culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

sunflower

What object has become a symbol in your life?

facing east to west

sunflowers rise up against

cumulonimbus

more recently

when we witness

an object become

a symbol of a movement

we must acknowledge

how powerful the image

and impact it creates

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

on the topic of

What decision do you regret?

on the third day

silky cases suspended

from the oak tree

buying a phone case

means we seek protection

of our valuables

but also adds to

growing landfills

once our devices

become obsolete

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

mosquito bites

What itches shouldn’t you scratch?

enter the river

looking for trout

but find mosquitos

leave behind

tiny red dots

waiting to be scratched

by our fingertips

isn’t a method of relief

but a path towards

potential infection

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

hangnails

How do you treat yourself?

dusty craters

bits of sand underneath

my fingertips

don’t ask for forgiveness

as they express themselves

and their discomfort

onto our fingers

which ultimately leads us

in acknowledging

how we truly treat ourselves

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

puddles

What are you jumping into today?

the rainstorm fills

potholes with skylines

and skyscrapers

do we avoid

and accumulate more

emails, messages

and daily tasks

or jump straight into

our work with

renewed excitement?

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

succulent

How do you check your surroundings?

aloe vera leaves

a maze of spikes

drooping over the rim

being low maintenance

doesn’t mean we can

completely leave

others on their own

without making sure

they have the optimal

environment to thrive

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2

What cycles continue as long as the sun shines?

tulip festival

opening for day

closing for night

whether or not

we remember the equation

that represents reactants

utilizing light to transform

into the products

essential our lives

we understand photosynthesis

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

QR code

What was the last QR code you scanned?

at plum bistro

laminated menus

await new eyes

interpreting

what to make of these

black squares arranged

on a white background

will take more than

our mobile devices

to uncover their meanings

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culture Tomosumi culture Tomosumi

caricatures

What determines your reputation?

wide rimmed glasses

left on the countertop

after reading murakami

overexaggerate

our reputations

so much so

that we are constantly

searching for ways

to showcase the best parts

of ourselves to others

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culture, creativity, community Tomosumi culture, creativity, community Tomosumi

chewing gum

What can you learn from repetition?

termite mounds

chimpanzees inspect

broken stems and twigs

despite popular myths

it’s essential for us to understand

that doing the same thing

over and over again

doesn’t always lead

to overall success

but lessons learned

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creativity, culture, community Tomosumi creativity, culture, community Tomosumi

qotd

What quote do you know by heart?

newspaper stand

headlines after headlines

fall to deaf ears

if we are to understand

what separates

a good quote

from a bad one

we should acknowledge

how these statements

made us feel

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culture, creativity, community Tomosumi culture, creativity, community Tomosumi

available

What can you create with your surroundings?

garden clippers trim

the old bonsai tree

pine needles rise

what if we looked

past not having

the latest and greatest

application, product, or platform

and adjusted our attention

to the tools and equipment

at our fingertips?

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

π

How do you remember things?

trilling along

my middle and ring fingers

rest on the ivory

maybe the feats

of memorizing and

using mnemonics

to aid in our retrieval

of long lists of numbers

can tell us more about

setting systems than chasing goals

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

trophies

What are you proud of?

the banner

hanging in the rafters

watching over us

it isn’t so much

about the names

and accolades

as it is about

us discovering

what gives us

our sense of pride

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creativity Tomosumi creativity Tomosumi

ctrl+c

What can you learn from your role models?

nakashima’s table

butterfly joints

connect redwood

for all the times

we want to create

something new

but have no idea where to begin

consider copying and analyzing

the work of role models

to find our new voice

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

wallpaper

What does your wallpaper say about you?

facing the wall

two zebras leap

across the plain

facing the conundrum

of selecting which

kind of color,

texture, and design

is only the first step

of an ever-evolving process

in applying our vision

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

kimchi fried rice

What recipes have you committed to memory?

a pepper flake

runs down the side

of my chawan

chop and cook the spam

cut the kimchi

mix beaten eggs with

day old white rice

and mix everything

with sesame oil and mirin

is a recipe from memory

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

the truth is,

When was the last time you critically thought about your beliefs?

the librarian

dusts off shelves

and seat covers

we will never know

everything about

certain topics and subjects

until we can embrace

the idea that learning

requires both conscious

and unconscious minds

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

lazy susan

How does good design reinvent traditions?

jade garden

steamer baskets reveal

glassy shrimp dumplings

no matter our age

we have heard

seen or interacted

with this revolving table

in one way or another

as good design

often reinvents traditions

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

x

What treasures are you chasing?

crisscrossing palms

waving goodbye to

the setting sun

on our map

marks the spot

for buried treasure

or the place

we set our sights on

before setting out

on a new project

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