It's so granola of me, but I really love to create right after a good yoga session. Of course yoga is a practice that is designed to relax your mind and prepare your body for meditation. For me, it completely relaxes my muscles and clears my head. My favorite is the evening Vinyasa Flow class most weeknights at Stroga, but I just got a Living Social voucher for Buddha B so I'm going to give that a whirl. Do you have a favorite yoga spot in DC?
My creative ritual isn't just about feeling relaxed. It's also a way to punctuate my day. If, like me, you're not a full time creative, you might also need something like a yoga class, a long run, or some other measure of time where you have the opportunity to release whatever else has been preoccupying your mind in order access that higher level of awareness you need to really dig deep and create. Other people are more concerned with preparing the environment they will create in through cleaning it, playing music, lighting candles, etc. How do you get yourself in the right headspace for creating?
Let us know!
Hey there, Creatives! Looking for some inspiration? Check out one of my favorite DIY blogs, Curbly.com, for everything from home improvement to furniture, rugs, wall decor, to painted glassware.
Check out this Roundup up of easy, budget-friendly wall art ideas like this:
And instructions on creating beautiful, hand-painted stemware, like this set of tumblers:
Perfect to say, make and donate to a charity Pop-Up gallery? ;-)
Now get out there and make something beautiful!
There is an organic connection between this cause--the research of treatments and a cure for Cancer--and art. It all centers around the concept of vulnerability.
The really terrifying thing about Cancer is that we are all vulnerable to it because we haven't identified the exact cause of this disease and once it's contracted, we don't know a foolproof way to cure it. There are many stories out there of the sudden, unexpected onset of Cancer that has claimed the life of a loved one.
Whether you're a patient or a loved one of a patient, you have to process the seeming randomness of the disease, all the unknown variables that impact treatment, and being starkly confronted with your own mortality. It takes a lot of bravery to get through that kind of uncertainty.
In a similar way, the act of creating is an inherent act of bravery. You are taking this expression of your raw self and putting it out there for other people to interpret--potentially slaughter--and that's very scary. Maybe that's why artists are so sensitive, because they're always walking around exposed, like so many mounds of metaphysical hamburger meat. There's something sort of morbid about it, but ultimately it's what makes art so compelling, and it's the reason that I couldn't fathom doing anything to honor my Grandmother, our family's experience with the disease, and the experiences of others without incorporating art.
I hope that this resonates with you. If it does, please consider being involved in Create A Cure, either through submitting a piece of art for the upcoming Pop-Up Gallery (event info TBD) or by making a donation through the website.
Join us and together, we can create something beautiful!
