viernes, 2 de abril de 2021

UNA TRILOGÍA MARROQUÍ 1950-2020. MUSEO REINA SOFÍA

 31 marzo – 27 septiembre, 2021 / Edificio Sabatini, Planta 3

Trilogía marroquí 1950-2020 articula un diálogo visual que refleja la producción artística en tres momentos históricos, desde la independencia hasta el presente, a través de una selección significativa de piezas que muestran la diversidad de iniciativas, la vitalidad de los debates artísticos y los intercambios interdisciplinares en Marruecos.

Esta exposición se inscribe en uno de los ejes programáticos del Museo, la investigación decolonial. Constituye una primera tentativa de ampliar el foco de estos análisis dirigiendo la mirada a la orilla sur del Mediterráneo, cuna de la civilización occidental. Y, de manera más específica, a Marruecos, un país milenario que dista apenas 14 kilómetros de España.


La muestra ha sido organizada en el marco del programa de cooperación cultural entre España y Marruecos en el ámbito de Museos, promovida por la Fundación Nacional de Museos del Reino de Marruecos y el Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte del Gobierno de España, en colaboración con Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art de Qatar. Trilogía marroquí 1950-2020 ofrece un relato de las experiencias artísticas en Marruecos desde mediados del siglo XX centrándose especialmente en tres centros urbanos, Tetuán, Casablanca y Tánger. Las obras expuestas, producidas entre 1950 y 2020, junto con los documentos de archivo, describen una trayectoria histórica de profusa efervescencia cultural.

En este recorrido se muestra la diversidad de las expresiones artísticas del Marruecos moderno, poniendo de relieve las figuras destacadas de cada época, desde la transición a la independencia (1950-1969) y los denominados Años de plomo (1970-1999) hasta la actualidad (2000-2020).

Tras cuarenta años de protectorado francés y español, el primer periodo abarca una fase extremadamente agitada, que se extiende desde los años de la independencia hasta 1969, durante la cual el campo artístico se articula en torno a los debates suscitados por la aparición de la corriente nacionalista y la imperiosa construcción de un discurso identitario. Estos dos aspectos constituirán el trasfondo conceptual de la modernidad artística marroquí durante las décadas de 1960 y 1970. El planteamiento de estos artistas consistía en cuestionar el academicismo artístico tradicional transmitido a través de la enseñanza del arte en Marruecos.

Después de estudiar y formarse en las principales capitales artísticas del mundo, la primera generación de artistas marroquíes se impregnó de los debates teóricos entonces en boga a escala internacional. Posteriormente adoptaron la abstracción como modo de expresión adecuado para dar cabida a sus reivindicaciones nacionales y a sus ansias identitarias.

 

De este modo, muchos artistas que habían iniciado su andadura en las escuelas de arte locales consumaron una ruptura radical con el acervo académico adquirido durante su formación en Marruecos para proseguir sus estudios en Europa y Estados Unidos. Tras su regreso a Marruecos, artistas como Mohamed Melehi, Mohamed Chabâa junto a Farid Belkahia, Mohamed Hamidi, Mohamed Ataallah y Mustapha Hafid transformaron profundamente la educación artística marroquí en la Escuela de Bellas Artes de Casablanca, que poco después impulsó la apertura a la modernidad con proyectos que combinaban la artesanía con formas artísticas innovadoras.

Al mismo tiempo, la ciudad de Tánger se convirtió en un centro cosmopolita y un lugar de encuentro para la generación beat. De la relación de Mohamed Choukri con ese entorno surgió uno de los relatos autobiográficos más descarnados de las letras marroquíes. En la misma época, la revista Souffles, dirigida por el poeta Abdellatif Laâbi, abrió el debate sobre la historia y las nuevas realidades sociales. Esta publicación, que nació como reacción a la represión armada de la revuelta estudiantil de 1965, muy pronto pasó a ser una caja de resonancia del discurso crítico y la acción política.

En la segunda etapa, años de grandes conflictos internos, surge una constelación de publicaciones alternativas, festivales y bienales a menudo independientes. La voz de la disidencia, especialmente activa en la literatura, la poesía y el teatro, se difunde mediante la revista Souffles hasta su prohibición en 1972 y, a partir de entonces, en Intégral y Lamalif. Durante este periodo aparece también un arte no académico, no intelectualizado, cuyos representantes son hombres y mujeres autodidactas vinculados a una dinámica artística viva, como es el caso de Chaïbia Talal y Fatima Hassan.

