How to be alone

Here’s a gem of a find by Brainpickings: Poet and singer-songwriter Tanya Davis and filmmaker Andrea Dorfman address the forgotten art of How To Be Alone — a beautifully hand-illustrated, simply yet eloquently narrated visual poem full of all these things we so often need to tell ourselves and believe, yet so rarely do.

31 Comments leave a comment below

  1. wow this is simply beautiful. made my day :-)

  2. very nice! where is the next bench?

  3. Very true. Having just moved, this was a great video to see.

  4. Very inspiring to one whose wife is away nursing a relative for a month.
    30nyears ago before I met her i decided to be happy with my own company and spend time only with those who were as good or better company. That was a good foundation for our nourishing relationship helping me find a deep beautiful soul like you obviously are.

  5. what a lovely message! everybody should take themselves out dancing at least once in their life.

  6. this terrifies me and makes me even more afraid of being alone.

  7. What a fantastic post.
    Wish I had seen it while we were at the office so we could have talked about it.
    Instead, I’m gonna leave a comment saying it is awesome.

    Also, Nina in the comment above mine. You are awesome. Just relax.

  8. love the little hand-drawn elements! we need reminders like these more often.

    also, i just discovered teuxdeux and i really like it! lovely job on the design.

  9. nice! that’s a little bit what my trip to japan is about. and it works out so well… thanks for the post, tina

  10. Beautiful animation and poem. One lesson that many people need to learn.
    Congratulations for the post!

    =D

  11. That was something beautiful. Really enjoyed it.

  12. That’s a very inspiring video for today’s introvert. Although, I think occasional interactions with people are important, if not necessary.

  13. Love this poem! Finding happiness thru being alone is a freedom. Once the peace within is discovered, your mind, body and soul will go places you’ve never dreamed of…embrace it!

  14. It made me cry. Aloneness is such a beautiful thing once we can find our own comfort in it. Thanks for this amazing post.

  15. I enjoyed this very much. It’s a great message for those who are lonely when they are alone.

  16. Beautiful poem to the healing force of being alone.

  17. Best poem ever!!! Tanya you are awesome and an inspiration to us all!

  18. Beautiful! Good reminder.

  19. what a gorgeous message

  20. so beautiful. vert touching!

  21. LOVE THIS! Thank you for sharing.

  22. No. She’s sad, and wants some company.

  23. Thank you.

  24. loved this video, mesmorizing…

  25. loved it … mesmorizing…

  26. Wow, this is amazing isn’t it. So beautifully done as well :)

    I REALLY relate to this right now. Excellent find!

  27. What libearntig knowledge. Give me liberty or give me death.

  28. Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
    The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Chrome.
    I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know.
    The layout look great though! Hope you get the problem fixed soon.
    Many thanks