It was hard to leave the clear fall day and enter the theater of the Center for the Arts yesterday evening, but I was so appreciative that I did. TedX Jackson Hole was centered around the theme of discovery, little snippets of talks about everything from ethno-medicine to social media, bringing the topics of science, art, culture, and social issues together into one evening of captivation and inspiration. And these were all local individuals, save two. Ted talks are formated to be only ten to twenty minutes in length, enough to relay information and leave the listener wanting to learn more. I have been inspired more than once by a Ted talk, this one by Elizabeth Gilbert has been one I have returned to often.
I left the night with my mind whirring in many directions, namely with the urge to do something that makes a difference for others, that makes the world a brighter place. How to use my gifts to bring transformation of some sort. Some of the most touching....
--Leticia Liera and Isabel Zumel created College Bound Latinas to work with young Latinas to encourage them in their capableness and ability to shun statistics and pursue a college education. Pure inspiration from these young women and their champions in their pursuit of their dreams.
--Paul Allen Cox who heads up the Institute for EthnoMedicine located in Jackson, WY who is doing pioneering work in the understanding and curing of ALS and Lou Gerigs disease. The Institute's study of remote Pacific island villages with high levels of ALS led to the consideration of BMAA—a toxic amino acid—as a possible trigger for certain neurodegenerative illnesses in genetically vulnerable individuals. They found that BMAA is produced by cyanobacteria which occur throughout the world.
--Amelia Terrapin who is the founder of Mobius, a movement-based science curriculum that strives to influence the typical ways of learning in the classroom and imbue children with the sense that science can be understood through a creative lens, rather than at the desk or through a test or reading.
I went home in the crisp darkness full of warmth, feeling fortunate to live in a electrifying community and full of my own potential.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Looking Up
In Lyn Dalebout's Astrological posting for today, July 16, she talks about how the Sun enters sidereal Cancer and is aligned with Procyon, the star of great loyalty and also called the Faithful Hound. She tells readers to shower their faithful dog-friends with treats and love and recognize the endless gifts and lessons they bring to our lives. They are holy guides, Lyn writes. Indeed they are; I learn daily from my furry beast.
Walking on Hagen Trail with Olive this morning, I contemplated the insights that she shares on a daily basis. A sensitive and aware dog, Olive is not keen with unknown objects above her. She notices planes, birds, and, most notably and with great fear, paragliders, those large pterodactyl-like objects that make her head for the woods. She is always looking up, surveying the sky. Look up.
Look up when you are feeling down and notice the multitude of gifts that surround your life. Look up and radiate confidence, while seeing what is ahead. Look up and notice the details in your everyday life, from the least obvious to the most blatant. While glancing skyward is a sign of Olive's primitive animal nature (have to protect myself from the big, bad paraglider), it is also a perfect metaphor for approaching daily life and living in awareness.
Once again my holy guide astounds me.
Walking on Hagen Trail with Olive this morning, I contemplated the insights that she shares on a daily basis. A sensitive and aware dog, Olive is not keen with unknown objects above her. She notices planes, birds, and, most notably and with great fear, paragliders, those large pterodactyl-like objects that make her head for the woods. She is always looking up, surveying the sky. Look up.
Look up when you are feeling down and notice the multitude of gifts that surround your life. Look up and radiate confidence, while seeing what is ahead. Look up and notice the details in your everyday life, from the least obvious to the most blatant. While glancing skyward is a sign of Olive's primitive animal nature (have to protect myself from the big, bad paraglider), it is also a perfect metaphor for approaching daily life and living in awareness.
Once again my holy guide astounds me.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Lessons
As I embark on a new art project this month, I hope to hold onto some of the lessons learned while creating costumes for a Contemporary Dance Wyoming piece this past June.
One of the largest insights is to use all of the time available to me and not wait until the last minute. I stretched the production of these costumes over many months (very unlike me), and was, therefore, able to enjoy the process even more, explore different possible paths with ease, and play a great deal. The level of stress, although present at times, was manageable.
Play is another lesson, even more important than using my time wisely, because it gets to the essence of how I would like to approach my art and most aspects of life. There was one magical moment while watching the dancers in rehearsal and simultaneously piecing together the costume layers with Babs Case, an individual who exemplifies approaching life through play, when I felt like a little kid again. Playing with colors and shapes and how it all fit on a human body....I left that afternoon incredibly uplifted and excited to push the costumes further in a direction that would make them look their best under the theater lights. This is always a hard aspect of creating for me to remember, the idea of keeping art-making light and explorative. I tend to fall into these troughs of seriousness and perfectionism that leave me paralyzed for periods of time.
