My surrogate sister, Sara, has been over in China studying and teaching for about a year and a half now. Her experience of acclimating into another culture made me curious to see what creative benefits there are to living aboard. In Psychology Time’s article,”Can living abroad make you more creative,” Art Markman asks just that: The idea here is that when you go to a different culture, there are often subtle differences that you have to learn about. For example, in the US, if you go to someone’s house and they offer you a drink or snack, you respond “Yes” or “No” depending on whether you want a snack. In Russia, though, it is impolite to say “Yes” the first time something is offered, and so you refuse the first request. The host asks again, and after a brief negotiation, you may settle on having a snack. A Russian visiting the US for the first time might refuse the offer of a snack, only to be surprised that she is not asked a second time. Eventually, she must learn that the practices are different. To read the entire article, click here. What are your thoughts? Have you ever lived abroad? [...]
As a minister and an artist, I am always intrigued as to how spirituality effects the creative mind. So, when I saw this article from Deepak Chopra on Spirituality and Sex, it was a must read for me. My favorite is #1: Sexual energy is the primal and creative energy of the universe. All things that are alive come from sexual energy. In animals and other life forms, sexual energy expresses itself as biological creativity. In humans, sexual energy can be creative at all levels — physical, emotional and spiritual. In any situation — where we feel attraction, arousal, awakening, alertness, passion, interest, inspiration, excitement, creativity, enthusiasm — in each of these situations, sexual energy is at work. Whenever we feel these states of awareness, we must put our attention on the energy that we are experiencing, nourishing it with our attention, experiencing it with joy and keeping it alive in our awareness. Read this Huffington Post article and tell me what you think. Like this article and want to read more, feel free to subscribe to my blog feed
I have been thinking a ton about the artists program I’m putting together in Assisi and my spiritual pilgrimage to Taizé. Of course, it brought back great memories of my last trip to the monastery and a conversation a friend and I had over a pint of Guinness: Sam: “You do a lot of sh*t, Nae. I am not sure if you sleep.” Me: “Of course, I sleep. Didn’t you have to wake me up this morning?” Sam: “Yeah, but how do you tell people what you do and who you are?” Me: “I believe that we can sum up who we are in one word. Sooo….what’s yours?” Though I won’t go into our answers, I still firmly believe this. As Americans, we put a lot of emphasis on what we do instead of who we are and what we believe. Isn’t who we are and what we stand for more important than what we do for work (unless you are completely aligned with doing what you love)? People connect with people, not tasks or jobs. So, I figured I would reach out to some of my Facebook peeps and see who they are. Which one word represents each of [...]
Are you an artist (of any medium) looking for creative opportunities and collaborations globally? Would you like your work exhibited or performed in Italy and Boston? The Duane Arts Institute Be inspired with us. This summer, you can take your ideas and work with other artists and creatives like yourself. The Duane Arts Institute, held in Assisi, Italy will enable you to collaborate and create so that you can have your ideas and dreams come true. This interdisciplinary arts program allows for musicians, singers, dancers, writers, composers, filmmakers, visual artists, performance artists, actors, and photographers to collaborate with all the other artists attending your session. For more information, contact: DuaneArtsInstitute @ gmail.com, attention Lynn. Participate in a fun-filled two week session which includes: Each artist receiving one-on-one attention while working on individual and group projects Performance and Exhibition opportunities in Italy and in Boston (fall 2010) Collaboration with every individual attending the program Artist and Entrepreneurial Workshops Excursions throughout the Tuscan Region Sessions 1: July 25th-August 7th (ONLY 3 Spots Left) Session 2: August 8th-21st (ONLY 5 Spots Left) Program Fees Include: Performances and Exhibitions in and around Assisi Performances and Exhibitions in Boston (Fall 2010) Artist and Entrepreneurial Workshops [...]
Learning new languages is one of my hobbies. I think it’s one of the reasons I went into opera. What other art form are you guaranteed to perform in another language? With this in mind, I am constantly looking for ways to maintain and improve the languages I speak. I found LiveMocha about 9 months ago and feel in love with it. Livemocha divides a language into courses, units, and lessons. Lessons are divided into four types of activities: learn, review, write, and speak. What’s nice is that you can also make flashcards from the content in the lessons, or you can make your own flashcards. There is even a chat feature, so you can connect with people learning the same language you are. Have you tried LiveMocha or have another way of learning languages quickly. Let me know. I am always open to ideas and suggestions.
February 11, 2010 – 9:35 am
As the co-founder of the Massachusetts Artists Leaders Coalition (MALC), I work to ensure that Massachusetts artists of all disciplines have a voice in public dialogue and key public policy initiatives that impact artists communities and the creative economy. I and other members of the MALC ensure that we have voices representing the creative economy on a local, state, and federal level. When Massachusetts established its Creative Economy Council the opera singer in me was very excited to hear what kinds of support and legislation would be brought forth to support performing and visual arts in the state. Unfortunately, the CEC has focused its efforts on developing the design, videogame, advertising, and film/tv industries, leaving the performing and visual arts left a bit out of the loop. Performing and visual artists contribute directly to the economy, and drive more business, in several ways. For example: A friend of mine hangs art exhibitions in community spaces (coffee shops, bookstores). When those businesses hold small exhibition openings, it brings additional visitors onto their sales floors. On the same token, having a band perform at bars, restaurants, and bookstores can bring additional customers who may not otherwise venture into a business. Hiring an [...]
