Giraffe Language

By now you've probably heard about April the Giraffe, the very pregnant giraffe in New York's Animal Adventure Park who should be delivering a new baby calf any minute now. (She's been pregnant for over 15 months!) The calf (April's fourth, and new father Oliver's first) will weigh about 150 lbs and be aproximtely 6' tall at birth. A special website was set up to follow April during her pregnancy, and it even features a Live GiraffeCam.

My oldest daughter has always loved giraffes, and when I told her I was drawing one for this week's newsletter, she asked if I knew about 'Giraffe Language.' At first, I thought she was kidding, but she's a lot smarter than I am, and I always learn something when I speak with either one of my daughters, so I did a little research.

It turns out, so-called 'Giraffe Language' was developed by the late American psychologist Marshall Rosenberg, who developed Nonviolent Communication to help people all over the world resolve conflicts peacefully. Rosenberg called his approach 'Giraffe Language' because, in his words, "…it's a language of the heart, and a giraffe has the largest heart of any land animal."

I like that. Here are some short videos of Marshall Rosenberg discussing nonviolent communication: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3.

And keep checking the GiraffeCam – April's baby calf is literally due any minute! By the way, do you know why giraffes have bluish-purple tongues? (Click here to find out!)

Forward

“The more we practice nonviolence in our words, thoughts and actions the more peaceful will be our inner state.”
― Amit Ray

1. The Art of Autism: How Satoshi Tapir's autism helped create Pokemon.

2. Ebook sales continue to fall as younger generations drive appetite for print.

3. Perhaps, you've heard, of, the, "Shatner Comma", but do you know which seat on an airplane is called the "Shatner Seat?"

4. Some creative folks at the MIT Media Lab invented a device that captures air pollution—and then turned the pollution they caught into a safe, high-quality ink for art. According to this Kickstarter page, you'll soon be able to try it yourself: AIR-INK: The world's first ink made out of air pollution.

5. A 99-million-year-old dinosaur tail—perfectly preserved in amber—has been found … and it's covered in feathers (yes, feathers.) Proof of the existence of the elusive Tyranno-TURKEY-saurus, perhaps? (See Weekly Doodle, below.)

“So imagine that the lovely moon is playing just for you—everything makes music if you really want it to.”
― Giles Andreae

Welcome new subscribers to The Happiness of Art! In case you missed them, here are the last few issues:

If you enjoy The Happiness of Art, please share it or tell a friend. It's super easy: just click one of the buttons below. Thanks!

Forward

Subscribe to this newsletter!

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
― W.B. Yeats

Each month I give away one hand-signed, limited edition Giclée fine art print to a lucky newsletter subscriber. (With the exception of the small framed print pictured below, all come matted, but unframed.) Winners—who are notified via email at the beginning of each month—may select one of the prints shown here…

Forward this Email to a Friend

"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different."
― Coco Chanel

Until next week…

Subscribe to this newsletter!

Previous Newsletter Issues

Click here to read previous issues of The Happiness of Art.

If you like this newsletter, please share it with a friend. Thanks!

Forward

About Me

Hi. I’m D.E.Uhlig. I’m an artist, author, husband and father.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to draw. Years ago I gave my wife a hand-drawn card for our anniversary, and she loved it so much she made me promise to ALWAYS hand-draw her cards. Then our three kids made me promise to do the same with their birthday cards. And when I posted some of my drawings online, people began asking how they could purchase my work—so I created this newsletter. I believe in something I like to call “The Happiness of Art” and I hope it makes you smile.

Official Bio

D.E.Uhlig is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in numerous publications including the Kansas City Star, Christian Science Monitor, University Daily Kansan, Editorial Humor Magazine, and World Policy Journal. Commercial illustration and design clients over the years have included Samsung, Sprint, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, among others—and his Starbucks RedCup illustrations have been featured on the company's Pinterest and Facebook pages. In 1989, Mr. Uhlig co-founded Uhlig LLC, a leading provider of cross-media publishing and communication services in industries ranging from residential housing to book publishing to cancer care. Mr. Uhlig is married with three children and resides in Kansas City. He is currently working on children’s books, ebooks and apps.

Follow me elsewhere…

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram