A Cornucopia

 

 

 

It's a cornucopia of art and I am grateful! For the past year I've been working with a group of young eager artists. It's such a blessing to meet with this crew weekly. As most teachers do, I'm learning so much from them. The challenges are very welcome.

 

At the end of each class we share our art and reflect on what we enjoyed best. Now it's my turn.

 

I've learned that yellow is a great color. Dance breaks are valuable. People love to help. You don't need to know how to use scissors to create art, but it helps. Beauty comes when people are free to do what they want. Nature offers endless lessons. Following the rules will get you places. So will breaking them. Actually, that's where the magic begins, knowing when to break the rules.

 

Igniting the Creative Fire

My purpose for this avenue is to remind myself how important the process is. Our culture is hung up on the product. Years as a designer has kept me focused there. But it's in the process that we can truly be.

This weekend I participated in  a workshop that combined the arts and yoga. (Non-yogis, don't turn off yet, there is still a chance.) At times I noticed that I fear my work being judged. This is not too uncommon. That fear limits creativity. For everyone.



Product after 10 minutes of Process. Take it or leave it.
 

During the workshop I was able to break through the fear and enjoy the process. Art became a verb. I felt something very obscure too, happiness. How did I reach this point? How do I repeat it?
The Cliff Notes version: Move. Close your door. If need be, turn out the lights. Turn on the tunes and MOVE every which way you can. Shake that sh%t loose! Then, without hesitation, go right to your medium and let the flow continue. Don't know where to start?

A dot will do. Seriously. Then let the rest follow.

Many thanks to Candace Stevens for making this occurrence possible at her workshop, Yoga to Ignite the Creative Fire at Yoga Home. I look forward to more of Candace's happenings. You can follow her musings here: Being and Becoming

“One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

The Chocolate Connection

In this era of excessiveness, we need to be selective to truly savor life.

 

 

 

 

It’s been my decision to do so with chocolate.  

On recent travels to Central America I became more intimate with my vice. Along with coffee, plantains, beans and bananas, cacao beans are the mainstay of the Nicaraguan economy.

Young cacao plants at Las Cuarentas

 

At home, we have the opportunity to consume a variety of chocolate. But how much do we truly appreciate?

After making friends with Orlando, age 9, and Deyling, 7, in the village of Las Cuarentas, my appreciation for this delight has shifted. In addition to attending school and household chores, these two young boys alternate shifts at the local plantation. They are out of the house by 4:30am, (thanks to the wakeup call of that &%@! rooster) to tend to the crops. They return before 7am to get a sliver more of sleep before chore time and the rest of their day starts.



Deyling, Rosmely and Orlando



that &%@! rooster

 

My son may never fully value what his contemporaries in Central America do so that he may enjoy this confection. Regardless, I can help him appreciate the variety that chocolate offers. Choosing quality over quantity is a valuable lesson. Applying it to chocolate with a seven year old is just plain fun. There is so much to understand and appreciate with chocolate. We’ve taken to having sampling parties.

Sampling Platter

 

Mindfully eating is good for us. Mindfully eating chocolate is great for the soul. This is living art. All of the senses should be involved when tasting. Sight, touch, tastes, and yes, even sound should be noted when considering the quality of a chocolate.  

Slowing down and recognizing these subtleties will give our circuitry a chance to truly appreciate all that’s gone into this creation. Acknowledging the multiple components connects us to each of the craft persons in the process, including Orlando and Deyling.

 

 

This is what fills us, the connection.

 

For more info on mindful chocolate tastings consider Dandelion Chocolate.  They are next on my list for chocolate travel adventures!

heArt and hands

heArt and hands, Las Cuarentas



"Invisible threads are the strongest ties." 

-  Friedrich Nietzsche

 

However, it is the artist  within us  that is driven to make those threads more apparent. That was my intent with the heArt and hands project.

For the past year I have been engrossed in fundraising and awareness for the support of Global Education. Part of this service has taken me to Nicaragua, to build a school along side dedicated villagers.
 

There was still untapped opportunity for more awareness and connection. How can the youth and young of heart of the United States know the story of Nicaragua? Know the gift of art? of giving? How can the youth of Nicaragua know that they are supported?


Whitemarsh Art Center pre-trek display


Working through the Whitemarsh Art Center and with local schools, 130 hands were outlined on heavy papers and good intentions were artistically expressed  for their recipients. The garland grew throughout the month of January. In early February, they were packed up and travelled over 2,000 miles to a remote village in Central America. Two airplane flights, a long bus ride and then a very bumpy and muddy ride via truck got me, our crew and the hands to Las Cuarentes.

 

 



Presenting heArt and hands and well wishes to the students for their forthcoming school

Our group's ( Beyond Asana with buildOn)  primary focus during this trek was to assist in the building of the school that we funded. However, most important were the connections with the people and students in the village.  We spent one morning dedicated to the young students, playing games, practicing yoga, talking about rainbows (see post below, Rainbow in a bag) and finally, presenting heArt and hands to the students and teachers. With garlands in hand, we encircled the students. I shared with the students where the hands came from and the support they offered. Then each yogi spoke of their intentions for the students' future.




Local teacher Lydia and myself at the village's current school, a corral.



Very moving for me and noted by others too, was seeing the artwork of our friends and family with us in this faraway place. It is my hope that the students of Las Cuarentas will find support in the gift we left them. However, knowing that a piece of each artist's soul back home was connected to these people was certain at that moment. Mission accomplished.

 

At that point, I considered the project finished. However, I was soon surprised and deeply touched. Before leaving Nicaragua, I was presented with the gift of art by my new friends. I'm looking forward to sharing this work with my students so the connection can come full circle.  

 

"Art does not reproduce the visible, rather it makes it visible".

- Paul Klee




A gift from the children of Las Cuarentas



 

Nicaragua site photo credits to Maura Manzo and Lindsay Lowa Roznowski. Thank you! 

Rainbow in a bag

Beauty and art can be found in even the seemingly most impoverished of places.

Flora of Las Cuarentas, Nicaragua





Daily ritual of carting desks to and from school.







Sharing a lesson on color theory





"Existence is beautiful. Wonder is our recognition of this fact."
 - SEO

Living art with the students of Las Cuarentas, Nicaragua