Finally, the idea of continually exploring the process even when a project or a piece might be in the product phase and recognizing that an artwork can always go in new directions and morph into another creation. Remaining open and curious and challenging yourself to not close doors, while acquiescing to time and having the work "done" at certain points. That is living a creative life and when I find myself in that flow, in that groove, it is equivalent to bliss.
May we all have time, play, and curiosity in our lives!
One of the largest insights is to use all of the time available to me and not wait until the last minute. I stretched the production of these costumes over many months (very unlike me), and was, therefore, able to enjoy the process even more, explore different possible paths with ease, and play a great deal. The level of stress, although present at times, was manageable.
Play is another lesson, even more important than using my time wisely, because it gets to the essence of how I would like to approach my art and most aspects of life. There was one magical moment while watching the dancers in rehearsal and simultaneously piecing together the costume layers with Babs Case, an individual who exemplifies approaching life through play, when I felt like a little kid again. Playing with colors and shapes and how it all fit on a human body....I left that afternoon incredibly uplifted and excited to push the costumes further in a direction that would make them look their best under the theater lights. This is always a hard aspect of creating for me to remember, the idea of keeping art-making light and explorative. I tend to fall into these troughs of seriousness and perfectionism that leave me paralyzed for periods of time.
Finally, the idea of continually exploring the process even when a project or a piece might be in the product phase and recognizing that an artwork can always go in new directions and morph into another creation. Remaining open and curious and challenging yourself to not close doors, while acquiescing to time and having the work "done" at certain points. That is living a creative life and when I find myself in that flow, in that groove, it is equivalent to bliss.
May we all have time, play, and curiosity in our lives!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
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Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Working With My Hands & My Voice
I forget how much I love gardening as a job, despite the back pains and the red stripe from the sun that can appear along your back from bending over. I fondly remember the summer after my sophomore year in college when I gardened with four good friends and stayed tan and fit. I felt a bit of that today, although maybe more conscious of how much older I am now. I love picking out plants, getting my hands dirty, and making gardens neater and tidier. You can see your work and your attention so clearly when digging in the dirt; the outcome is always better than when you started.
I also had my last Local Arts Classroom session today. It made me a little sad, partly because I could have gotten more out of it, strived to gain more from the experience. I realized that I have always felt this way about school, that I could have learned more by digging deeper, asking more questions. Being a listener is not a bad trait in the least but, when it comes to learning, sometimes it is seriously detrimental. We had to meet as small groups before today's session and talk about our experiences with the course. I was the group leader for my seven person group, a position I was randomly placed in. It was good for me to play that role and I always realize, when I am forced to do so, that I lead quite well and that when I say something, it can come out sounding articulate and thoughtful. I don't trust that ability enough. A good lesson today in being proud of my voice....
I also had my last Local Arts Classroom session today. It made me a little sad, partly because I could have gotten more out of it, strived to gain more from the experience. I realized that I have always felt this way about school, that I could have learned more by digging deeper, asking more questions. Being a listener is not a bad trait in the least but, when it comes to learning, sometimes it is seriously detrimental. We had to meet as small groups before today's session and talk about our experiences with the course. I was the group leader for my seven person group, a position I was randomly placed in. It was good for me to play that role and I always realize, when I am forced to do so, that I lead quite well and that when I say something, it can come out sounding articulate and thoughtful. I don't trust that ability enough. A good lesson today in being proud of my voice....
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
June, thus far
There is so much to write that I am going to recap instead of trying to back date my posts and feeling overwhelmed in that process. The month has been a gorgeous one. I am so content and happy with where I live and this amazing place that I get to call home. It has been comforting to be in one place, despite my whirlwind travel fun, and to nestle back into my house.
The Contemporary Dance Wyoming performances the weekend of June 15 and 16 were highlights, giving opportunity for the visual and performance arts to mix and mingle. It felt good to stretch my creativity and see it come out in a new art form for me, costume design. Watching the awe-inspiring dancers move in my creations, how the costumes would move and change with their bodies, the organic nature of the movement and material and shape coming together. Both the costumes and the dance changed during every performance: the dancers energy altering the feel of the piece and the pods crushing on the costumes in new and intriguing ways. I would check the costumes and repair any minor damages after each show and it was thrilling to see the shapes that the wire and clothe would take, different every time. This was a magical opportunity that only reaffirmed my respect and true devotion to Dancers' Workshop and the artistry that resides there.
Another moment was just last week, while catering for and with my friend Karen and her new business Firebelly. Karen has a mobile wood-fired pizza oven that she trucks around to events and parties, creating delectably crispy pizzas with creative toppings for attendees to enjoy. A true art. It has been fascinating to learn more about pizza dough, about how to construct a good pie, and to enjoy some of the concoctions. We catered at this amazing home high on a Kelly butte last week, the Tetons and the Gros Ventre river stretching out before us. The sunset didn't disappoint, with yellows, pinks and oranges inking across the sky, framing the grand mountains. The owners have a pet crow that they rescued at birth (along with seven fabulous dogs. Someday I will have a pack.) that is tame and sits on the shoulders of those she is friendly with. I got to hold her and look in that fabulously intelligent bird's eyes and see her expressions up close, her clawed feet griping my arm. Only an hour before I rescued a stunned hummingbird and held the little bird on my finger tip before he flew away safely and soundly. The green of his wings and the purple of his chest...and the littlest eye imaginable blinking at mine. A magical evening of nature at her finest.
Lastly, my trip this past weekend to the City of the Rocks in Idaho, one of the most magical, tucked away places. Although it didn't seem so quiet due to the crowds (surprising), it was still wonderful to get away from the cell phone and computer and be surrounded by the huge masses of rock in a high desert surrounding. Camping with great friends and terrific doggies, climbing for three days after being away from the sport, relishing the feel of rock against fingertips and feet-a great weekend of fun. Climbing pushes me in ways that are both hard and so rewarding. I really think that the sport is one of the best metaphors for life, for working through fear and trying, whether your foot slips or not. Some days end in tears, other in smiles, and it is all okay. The new sliver moon was growing while we were there and on our last night, we were able to scale the rock next to our campsite and enjoy the sinking of the sun, our vista allowing us 360 degree views.
The Contemporary Dance Wyoming performances the weekend of June 15 and 16 were highlights, giving opportunity for the visual and performance arts to mix and mingle. It felt good to stretch my creativity and see it come out in a new art form for me, costume design. Watching the awe-inspiring dancers move in my creations, how the costumes would move and change with their bodies, the organic nature of the movement and material and shape coming together. Both the costumes and the dance changed during every performance: the dancers energy altering the feel of the piece and the pods crushing on the costumes in new and intriguing ways. I would check the costumes and repair any minor damages after each show and it was thrilling to see the shapes that the wire and clothe would take, different every time. This was a magical opportunity that only reaffirmed my respect and true devotion to Dancers' Workshop and the artistry that resides there.
Another moment was just last week, while catering for and with my friend Karen and her new business Firebelly. Karen has a mobile wood-fired pizza oven that she trucks around to events and parties, creating delectably crispy pizzas with creative toppings for attendees to enjoy. A true art. It has been fascinating to learn more about pizza dough, about how to construct a good pie, and to enjoy some of the concoctions. We catered at this amazing home high on a Kelly butte last week, the Tetons and the Gros Ventre river stretching out before us. The sunset didn't disappoint, with yellows, pinks and oranges inking across the sky, framing the grand mountains. The owners have a pet crow that they rescued at birth (along with seven fabulous dogs. Someday I will have a pack.) that is tame and sits on the shoulders of those she is friendly with. I got to hold her and look in that fabulously intelligent bird's eyes and see her expressions up close, her clawed feet griping my arm. Only an hour before I rescued a stunned hummingbird and held the little bird on my finger tip before he flew away safely and soundly. The green of his wings and the purple of his chest...and the littlest eye imaginable blinking at mine. A magical evening of nature at her finest.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Space
I love exploring art galleries in new cities, navigating the streets and peering into windows. Finding them is much easier with the addition of a smart phone, its infinite wisdom directing you when and where you should turn. The days of holding a paper map with a forlorn lost expression of a tourist is gone.
One of my favorite galleries that I discovered recently in Seattle was Gallery IMA. I was immediately drawn in by the intimate drawings on board that were found on their white walls. Drawings made up of multiple fine lines, meticulously drawn with an architects hand, placed over free-formed, watered-down oil washes.
One of my favorite galleries that I discovered recently in Seattle was Gallery IMA. I was immediately drawn in by the intimate drawings on board that were found on their white walls. Drawings made up of multiple fine lines, meticulously drawn with an architects hand, placed over free-formed, watered-down oil washes.
This photo doesn't quite do the piece justice, as you have to peer close to admire the intricacies and small details that artist Paul Lorenz finds in the oil puddles and shapes that form. The space that he creates in these works though, the depth and the feeling of floating through loose but controlled environments, is astounding. It was hard to leave and pull myself away. I realize that the more I look at art, I am so attracted to work that is, at first glance, simple and about the process more than the product. The attributes of color, space, texture, and composition are more appealing to me than any narrative or recognizable form. It is about a feeling.
Lorenz has made me want to return home and draw, return to the exploration of 2-d art.
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