The beauty of being a misfit

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This week on TED.com May 28, 2016

Talk of the week Lidia Yuknavitch: The beauty of being a misfit 12:58 minutes · Filmed Feb 2016 · Posted May 2016 · TED2016 To those who feel like they don't belong: there is beauty in being a misfit. Author Lidia Yuknavitch shares her own wayward journey in an intimate recollection of patchwork stories about loss, shame and the slow process of self-acceptance. "Even at the moment of your failure, you are beautiful," she says. "You don't know it yet, but you have the ability to reinvent yourself endlessly. That's your beauty." Watch now »

Playlist of the week Plug into your power! There are plenty of ways to be engaged in your community beyond voting. Tap into your inner activist with these talks about accomplishing real change. Watch » 8 TED Talks • Total run time 1:41:00

More TED Talks Can the way you speak and write today predict your future mental state, even the onset of psychosis? In this fascinating talk, neuroscientist Mariano Sigman reflects on ancient Greece and the origins of introspection to investigate how our words hint at our inner lives -- and details a word-mapping algorithm that could predict the development of schizophrenia. "We may be seeing in the future a very different form of mental health," Sigman says, "based on objective, quantitative and automated analysis of the words we write, of the words we say." Watch » Zaria Forman's large-scale compositions of melting glaciers, icebergs floating in glassy water and waves cresting with foam explore moments of transition, turbulence and tranquility. Join her as she discusses the meditative process of artistic creation and the motivation behind her work. "My drawings celebrate the beauty of what we all stand to lose," she says. "I hope they can serve as records of sublime landscapes in flux." Watch » The barbershop can be a safe haven for black men, a place for honest conversation and trust -- and, as physician Joseph Ravenell suggests, a good place to bring up tough topics about health. He's turning the barbershop into a place to talk about medical problems that statistically affect black men more often and more seriously, like high blood pressure. It's a new approach to problem solving with broad applications. "What is your barbershop?" he asks. "Where is that place for you where people affected by a unique problem can meet a unique solution?" Watch » Before he fought in the galactic battles of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Adam Driver was a United States Marine with 1/1 Weapons Company. He tells the story of how and why he became a Marine, the complex transition from soldier to civilian -- and Arts in the Armed Forces, his nonprofit that brings theater to the military. Because, as he says: "Self-expression is just as valuable a tool as a rifle on your shoulder." Followed by a powerful performance of Marco Ramirez's "I am not Batman" by Jesse J. Perez and Matt Johnson. (Adult language) Watch » Adam's talk is featured in TED Talks: War & Peace, premiering Monday, May 30, at 9pm on PBS television.

articles and essays on our blog, ideas.ted.com Invention: The surprising keys to new medical breakthroughs » Right now, the way we discover medical treatments is slow and limited. One visionary researcher shows what's possible when we try something new. Art: Why is it so hard for artists to make a living? » As humans, we treasure art, music and writing -- but we pay art makers poorly. Fiction writer Monica Byrne asks: Why is that?  Conversation: A cup of tea with Oliver Sacks » Science writer Laura J. Snyder recalls a curious chat ...

Quote of the Week “ I don’t want pity. I’m saying this to illustrate that, under the current economic models, even when writers win, they lose. About a year ago, I realized this, and resolved three things: (1) that my work had value and deserved monetary compensation, (2) that I could not trust the existing economic models to give me that compensation, and (3) I had to find new ones." Monica Byrne How do artists make a living?

 

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