A finales de la década de 1980, una nueva corriente contemporánea empieza a asentarse en el panorama artístico marroquí con nuevos planteamientos artísticos. Esta dinámica cristalizará durante los años noventa con artistas como Mohamed El Baz, Mounir Fatmi e Yto Barrada, entre otros.

En los últimos años de la década de 1990, Marruecos vive su transición democrática, durante la cual se manifiestan algunos signos de apertura en el panorama mediático. La última etapa de la exposición, que abarca de 2000 a 2020, muestra la obra de una generación de jóvenes artistas que rompen con el pasado en el plano formal, técnico, simbólico y político del arte. Esta generación frecuenta espacios alternativos donde los creadores entablan contacto al margen de los circuitos convencionales. En ella hay, además, una importante presencia de mujeres artistas que en sus obras plantean, a menudo, una reflexión crítica en torno a la identidad femenina en el contexto específico de la sociedad marroquí.

Cada uno de estos periodos, con sus tendencias formales, sus cuestiones ideológicas y sus accidentes históricos, ha propiciado el surgimiento de gestos significativos para las siguientes generaciones. La exposición Trilogía marroquí 1950-2020 representa un estudio del patrimonio artístico de Marruecos desde la posindependencia y un análisis de la producción contemporánea. A través de la diversidad de formas de representación se afirma el papel activo del arte, en sus múltiples manifestaciones, con respecto al individuo y a la sociedad, más allá de cualquier idea de centralidad ideológica o moralizante. Lo que el arte nos enseña es la posibilidad de dar sentido, de imaginar la justicia, en busca del progreso cultural, social y humano contemporáneo. Este segmento de la historia de Marruecos puede ayudar a comprender su presente y a reflexionar sobre su futuro.

La muestra incluye obras de los siguientes artistas y cineastas: Mohamed Abouelouakar, Etel Adnan, Mohamed Afifi, Malika Agueznay, Mustapha Akrim, Ahmed Amrani, Mohamed Ataallah, Yassine Balbzioui, Yto Barrada, Farid Belkahia, Fouad Bellamine, Baghdad Benas, Hicham Benohoud, Ahmed Bouanani, Mustapha Boujemaoui, Mohamed Chabâa, Ahmed Cherkaoui, Mohamed Choukri, Hassan Darsi, Bachir Demnati, Mostafa Derkaoui, Mohamed Drissi, Moulay Ahmed Drissi, André Elbaz, Mohamed El Baz, Khalil El Ghrib, Badr El Hammami, Touhami Ennadre, Safaa Erruas, Ali Essafi, Ymane Fakhir, Mounir Fatmi, Jilali Gharbaoui, Souad Guennoun, Mustapha Hafid, Mohamed Hamidi, Mohssin Harraki, Fatima Hassan, Soukaina Joual, Mohamed Kacimi, Maria Karim, Leila Kilani, Faouzi Laatiris, Miloud Labied, Mohammed Laouli, Randa Maroufi, Najia Mehadji, Mohamed Melehi, Abderrahman Meliani, Houssein Miloudi, Mohamed Mrabet, Sara Ouhaddou, Rachid Ouettassi, Bernard Plossu, Karim Rafi, Mohamed Larbi Rahhali, Younes Rahmoun, Abbas Saladi, Tayeb Saddiki, Chaïbia Talal, Latifa Toujani.

https://www.museoreinasofia.es/exposiciones/trilogia-marroqui

‘AMERICAN GODS’: IAN MCSHANE TALKS MR. WEDNESDAY’S SACRIFICE — AND WHAT’S NEXT

 By Alex Zalben  @azalben

It’s been three long, twisty seasons coming, but in this week’s episode of American Gods, an event that fans of the books have been expecting for a long time finally happened. Spoilers for Season 3, Episode 9 “The Lake Effect” past this point. Mr. Wednesday, a.k.a. Odin, played by Ian McShane is dead, struck down by his own spear.

