14 bits of Inspiration - Answer to Experiements in Creativity #10

I love this experiment.

Here is my list of inspiration (gathered over the last two weeks):

#1.  The 2011 Egyptian Revolution.  A reminder to fight for your passion and your beliefs.

image courtesy of leaksource.wordpress.com

#2.  Make big plans by Seth Godin. CLICK HERE to read it. Best quote from the blog post, "Is there any doubt that we need your art and your contribution?"

#3 My niece 

and nephews.

When I think of children growing up and the future they might live in the possibilities become endless in my mind.

#4 The weather.  Having just moved into a new house last November I am learning new things about it on a daily basis as the rain hasn't stopped in 4 days (a very long time for the Bay Area).  I am always amazed at the power of water and it's ability to get almost anywhere.

#5 My husband.  He was nice enough to let me capture his portrait.

#6 Words of encouragement.  Lisa and I are working on a new project (that we will tell you about it March).  We are in the baby stage and the more people we tell the more excited I get.  Every person has a smile in their voice when they hear what we are attempting to accomplish this year.  That makes me feel really good and pushes me to keep moving forward.

#7 Dogs.  There is something about dogs and their unconditional love and excitement that reminds me to not concentrate on work all of the time, stick my head out the window and feel the wind on my ears.

#8 Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.  A humble genius and a classy man.  I have seen interview after interview and Nova show after Nova show and am never disappointed.  Here is an example of the reason Tyson makes me smile.



#9 Sunshine.  I love waking up in the morning to the warm sun.  It's been pretty rainy around here lately, so I am appreciating it even more.  The sun makes me feel taken care of.

#10 The MOCFA.  I started volunteering at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco in January.  Every time I leave I feel energized.  The staff is so great to work for, I get to talk to people about art all day and am constantly reminded that people want art, need art, and crave it too.


#11 Laughter.  There is just something so powerful in humor.  I am so many fond memories of times my friends and I could not stop laughing and laughed so long we forgot what got us laughing in the first place.  Its a release.  It reminds me not to be wound up so tight, to just go with it.  Lisa shared this video on her facebook page the other day and it had me laughing out loud.




#12  Music.  I was washing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen and listening to an old Bright Eyes album.  I am in awe with Conor Oberst and his ability to describe a scene and an emotion. I am relating to a particular song of his lately as I am suffering from art block. Check out Another Travelin' Song below.



#13 The Movies.  I am watching the Oscars while I finish up this post and I am reminded the power of moving visual art.  There is something magical about escaping into a fantasy world and living out a story for a few hours.  My brain always spins with new ideas after I catch a good film.


What was so great about this Experiment is that although it totally has to do with art making, it also has to do with appreciating life.  I can forget to do that when I get wrapped up in all that is bouncing around in my own mind.  What I also love about this experiment is that if I was asked to do it again in a month, it would be a brand new list.  It felt spontaneous to me and that was one of my favorite aspects.  Thanks for grounding me once again Lisa.

What inspires you?

A breath of fresh air.

image courtesy of The Museum of Craft and Folk Art

I am really digging the new exhibition at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco. The exhibition is entitled E is for Everyone: Celebrating Sister Corita. The "E is for Everyone" part is there because Sister Corita was a populist artist. She made art for the people. An activist during the 60s, she spread words of wisdom and hope through her art.

I just feel good when I walk into the show. Maybe it's the bright colors, maybe it's the nice writings concentrated on love, hope, equality, civility, and lots of other nice stuff to think about.

My absolute favorite part of the whole exhibition is the wall of RULES. Sister Corita taught in the Immaculate Heart College Art Department and apparently she had rules that each student had to follow. We should all follow such rules.

* Rule 1

FIND A PLACE YOU TRUST AND THEN TRY TRUSTING IT FOR A WHILE.

* Rule 2

GENERAL DUTIES OF A STUDENT:
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR TEACHER.
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS.

* Rule 3

GENERAL DUTIES OF A TEACHER:
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR STUDENTS.

* Rule 4

CONSIDER EVERYTHING AN EXPERIMENT.

* Rule 5

BE SELF DISCIPLINED. THIS MEANS
FINDING SOMEONE WISE OR SMART AND
CHOOSING TO FOLLOW THEM.
TO BE DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A GOOD WAY.
TO BE SELF DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A BETTER WAY.

* Rule 6

NOTHING IS A MISTAKE. THERE’S NO WIN AND
NO FAIL. THERE’S ONLY MAKE.

* Rule 7

The only rule is work.
IF YOU WORK IT WILL LEAD TO SOMETHING.
IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO DO ALL OF THE WORK ALL THE TIME
WHO EVENTUALLY CATCH ON TO THINGS.

* Rule 8

DON’T TRY TO CREATE AND ANALYZE AT THE
SAME TIME. THEY’RE DIFFERENT PROCESSES.

* Rule 9

BE HAPPY WHENEVER YOU CAN MANAGE IT.
ENJOY YOURSELF. IT’S LIGHTER THAN YOU
THINK.

* Rule 10

"WE’RE BREAKING ALL OF THE RULES. EVEN
OUR OWN RULES. AND HOW DO WE DO THAT
BY LEAVING PLENTY OF ROOM FOR X QUANTITIES." JOHN CAGE
HELPFUL HINTS: ALWAYS BE AROUND. COME OR GO TO EVERY- THING. ALWAYS GO TO CLASSES. READ ANYTHING YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON. LOOK AT MOVIES CAREFULLY, OFTEN. SAVE EVERYTHING IT MIGHT COME IN HANDY LATER. THERE SHOULD BE NEW RULES NEXT WEEK.

"ART LOCAL" LA Artist Chris Espino

What is the "ART Local" movement:
It is an emerging "ART" Movement in Los Angeles and San Francisco, that supports the ARTs to be a local force of civic pride,culture, and economic growth.. For well over a decade there has been a" buy local" food movement. Now it is time to support, advocate, and cultivate local Arts and Artists in your own communities.


Here is our first "ART Local" Interview with Los Angeles Artist, Chris Espino.

Why are you an artist?
I believe we were all given a gift  by god . I intend to share and evolve mine. Since I wad a kid, I loved painting especially with my hands, It gives me peace- that's why.

Why do think Art and Artists are important in our Local communities?                     
I think its part of our culture. Through ART we can relate to every one. It also keeps the youth occupied and out of trouble I believe it emancipates us from our realites- meaning the struggles and stress or what ever were going through!! And of course Art is LA, that's one of the things we are known for.  

 
What does art mean to you?
Art to me means life creativity, movement, and it has the power to change peoples negativity into happiness. Art is a gift of god  that shows us things we have never seen before. It reveals what we think and imagine ART is HOPE!.

~ Chris Espino

• If you an "ART Local" artist and want to be interviewed, please e-mail us at artismoving@gmail.com-and or if you know of any amazing Local Art happenings and Art Centers in your communities shoot us a line  
• artismoving@gmail.com 

                                   

Join the "ART Local" Movement

What is the "ART Local" movement:

It is an emerging "ART" Movement in Los Angeles and San Francisco, that supports the ARTs to be a local force of civic pride,culture, and economic growth.. For well over a decade there has been a" buy local" food movement. Now it is time to support, advocate, and cultivate local Arts and Artists in your own communities. Every community needs a thriving public arts center and everyone needs the ARTS local. Art should be an intrinsic and proactive part of all of our lives.

Lauren and I will be starting a new feature on our BLOG called "ART Local." Were we will be highlighting local artists and art scenes in our surrounding areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles. I have already started an "ART local" FaceBook page in Los Angeles to feature the local art scene.

You to can also create your own "ART Local" movement. Lets us know about your own community " ART Local"movement-shoot us an Email us at artismoving@gmail.com


I will follow up shortly with a post about how this all began.

Image taken from Albany "Bulb"  an outdoor Guerilla art gallery, formally a landfill in the city of Albany, California

Experiment in Creativity #10 -Living an Inspired Life

Experiment in Creativity #10

Living an Inspired Life is a very simple experiment in creativity.

Is art and art making interwoven into your daily existence? As a professional artist, I think at times ~Art making gets separated from our daily lives. For example we set aside time to be in the studio or we look at are Art Making process as WORK.
In this experiment I would like you to explore Art making as a daily practice. In the same vein as doing Yoga or running everyday.

Here is my Experiment in Creativity:-Living an Inspired Life

• For the next fourteen days document capture something that inspires you. This can be through photography or any way you can imagine. This practice should take less a than ten minutes each day.
• And at the end of the fourteen days reflect on the body of work that you created and captured. Any reoccurring themes? Any Revelations? or Insights? 
• Then document your experience in your post!

I look forward to hearing about your process and revelation!
Do you think that Art making should  become a daily practice and or a habit in all our lives?
Happy Creating ~Lisa

Answer to Experiments in Creativity #9 - Do Something You've Never Done Before

Having moved to LA around four months ago there is a lot of things that I have never done before. The art scene here is pretty vast and there is so much to see, which is super cool for the art explorer. