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Transcendent Waves: How Listening Shapes Our Creative Lives
How can thoughtfully and intentionally listening to our world inspire our creative practices? What insights can we gain when we delve into the immersive world of sound, which permeates our every moment? In Transcendent Waves , sound healing practitioner, meditation teacher, and artist Lavender Suarez outlines how listening can unlock moments of creative spark, self-awareness, and mindfulness in a work that is equal parts how-to guide and contemplative artist’s workbook. Suarez's illustrated meditations combine the open-ended freedom of Yoko Ono’s Grapefruit with the profound psychological insights of Oliver Sacks to offer a modern take on the impact of listening in a world that gets louder every day. Featuring an introduction by Bibbe Hansen―artist, Warhol star, and daughter of Fluxus co-founder Al Hansen� Transcendent Waves compiles scientific evidence, anecdotes, and thoughtful prompts for readers to manifest a sense of wonderment and appreciation for the intricacies of listening and the new perspectives it can bring to our daily creative worlds.
120 pages, Paperback
Published December 15, 2020
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356 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 18, 2021
My ears have had an outsize impact on my life. As a highly-sensitive person, my hearing ability has oscillated between empowering & debilitating; I can pick up the most distant, near-silent sounds quite easily yet I’m also overwhelmed by loud noises and sometimes find concerts, movies, and crowds difficult to endure. I’ve had tinnitus my whole life too, and often need ambient music by day & white noise by night to get by. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I finally met an audiologist capable of helping me. Now I’ve learned how to cope with, accept, and even cherish my hearing. This book is written from a similar perspective of cherishing what we can hear and how deep listening can inform our creativity & spirituality. The meditation suggestions are highly recommended. The last question of “do you want to auto tune your emotions?� was particularly impactful.
May 18, 2021
This book is best when read slow, contemplating over nearly every sentence. And it's so uplifting that I now want all of my friends to read it.
May 20, 2024
Take a pause. I will chew on the silence thoughts for some time.
August 11, 2024
I always thought of myself as a "visual learner."As a kid, I had a difficult time following and processing oral instruction in school. I have a vivid memory of being in Kindergarten and my teacher Mrs. Faxon queuing up a recording of a man calmly giving instructions we were to follow. Draw a yellow line, draw a blue circle, and put a red square below the circle. I remember drifting off into a daydream and then losing track of the instructions, which the man seemed to be dictating faster and faster. Eventually, I realized I am hypersensitive to sound - which is probably why I was having a difficult time filtering out the distractions in that new classroom environment.
I appreciated Lavender Suarez's insights into how to harness our power of listening while practicing it mindfully. The book inspired me to explore some new sound therapies and experiment with listening to music at different frequencies while doing creative work. Visually, I loved the simplicity of the typefaces used, the way each section is color-coded, and the nostalgic illustrations.
I appreciated Lavender Suarez's insights into how to harness our power of listening while practicing it mindfully. The book inspired me to explore some new sound therapies and experiment with listening to music at different frequencies while doing creative work. Visually, I loved the simplicity of the typefaces used, the way each section is color-coded, and the nostalgic illustrations.
March 29, 2025
Short n sweet
February 26, 2025
Listening is believing!
May 19, 2021
A nice introduction to processing the sounds that surround you and understanding how they influence our daily lives. A very easy read, making it an excellent resource to revisit occasionally to ground one in their present environment.
Also really nicely printed and assembled!
Also really nicely printed and assembled!
July 22, 2022
Savored slowly, but still perhaps too quickly. All in all I found the sections on silence the most illuminating (and of course the idea that the Big Bang wouldn’t have produced a sound that human ears could have “heard�).
April 15, 2021
A bit sappy and a lot of stating the obvious but done so in a way that made me appreciate things I’ve been taking for granted. A nice reframing of my day to day.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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