…Or is he? Without getting into spoilers from the book, it’s fair for fans to speculate that even with this seemingly definitive end, we’re in for yet another shell game on the part of TV’s preeminent conman. Whatever is coming next in the final episode of the season, Mr. Wednesday’s “demise” has set up Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) for a potential sacrifice of his own; or potentially a chance to become the divine being the series has been teasing all along.

To find out more, Decider talked to Ian McShane about this week’s episode, the oft-lamented NBC series Kings, and whether he’d be back for a potential Season 4.

Decider: First of all, I’m very sorry that they 100% definitely killed you off in this episode. That’s a real bummer.

Ian McShane: Oh, things are never as they seem, Alex. I couldn’t wait to die. Yeah, I mean, that’s part of it. It’s all been planned by Wednesday anyway. What happens in 10 is, it’s going towards a deep sacrifice. I mean, this is really going back to the book, Episode 9, not the way it happens. But in the way that it happens, in the way they’ve taken the television show… Yeah.

As you said, fans of the book have known this was coming — and what’s coming next — but I appreciated that it’s still played pretty realistically in that moment. What was going through your head when you were playing that scene with the spear coming towards you?

When can I get out of this fucking cold freezing Canadian evening? I’m back at the hotel. After lying on my back, we’re out there in this astronomy place in Toronto. Out in the wild filming in the evening. No, I was thinking that Wednesday really has set the whole thing up. I mean, if that’s what you want, in terms of sacrificing, will Shadow now follow through with sacrificing himself for his father, which is part of what it’s all about. Will that happen in Episode 10? Has he been strong enough?

I mean, it’s a very difficult book to adapt in the sense [Wednesday’s] trying to please a lot of people because he’s really a blueprint of ideas. Neil Gaiman’s ideas about it are fascinating. These ideas are always fantastic and new, but you can interpret them however you want. So I can’t wait to hear how it’s interpreted by the so-called 1,000 fans of the book who have a different idea how the TV show should have been, which I’m sure they’ll still be arguing about when it’s long gone and over.


Photo: Starz

For your part, you really do sell it very well… It feels like Mr. Wednesday has been defeated in this moment, which is something that’s been building over the course of the season. You still have that con-man mode that raconteur, but it like to play this very different, more depressed Mr. Wednesday leading up to this moment to the end of episode?

Well, it made a change from sitting in a car next to Shadow and saying, “You’re a God, my boy,” and him saying, “now, tell me about this Dad.” A lot of that is in the book. But a lot of that sort of became confusing for people watching the thing saying, “what is all this talk about war?” Because he does talk about the war. Will it happen? Will it not happen? For those who know the book, you know, that it doesn’t… It happens in a different kind of way. And who is behind it, anyway?

So the last two episodes and whether they go on with the show… Who knows? I mean, this is series three. It’s [been] an enjoyable, if rocky, ride in terms of putting the show on, but it’s been interesting every year to see how the stories would progress, how the episodes would stack up, where we would be taking it next year? And how would the audience’s reaction be; which has been different every year? Well, not just the audience, but the reviewers and the critics about how they feel about this.

I still feel that the first series was overpraised, the second series was underpraised. And this has been coming along quite interestingly. Every person will have a different take on it … As I said, last week, I believe, when Hank remarks, “oh, you’re Odin in the shadow play, he’s an asshole.” But [Wednesday’s] reply is, “everybody’s a critic,” which I think sums up pretty well my attitude towards the whole series.

Maybe this is just because I have a soft spot for Kings, but there was a little bit of a sense of your King Silas from that show, in your performance this season. Did you feel that at all too? Or is that just me being a fan for that show?

I was a fan of that show. I think it’s the same powers, a certain amount of power always comes when you’re playing powerful characters. Kings was a terrific idea. It’s just that at the time it was when studios, you know, like NBC or CBS said, “oh we want to make a series like they do on cable,” but when they’re presented with it, like Kings, they don’t know what the hell to do with it, which is why they put it out on Saturday night at nine o’clock on NBC. They sacked all the executives of the television studio. So when they sack the executives, they sack all their projects, too, because they want to come in with a new budget. So that didn’t help. But I did think Michael Green did a great job with the Kings… There was some terrific stuff in that. It’s just the timing was not exactly… Spot on for it.

That’s definitely one that feels like it would have gotten a very different reception in the streaming era, versus on broadcast.

Well, yeah, it might have done, but it might have done [better] if NBC gave it a chance. But that’s because [they’ve got] all the other things on their mind, their own survival in mind. I was amazed that they allowed us to complete a whole season. I think we did 12 episodes. [Editor’s Note: Kings aired 13 episodes.] What if America was a kingdom? What if they had a spiritual advisor? it’s kind of like American Gods. Religion doesn’t just have to be the three so-called great religions. All you have to do to get a real take on that, just go to YouTube and watch Christopher Hitchens take them all down. If you’re an imam, to a rabbi to an evangelical preacher, don’t talk to him because he will destroy you within 10 seconds.

Some of that is behind the thinking is American Gods, which is more like, why does it always have to be about religion? Mass religion creates half the problems in the world anyway. Europeans, when they came to America, brought their God’s wisdom. But the good ones… Nad ones didn’t want to cross the ocean because they needed to remain where they were. But once you’re in America, the last 400 years, they’ve tended to forget about why they came: they came to get away from organized religion, from the brutality of totalitarian methods, no matter where they come from.

You could of course say now, this is what all these people who were spouting about freedom, but it’s not two different things. There’s nothing wrong in saying, “be nice to the gods of nature, cut your finger and put a little bug in the ground and harvest whatever, as a gesture of the goddess of harvest.” I mean, that’s all they were in the old days. Belief in each other, belief in nature, belief in the land, belief in what you’re given from the weather in the stars. We get too sophisticated and forget about certain other things. That’s what Wednesday’s been trying to say for three years, guys, I’ve been trying to get his message across. And now… You kill me.

There’s that great scene in the planetarium with you, Crispin Glover and Peter Stormare. You’re three actors known for this very wild, intense energy… What was it like when you get all three of you in the room together?

That’s what we said. I mean, it was great. You can’t ask for more terrific actors. You let them do their thing. When we came to talk about that script, to talk about that episode, and say, they want you to cut that down, I said, “excuse me!” You’ve got Crispin, who’s become Mr. World again — and thank god they went through the transition, but they came back to Crispin again. Let it fly. That’s what happened in that scene, and it worked because as a result, we just did it. It’s like a three or four pager, but it was all this very simple and very powerful and worked very well. And then you’re followed by, you know, the death of Mr. Wednesday.

For your part, you really do sell it very well… It feels like Mr. Wednesday has been defeated in this moment, which is something that’s been building over the course of the season. You still have that con-man mode that raconteur, but it like to play this very different, more depressed Mr. Wednesday leading up to this moment to the end of episode?

Well, it made a change from sitting in a car next to Shadow and saying, “You’re a God, my boy,” and him saying, “now, tell me about this Dad.” A lot of that is in the book. But a lot of that sort of became confusing for people watching the thing saying, “what is all this talk about war?” Because he does talk about the war. Will it happen? Will it not happen? For those who know the book, you know, that it doesn’t… It happens in a different kind of way. And who is behind it, anyway?

So the last two episodes and whether they go on with the show… Who knows? I mean, this is series three. It’s [been] an enjoyable, if rocky, ride in terms of putting the show on, but it’s been interesting every year to see how the stories would progress, how the episodes would stack up, where we would be taking it next year? And how would the audience’s reaction be; which has been different every year? Well, not just the audience, but the reviewers and the critics about how they feel about this.

I still feel that the first series was overpraised, the second series was underpraised. And this has been coming along quite interestingly. Every person will have a different take on it … As I said, last week, I believe, when Hank remarks, “oh, you’re Odin in the shadow play, he’s an asshole.” But [Wednesday’s] reply is, “everybody’s a critic,” which I think sums up pretty well my attitude towards the whole series.

Maybe this is just because I have a soft spot for Kings, but there was a little bit of a sense of your King Silas from that show, in your performance this season. Did you feel that at all too? Or is that just me being a fan for that show?

I was a fan of that show. I think it’s the same powers, a certain amount of power always comes when you’re playing powerful characters. Kings was a terrific idea. It’s just that at the time it was when studios, you know, like NBC or CBS said, “oh we want to make a series like they do on cable,” but when they’re presented with it, like Kings, they don’t know what the hell to do with it, which is why they put it out on Saturday night at nine o’clock on NBC. They sacked all the executives of the television studio. So when they sack the executives, they sack all their projects, too, because they want to come in with a new budget. So that didn’t help. But I did think Michael Green did a great job with the Kings… There was some terrific stuff in that. It’s just the timing was not exactly… Spot on for it.

