4 the Better

Bite-sized motivation and inspiration in 4 minutes

Maker of Beautiful Things

As a child, I had a proclivity for all things “artistic,” drawing, painting, macrame…I was always creating something. Fortunately, my mom nurtured my budding talent with a handful of drawing and painting classes, so it’s no surprise that my profession is rooted in art and creativity. But as I solemnly discovered early in my career, being a professional creative is often far from artistic. Occasionally, the thought pops in my mind that I’d like to dabble in painting again…someday…when I have spare time…which sometimes feels like never.

But after writing I’m Not Done Yet—in which I have optimistically earmarked my 80s as the time to gradually replace work with play and start relaxing—I can foresee a time when I actually will be able to pick up a paintbrush again. Of course the next thought that hits me is, “That’s crazy to start again in my 80s…” until I remember Eva Zeisel. 

You may not know her name, but you possibly have caught a glimpse of her work on a table display at Crate & Barrel or in the Museum of Modern Art. Eva Zeisel was a Hungarian-born American industrial designer whose prolific career as a heralded ceramist spanned over 85 years. Incredibly, she was still designing until a few months before she passed at the age of 105.

Her life story is inspirational in and of itself. Born in 1906 in Budapest, Eva learned industriousness from her parents: her father owned a textile factory and her historian mother was the first woman to earn a doctorate at the university of Budapest. Eva endeavored to become a potter at a time when it was practically unheard of for women. With her innate artistic abilities, she excelled, and in 1935, at the age of 29 she became the artistic director of the Russian and China Glass Trust, where she had moved to “see what was behind the mountain.”

Life changed unimaginably at 4:00 AM in 1936 when a knock on the door began a chain of events that landed her in a Russian prison, falsely accused of plotting to assassinate Joseph Stalin. Eva was imprisoned for 16 months, 12 of which were in solitary confinement, before a sudden and surprise release in 1937.

She left Russia to join her family in Vienna and reconnected with her future husband—Hans Zeisel—before another unbelievable life-changing event: securing a spot with Hans on the last train out on the day that Hitler marched into Austria. Narrowly escaping tragedy, Eva and Hans were married in England and with $64 sailed to America to begin a new life. An extraordinary life.

This remarkable woman, who hadn’t seen colors for the year and half that she was confined, went on to become an acclaimed industrial designer in both the commercial and fine arts realms, and to have her work featured  in the permanent collections of museums worldwide. She believed that “beautiful things make people happy,” and she humbly considered herself a maker of beautiful things.

As an aspiring young designer, I was first enamored by the timeless beauty, elegance, and ethereal fluidity of her designs. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been inspired by her indomitable spirit, her drive to create beauty, and her incredible forward momentum. She continued working through her 90s and into her early 100s, collaborating with younger designers and even giving a TED talk at age 102! Ultimately, Eva Zeisel left the world a more inspired and beautiful place.

Those are footsteps to follow in.

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Beautiful Things Make Your Life Better

Eva’s intrinsic wisdom to create beauty may have contributed to her longevity. Beauty moves the human spirit. Aesthetic emotion is very powerful and empirical studies strongly support the notion that art improves health and well-being. The wide-ranging benefits of surrounding yourself with beautiful things include increased positive emotions, lower stress levels, healthy social connections, and even improved memory.

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Eat Protein! 

While there appears to be controversy regarding high versus low protein diets in the longevity community, valuable—logical—insight from Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, creator of the “Younger You” program, puts it in perspective:

“We know that we lose muscle mass at quite a clip as we age.  We also know that sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and strength, has repeatedly been linked to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality.”

“We also know that the older you get, the more protein you need to ingest to maintain muscle mass and inhibit sarcopenia. Why? We’re not as efficient at breaking down, absorbing, and using protein as we age. We can help offset this loss of efficiency with increased intake.”

Thank you, Dr. Fitzgerald!

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