What's up, human bean?
Can you tell how excited I am? It's been months, I know. But I promise this will be, as per usual, one special issue! 🫶🏼
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The Latest
I dream of making learning new sounds fun, meaningful, and liberatory. I've embarked on an adventure, quite literally!
A group of us adventurers (aka educators) have come together to make our wildest dream (yet) a vivid reality–design a game-based learning experience to learn pronunciation.
If you're looking for a safe and engaging experience where play and playfulness become arenas in which to explore new sounds, I've got you!
We will be calling for beta testers soon-ish and I'd love for you to join us! All you need to do to participate is stay tuned to this bulletin. For questions, feel free to message me at me@rosecoolbeans.com anytime.
Word of Mouth
Envisage (verb) /ɪn'vɪz.ɪdʒ/
Envisage has been part of the English language since the 17th century. It was sometimes used with the sense of "to meet squarely" or "to confront" (visage means "face" so the word suggests face-to-face encounters); however, that sense is now archaic and the word is primarily used in senses that involve having a particular conception or mental picture of something (visage also means "appearance" or "aspect").
In the early 20th century, some usage commentators began deriding envisage for reasons not entirely clear, declaring it "undesirable." Today, time and usage have won out, and envisage is widely used and accepted, though it is slightly formal in tone. Its near twin envision ("to picture to oneself"), which has been with us since the 19th century, is interchangeable with envisage in many contexts and is slightly less formal. - Merriam-Webster
Ready to practice? Try it and find the answer at the end of this bulletin!
Envisage means to:
○ smear so as to make dirty
○ place or set apart
○ form a mental image of something that is not present
○ find by digging in the ground
True to Shelf
John Sharp and Colleen Macklin explore iteration and creativity in both an academic and intensely human manner through ten case studies. [...]
Although they provide the “conceptual scaffolding” to better understand different perspectives, practices, and processes, what the authors end up demonstrating through their case studies is that iteration itself is iterative, that it is a combination of and an exploration of many approaches and methods, and there is no “one way” or right way to do it. If you can hold onto that idea, embracing that you’ll experience failure leads to freedom:
"In all sorts of contexts, from creativity to solving society’s most vexing problems, iteration is an antidote that can convert our fear of failure into a prepared openness for making the most of failure." - Porchlight
Iterate: Ten Lessons in Design and Failure is a book I've previously shared here in the bulletin and it's the one book I keep coming back to whenever I feel stuck. If I'm stuck long enough, I get depressed. So keeping this book near is a must. So for anyone who gets stuck, lost, or depressed while creating, give this read a try.
Dice & Games
Eastward is never a copy, often a homage, something that extends to its twists and turns that I won't spoil here - though I will say that the post-apocalyptic setting is more than window dressing, and be warned the story does go to some dark places. The pacing to get there might be a little off at points, but there's so much to recommend besides. I came for the beautiful visuals, and I stayed for the type of kind, warm game not many developers make anymore. - Eurogamer
Eastward is a one-of-a-kind game. Everything from the story to the characters and even the gameplay. This game does not disappoint.
Available now on PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch.
Cool Finds
With her fourth studio release, Nigerian-American Joy Oladokun sought to bring the world an album that sees us, everyday folks, in our struggles and offers us a glimpse of hope. In short, she succeeds. Released last Friday, Proof of Life is a collection of tender ballads, uplifting anthems, and truth-filled realities that encapsulates what it means to be “just trying to make it” in this moment. It’s music for those of us who are growing, loving, aching, and wandering aimlessly (and sometimes hopefully) through a world on fire. - shea wesley martin
Sometimes life is a little much. In those moments, we might need a friend, a kind word, or a song on repeat. This album has become my go-to grounding force for those moments. If you need something to ground you, comfort you, and remind you that things will be okay, listen no further.
Probably my favorite thing about [Adventure Time], though, is its ability to invoke a pure and joyous sense of wonder in me. It often explores dark themes, but it doesn't do so in a miserable way. The characters are almost always optimistic, compassionate, respectful, and accepting. There are almost no true "bad guys," but rather a diverse cast of flawed individuals whose stories, sometimes tragic but never hopeless, evolve over time to paint compelling pictures of these strange characters. And when those stories aren't unfolding, we're often watching a heartwarming and intriguing adventure between friends that somehow inspires joy and hope within my heart. I love this show's ability to make me just feel good. - Leusid
What time is it? Adventure Time! In a world where things can be tough, we all need a little Finn and Jake energy to keep us going.
Drum roll 🥁... and the answer is:
Envisage means to:
○ smear so as to make dirty
○ place or set apart
⦿ form a mental image of something that is not present
○ find by digging in the ground
The bean-sized bulletin is curated with 💜 by yours truly, Rose.