That’s definitely one that feels like it would have gotten a very different reception in the streaming era, versus on broadcast.

Well, yeah, it might have done, but it might have done [better] if NBC gave it a chance. But that’s because [they’ve got] all the other things on their mind, their own survival in mind. I was amazed that they allowed us to complete a whole season. I think we did 12 episodes. [Editor’s Note: Kings aired 13 episodes.] What if America was a kingdom? What if they had a spiritual advisor? it’s kind of like American Gods. Religion doesn’t just have to be the three so-called great religions. All you have to do to get a real take on that, just go to YouTube and watch Christopher Hitchens take them all down. If you’re an imam, to a rabbi to an evangelical preacher, don’t talk to him because he will destroy you within 10 seconds.

Some of that is behind the thinking is American Gods, which is more like, why does it always have to be about religion? Mass religion creates half the problems in the world anyway. Europeans, when they came to America, brought their God’s wisdom. But the good ones… Nad ones didn’t want to cross the ocean because they needed to remain where they were. But once you’re in America, the last 400 years, they’ve tended to forget about why they came: they came to get away from organized religion, from the brutality of totalitarian methods, no matter where they come from.

You could of course say now, this is what all these people who were spouting about freedom, but it’s not two different things. There’s nothing wrong in saying, “be nice to the gods of nature, cut your finger and put a little bug in the ground and harvest whatever, as a gesture of the goddess of harvest.” I mean, that’s all they were in the old days. Belief in each other, belief in nature, belief in the land, belief in what you’re given from the weather in the stars. We get too sophisticated and forget about certain other things. That’s what Wednesday’s been trying to say for three years, guys, I’ve been trying to get his message across. And now… You kill me.

There’s that great scene in the planetarium with you, Crispin Glover and Peter Stormare. You’re three actors known for this very wild, intense energy… What was it like when you get all three of you in the room together?

That’s what we said. I mean, it was great. You can’t ask for more terrific actors. You let them do their thing. When we came to talk about that script, to talk about that episode, and say, they want you to cut that down, I said, “excuse me!” You’ve got Crispin, who’s become Mr. World again — and thank god they went through the transition, but they came back to Crispin again. Let it fly. That’s what happened in that scene, and it worked because as a result, we just did it. It’s like a three or four pager, but it was all this very simple and very powerful and worked very well. And then you’re followed by, you know, the death of Mr. Wednesday.

https://decider.com/2021/03/14/american-gods-the-lake-effect-ian-mcshane-interview/

PRINCE PHILIP HAS DIED AGED 99. QUEEN ELIZABETH APPOINTS EX-MI5 CHIEF ANDREW PARKER AS NEW LORD CHAMBERLAIN

 


Prince Philip has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace announces

Published
media captionThe BBC's announcement of the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace has announced.

A statement issued by the palace just after midday spoke of the Queen's "deep sorrow" following his death at Windsor Castle on Friday morning.

The Duke of Edinburgh, the longest-serving royal consort in British history, was at the Queen's side for more than her six decades of reign.

Boris Johnson said he "inspired the lives of countless young people".

"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband," the palace said.

"The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss."

Speaking at Downing Street, the prime minister said that the duke had "earned the affection of generations here in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth, and around the world".

Meanwhile, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said he "consistently put the interests of others ahead of his own and, in so doing, provided an outstanding example of Christian service".

In tribute to the duke, Westminster Abbey began tolling its tenor bell once every 60 seconds at 18:00 BST. The move will be carried out 99 times to honour each year of his life.

Earlier, the flag at Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-mast and a notice was posted on the gates to mark the duke's death.

People placed floral tributes outside the palace, while hundreds visited Windsor Castle to pay their respects.

However, the government urged the public not to gather or leave tributes at royal residences amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Royal Family has asked people to consider making a donation to a charity instead of leaving flowers in memory of the duke, and an online book of condolence has been launched on the official royal website for those who wish to send messages.

A message on the website of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's non-profit organisation Archewell paid tribute to the "loving memory" of the Duke of Edinburgh, saying: "Thank you for your service... you will be greatly missed."

