If you wake up and the day feels broken, just lean into the crack.
Björk
Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk has long been known for her eccentricity — from the genre-bending nature of her music to the infamous “swan dress” she wore to the 2001 Academy Awards. Her first musical release, at the age of 11, was an album of traditional Icelandic songs; she went on to front several anarchist punk bands before striking out as a solo artist. Björk has continued to shun the mainstream, folding everything from traditional Inuit vocalists to interactive apps into her work. With this lyric, from her 2001 song “It’s Not Up to You,” she helps us reframe setbacks as chances to take back agency. When we encounter adversity, we’re forced to think differently — and that can be a powerful source of possibility.
