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Design, Work/Life September 8, 2010

Seven Questions for Arturo Guerrero, Painter

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Arturo Guerrero’s life is the stuff of fairy tales–with a touch of luck and a lot of hard work. He was born in 1960 in the fabled city of Madrid and earned a degree in architecture. Then, he somehow took a left-hand turn and decided to become a painter.

Not content to remain comfortably ensconced amid familiar surroundings, he moved in 1993 with his wife, Ana Larrea, and two daughters, Blanca and Lola, to New York City, where he has been working ever since.

Guerrero rides his bike to his Brooklyn studio every morning, paints all day, and returns in the evening to “cook wonderful dinners for my family and occasionally my friends.” Guerrero says that his work “reflects how he, as a Spaniard, views life in New York.”

His work is often muted, sometimes colorful, always attractive, and frequently abstract. Despite traversing a less-traveled and risky road, he seems well on his way to living happily ever after.

Here are seven questions for Arturo Guerrero:

1. What are you working on right now?

I’m working on a series of paintings of which the main subject is the wind. As it passes through the trees or it runs over the surface of the water. Right now I’m also painting urban landscapes at twilight hours.
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Well-Being August 31, 2009

Moms’ Bad Jobs Affect Kids’ Performance

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To work or not to work: That is the question for many moms. Or is it? The implication of a new University of Michigan study is that, when it comes to the well-being of her children, the kind of job a woman has may be just as important as whether or not she works at all.
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Well-Being August 19, 2009

Not (Exactly) Your Father’s Retirement

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When my dad retired at 55—the age I am now—he had a solid pension plan and the kind of comprehensive healthcare coverage workers today only dream about.
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Well-Being August 7, 2009

Homemade Happiness: Good as the Real Thing

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When “natural” happiness withers under the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, it’s nice to know we can just make some more.

Making happiness may not be as easy as whipping up a batch of double chocolate brownies, but psychologist Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, says that we humans have the capacity to manufacture happiness, and that “synthetic” happiness is indistinguishable from “natural” happiness.
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Well-Being July 10, 2009

Everyday Resilience: Achieving Emotional Buoyancy in Choppy Waters

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When I think about resilience, I think of Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, who held her family together through death, homelessness, unemployment, and hunger. I think of Ishmael Beah, who lost his humanity as a child soldier in Sierra Leone’s civil war but later regained it, wrote a memoir, and now serves as an advocate for the rehabilitation of child soldiers. And I think of my friends Ann and Jim. Within a span of 18 months, they separated and reconciled, she learned she had cancer and underwent treatment, and he lost his job.
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Well-Being June 1, 2009

Who’s stressed? All of us.

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Photo credit: Jeffrey Coolidge/Iconica/Getty Images

Been a little cranky lately? Can’t focus? Not sleeping well? Unable to resist the Double Chocolate Toffee Crunch stashed in the bottom of the freezer?
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Well-Being May 20, 2009

Binge Computing: A Growing Hazard of Campus Life

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Photo credit: ColorBlind Images/Iconica/Getty Images

Not many college students make it to graduation without pulling at least one all-nighter. The fact that burning the midnight oil these days means long hours on the computer poses a growing health risk on campus.
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Technology May 4, 2009

Lost in Cyberspace

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Illustration credit: Marina Sagona

What do I know about the Web? Does it connect me and my office at home to anything meaningful? Does it weigh a package so that I don’t have to schlep down to the post office for the right postage? Does it ask me how I’m feeling and wish me a good day? Does it explain a sunrise or keep me in touch with my brothers hundreds of miles away? Well, yes and no.
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Well-Being May 1, 2009

This is the Life

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Illustration credit: Nigel Buchanan

Couples are getting more creative in structuring their lives to support their careers, their families, and their personal needs. Although challenging, it is possible to find fulfillment with a little bit of creativity. And maybe some compromise.
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