Tag Archives: creativity

Mar11

Mexico: Filling the Creative Well

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(Part 2 of my recap of a week in the Boca de Tamatlan artist retreat)

Learn, grow, learn, grow, and then learn and grow. May we never stop seeking. Never stop filling our creative well. When we are 80, may we still be taking classes and stretching ourselves.

Casa de Los Artisas is a magical place to do this. We went snorkeling. We dined on a secluded beach while watching the surf roll in (let me insert here we ate very, very well, always). We discovered a small mountain town that seemed ready-made to film a old Western, and as I recall, a movie was filmed in that enchanted little village. We explored a tequila producer that actually produced raicilla. There were even drumming and salsa lessons on the side. And lots and lots of painting. Creative and spiritual wells are definitely filled up at this place.

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Every day in life we output. We produce. As a full-time artist, I produce art everyday. We cannot keep producing without replenishing our creative wells, or we are running on empty. There are many ways to do this, but that is a subject for another blog post. Today, we will focus on the learning vacation.

Art and travel just go together, and I dare say they are two of the rare things in life you can buy that make you richer — spiritually, that is.

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After a week in Boca de Tomatlan at the Casa de Los Artistas, I am richer in spirit and my creative well is full to the brim.

Every teacher has something different to remind you of or introduce you to. Sterling Edwards, our maestro for this week, was masterful at this. He hit on all those basics that simply can not be ignored, like value studies, simplifying and contrast. Then, he brought in his own voice in art to show us things we may not have thought of, like what can be done with long, narrow brushes and negative shape painting. And a credit card. An old discarded one on paper. Plus, that abstract demonstration I mentioned in my last blog that has me playing in a new and unexpected direction. It has me making time to play. Art is about discovery, and discovery happens in play. I’m playing again, and it feels as good as it did as a child.

I’d love to know: Where do you make time for play? How you fill your creative well and when/where are you booking your next learning vacation?

Until next time, happy learning and growing!

Jan15

The Most-Watched TED Talk, Creativity, 30 Days Facebook Free and You

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(Or the blog that every creative person or person who loves a right brainer needs to read.)

I recently accepted the 30-day Facebook Free Challenge. I was motivated by several things, and one was I have an insatiable thirst for learning. Books piled up that I wanted to read, and there were tons of TED Talks I was dying to watch. I also am so acutely aware that creativity needs vast amounts of brain space. And as much as I love connecting with people, checking Facebook while I ate breakfast and lunch and for 2, 5, 10 minutes arre and there throughout the day wasn’t contributing to that brain space that I needed. It wasn’t getting those books read, and it wasn’t getting those TED Talks watched.

I heart TED Talks, and I want to shine a light on one such talk I discovered while not on Facebook. It’s by Ken Robinson, and it’s the most-watched TED Talk of all time.

I hope you will take the time to watch it. I can only say I was not alone in being profoundly affected. It hit my heart, and I full-on ugly cried. I cried because this man who had never met me got me, because I believe his philosophy is so important to others like me: Kids who are right brain dominant, who don’t learn in the rigid left brain formula we as a culture have adopted and accepted as the way to teach. If that’s not how you learn, you get left out — pun intended. We’ve completely immersed ourselves in this school of thought. We have, as they say, “drank the Kool Aid,” swallowing this formula without questioning.

creditmarc6-smallAs I watched Ken blow wide open the ideas we have about learning and who is and is not “smart,” I thought that no one in our culture is ever shamed for not being able to draw, paint, dance, play music or create.

Please know I am not suggesting we begin shaming, but what I am suggesting is that we STOP shaming. It has become perfectly culturally acceptable to shame those who don’t spell well, or whose grammar isn’t perfect. We label the ones whose math skills aren’t up to par as “slow learners” or “not smart.” I am here to tell you to STOP. STOP all shaming when someone’s left brain is not like yours; we will never shame you for your right brain not working like ours. Next time you think it’s helpful to make a “Grammer Nazi” post on Facebook or even label yourself a “Grammer Nazi” or any other term that ultimately is meant to shame people not like you, STOP. As Ken so beautifully says in this TED Talk, the world may not benefit from more left brainers, but we may suffer greatly if we don’t start to honor the right brain.

I am understandably passionate about making a way in the world for creatives everywhere, for honoring their gifts and realizing ART MATTERS. So this is only Part One … Stay tuned, dear ones, for more. I will do my best to advocate, to encourage people to think outside the box and share amazing words like those of Ken Robinson in this the most watched TED Talk of all time.

Click here to watch Ken Robinson’s TED Talk.