Resources
What it really takes to keep making art
“Creativity is contagious. When we spend time with other artistic people, we absorb and exchange a way of thinking, a way of looking at the world… It doesn’t matter if their art form is the same as or different from yours. It’s nourishing to be in a community of people who are enthusiastic about art.”…
Read MoreHow to Stay in Good Shape: Shoring Up to Sustain the Journey
During some of the most destabilizing times of my life, I went to see a Somatic (Body-Based) Psychotherapist. Back in 2005, I had a very painful and disillusioning break with a spiritual mentor, and then my husband Eddie started going through lung cancer treatment. Two years later Eddie passed away, and not long after my…
Read MoreWe interrupt this broadcast to talk about ART and TRUTH…
We interrupt this broadcast to talk about ART and TRUTH. So many people—musicians and film buffs alike—have been speaking favorably about the recent Bob Dylan movie, The Complete Unknown. The film struck a chord with me as well, representing a time I didn’t live through but was deeply influenced by as a young person. Bob…
Read MoreMy Father’s Work at USAID in Service to World Hunger
We are living through a politically fraught time in the United States, and I am acutely aware that what is happening here is felt around the world. Countless ideas, opinions, and fears are running rampant, and internally, it can feel destabilizing. From my experience, there appears to be multiple narratives about what is constituting “truth” or “facts”…
Read MoreFinding ‘Space’ to Make Art: Coffee Shop, Plane, Bedroom? ✈
Since I’ve been doing a lot of creative coaching and mentoring lately, I’ve been reflecting on the basics of art-making. My last newsletter focused on finding time to create. Today, I’m shifting the focus to carving out physical space for making art. This is another big obstacle that can trip us up. Whether you’re working on art…
Read MoreThere is Never Enough Time for Art
Among the pleasures afforded by a warm summer here in Virginia, I am lucky to have the gift of work that I love, in part because of clients I am privileged to work with who I find inspirational and dedicated to their healing and creative lives. One theme that has been arising often lately is the challenge of…
Read MoreWhat is a Creative Identity?
“Let us not be bound by ideas of how we must be. Let us not be told to be or do anything that feels wrong. Let us define for ourselves what the right timing and the right places are… Let us be and make only what is true to who we are." – Tech Artist…
Read MoreFalling Apart and Back Together
“The alchemy of performance changes something that was sad – it causes a chemical reaction in your bloodstream and it comes out joyful.” – Florence Welch of ‘Florence in the Machine’ This month is Mental Health Awareness Month. In my work, the ‘awareness’ of emotional and mental health is present all year round. We can’t…
Read MoreArt and Aliveness
What makes you feel most alive? What is most alive in your art process? What is most alive in your dance and movement at this moment? Follow the thread of your aliveness. Where do you find the most energy or vitality in your body? These are questions and prompts I often use in my individual…
Read MoreMaking Masks with Henry: Window into the Imagination
This is my artist friend Henry Sultan. I have known Henry for a few decades, and now I’m in my 50’s and he is in his 80’s! We first met when I was the Art Curator at the California Institute of Integral Studies where I hosted an art show with Henry and his wife Jenny…
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