The BBC's royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said it was "a moment of sadness" for the country and "most particularly, for the Queen losing her husband of 73 years - a bigger span of years than most of us can imagine".

He said Prince Philip had made "a huge contribution to the success of the Queen's reign", describing the duke as "utterly loyal in his belief in the importance of the role that the Queen was fulfilling - and in his duty to support her".

"It was the importance of the solidity of that relationship, of their marriage, that was so crucial to the success of her reign," he added.

Victoria Ward, Robert Mendick

The Queen has appointed Britain’s “safest pair of hands” – the former head of MI5 – to take over the running of the Royal household.


© Shutterstock The Queen has appointed Andrew Parker has her new Lord Chamberlain - Shutterstock

Buckingham Palace has announced that Lord Parker, who stepped down last year as director-general of MI5, would take over as Her Majesty’s new Lord Chamberlain. In doing so, he becomes the first former member of the security services to take up an historic post, dating back hundreds of years.

Normally the domain of aristocrats, Lord Parker was educated at a comprehensive school in the North East before studying natural sciences at Cambridge, and remains a keen bird watcher.

Until recent times, the position of Lord Chamberlain was largely the preserve of dukes and earls.

Lord Parker, 58, succeeds Earl Peel, a great-great grandson of the prime minister Sir Robert Peel, who announced his intention to retire last year after more than 14 years in post.

The Lord Chamberlain is the most senior official of the Royal Household, tasked with ensuring the smooth running of each department.

The part-time, non-executive role, which pays around £90,000 a year, also facilitates communication between the Queen and the House of Lords, and ensures coordination between Buckingham Palace and Clarence House.

Lord Parker is well known to the Queen and senior members of the Royal household after seven years as head of MI5, the domestic security service.

“He is incredibly well respected across Government and particularly in the intelligence community,” according to one source.

He is regarded as the “safest pair of hands” having steered the UK’s intelligence response through such huge, momentous events as the nerve agent attack in Salisbury in 2018 and a series of Islamist terrorist attacks in 2017.

His time as head of MI5 between 2013 and last year when he retired coincided with the rise and ultimate defeat of Islamic State.

The Lord Chamberlain's Office is responsible for organising the public facing and ceremonial aspects of the Queen’s working life, from garden parties and state visits to royal weddings and the State Opening of Parliament. They also handle the biannual awarding of honours.

The timing of his appointment means that Lord Parker will likely oversee any ceremonial aspect of the Prince of Wales’s accession to the throne, although Palace aides stressed this was not the reason he had been picked for the role.

He became a cross-bench life peer in December, paving the way for his appointment as Lord Chamberlain, although the timing was said to be nothing more than a “happy coincidence”.

Last February, he hosted the Queen’s first visit to MI5’s headquarters in central London, when she praised the intelligence agency’s officers for their “tireless work” in keeping the country safe.

Lord Parker stepped down last April, having been knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June 2019.

He has a keen sense of public duty and worked for MI5 for 37 years, running investigations into al-Qaeda and thwarting a plot hatched in the UK to simultaneously blow up transatlantic airliners while in mid-air.

In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen has appointed Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere, as Lord Chamberlain to succeed Lord Peel, who will retire on 31 March. Lord Parker will take up his appointment on 1st April 2021.”

Earl Peel, 73, delayed his retirement amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis while the search for his successor took place. He was due to step down at the end of 2020 but extended his notice period by around three months. On ceremonial occasions, the Lord Chamberlain carries a white staff and a gold key, the symbols of his office.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/royal-family/queen-appoints-ex-mi5-chief-andrew-parker-as-new-lord-chamberlain/ar-BB1dqs3s

IN THE FAMILY WAY: 10 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR DAYS EASIER, STARTING NOW.

 Tiny victories matter, too.


Modern life requires seismic adjustment and involuntary change: Turn your home into an office. Turn your home into a school. Modify lifelong methods of human interaction and hygiene. Oh, and remain optimistic. Easy!

Yet when COVID-19 hit, so many articles, tips, and Instagram accounts cropped up dedicated to making ourselves the Best Pandemic People Possible: how to transform a living room into a learning den; how to stage a quarantine “glow up” and emerge lithe and toned. Always, a battery of self-improvement advice with undercurrents of scolding: You are failing, and a pandemic is the prime opportunity to do better.

