suggested reading method
To best savour this artwork, please take a moment to eliminate distractions. Consider minimizing all other windows on your computer; putting other devices (phone, tv etc) aside; taking a deep breath, to the full extent of your lung capacity; and focusing solely on the “artwork” section.
Once you’ve processed that to your satisfaction, the rest of the post is optional reading, provided only to share my own impressions and reasons for choosing this piece.
artwork
interpretation
This series of tweets is the most loose “artwork” I’ve posted yet. However, I believe Neil Pasricha deserves the designation of “unintentional poetry” because he’s given time and attention to noticing little moments and curating this list.
Full disclosure, I came across this via The Commonplace newsletter; only through others’ recommendations would I ever view tweets, because I don’t have a Twitter account and try to spend as little time there as possible. I love that Pasricha’s tweet series bucks the trends of negativity and mob mentality on that site. He’s not looking to foment shock, fear, or anger, as so many viral tweets do; this is simple humanity on display. By focusing on small moments that are so easily overlooked, Pasricha brings out the sweetness in life.
In the context of this list, it doesn’t matter whether we’ve shared in every specific experience. We can still feel the serendipity, playfulness, caring, and love evoked in these anecdotes. It’s hard for me to pick a favourite among them, because they’re all joyful in a different yet pleasing way.
I also think Pasricha was right to preface the list with “IN CASE YOU HAD A BAD DAY,” because we most need an optimistic perspective when we’re caught up in our worries and suffering (some of which might be self-imposed). In fact, these moments inspire me to create a heartwarming list of my own!
context
Neil Pasricha (b. 1979) is a Canadian writer and speaker living in Toronto, who advocates for positivity and intentional living. He does so through bestselling books such as The Book of Awesome and Awesome is Everywhere; TED Talks like “The 3 A’s of Awesome”; and podcasts such as 3 Books.
Feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments!
you make such a good point about not having to have shared every single experience in order to appreciate the unintentional poetry as a whole - reading through the list i found myself thinking 'wait i dont know what some of these feel like' but like you said, perhaps that isnt the main point. i think thats something universal and wonderful about art in general also, that it allows us to experience the experiences of others, even if we havent yet ourselves.
Love it! Thanks for brightening up my day with those little gems.