right after college, Liz went to Uganda to work for the Cornerstone Leadership Academy. She fell in love with the students, who came from poor families, and asked the school's founder what she could do for them once she returned to the US. He asked her to figure out a way to help young women earn the money to go on to college. Liz's first idea was a chicken farm -- and we're lucky she quickly abandoned that concept and moved on to create sandals that could be made in Uganda and worn by women all over the U.S.

Lucy is a newlywed with a big new job -- and her husband is getting a bit miffed that when she's home, it seems like a part of her is still at work. Daily Juggle's leadership coach Dick Nodell has some great ideas for how to keep the passion going both at home and at work.

September has begun -- and the required lists of school supplies from teachers can be daunting. Daily Juggle's Julie Burstein sits down with Diane Thomson of Creative Organizing to get suggestions for a system that will let your middle or high school student get ready and stay organized throughout the year. Diane's emphasis is to SIMPLIFY! Here's our conversation.

September has begun -- and the required lists of school supplies from teachers can be daunting. Diane Thomson of Creative Organizing has some suggestions for a system that will let your middle or high school student get ready and stay organized throughout the year, and her emphasis is to SIMPLIFY! Here's our conversation.