But lasting change is incremental and manageable.

“You are what you repeatedly do,” says Alanna Fincke, a board-certified health coach and senior vice president of Boston-based resilience training program MeQuilibrium. “We think our health and well-being is in grand declarations and huge changes, but it’s built in small, tiny, repeated actions.”

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you lack time for major life overhauls but wouldn’t mind feeling a little bit better, some of the time. What if micro, non-intimidating shifts unleash actual consequences?

They could. Here are a few from Fincke and life coach Rachel Estapa, founder of Somerville’s More to Love Yoga, focusing on plus-size wellness.

Measure wellness through values, not metrics. Wellness comes from many sources: Maybe it’s making your favorite dinner or going to bed an hour early with a book. It’s not just about calories burned or minutes on a treadmill.

“Factor in your body, mind, and heart, not just how many steps, calories, or minutes. Aim toward wellness acts that enhance your day-to-day life and satisfy core values,” Estapa says. “What’s the best wellness act? The one that is doable in this moment.”

Visualize your energy output. Fincke keeps an actual jar on her desk filled with 60 beads. (You can use Legos, pennies, whatever.) She thinks of it as a tank that shows “energy in, energy out.” Draining meeting? Remove a Lego. Scored a deal at Carter’s? Add one. If this feels taxing, just make checks in a notebook. The important thing is to maintain a concrete picture of your energy tank so you know when it’s low. This way, you’ll see it before you feel it — in the form of a headache, explosive encounter with your kids, et cetera.

Take three minutes before waking up. I usually roll over and grope for my iPhone, then sleuth acquaintances on Instagram (How are they on vacation? Are they vaccinated? When will I get vaccinated?), and check messages. Before even standing up, I’m at a mental disadvantage. Instead, Fincke urges clients to lie there and name three things they’re grateful for. Maybe you have a day of zero meetings or you’re getting takeout from your favorite sushi place later. Conjure your happy trio — then, if you must, check your phone.

Delegate, delete, do. If your days feel unmanageable, pare down. Don’t martyr yourself: Delegate jobs to a partner or kids; delete pointless tasks that zap your energy; and reprioritize. For instance, Fincke’s husband now does the laundry, which she always did out of habit. “He shrunk my shirts, but I let go of that,” she says.

Habit-stack. Intertwine good, new habits with long-standing ones to make them stick. “Think of it as a sandwich. Wake up at 6:30, have coffee at 6:40, shower at 6:50. Could you sandwich something in between that, like two minutes of meditation?” Fincke asks. “Cue yourself by attaching a habit to something you already do, which makes it much easier to implement in your life.”

Ritualize enjoyment. It’s as simple as savoring small moments, like the taste of iced coffee or the coolness of your pillow at night. “Savoring is a form of mindful meditation that invites you to experience enjoyment in the moment. When we savor, we practice paying attention to nice things,” Estapa says. Attainable things, too — something as tiny as a cold glass of water.

Move a little bit. “Start small, so small that you think, ‘Pfft, that won’t matter.’ All bodies like to move, and no type of movement is ‘better’ than another,” Estapa says. In other words: Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Roll your wrists at your desk, rock your ears toward your shoulders, stand up and stretch (just hide yourself on Zoom).

Treat yourself. We’re motivated intrinsically and extrinsically. You might work out because you know it’s good for your heart, which is intrinsic. It’s also abstract. If you need an extra push, Fincke recommends attaching external motivators to tasks. “If you go for a walk three days in a row, tell yourself you’ll buy something at Old Navy when it’s on sale, or whatever is going to motivate you,” she says. Doesn’t have to be fancy.

Make visual walls between home and work. In this netherworld of zero boundaries, Fincke tells clients to drape a scarf over their computer when they’re done with work: Think of it as a subtle door-slam on the day. Or put your stuff in a drawer. Shove papers into a filing cabinet. Whatever it is, signal visually that you’re off the clock.

Keep a win list. “We’re wired to experience negative emotions more quickly than positive ones, so call out the wins, from the tiniest thing to the biggest thing,” Fincke says. Keep a running list — in a notebook, on your phone, wherever. Nothing is too small. Maybe you cleaned the hell out of a closet. Maybe you negotiated a mega-raise. They’re all worth tracking, and they’re great to refer to when you’re in a slump.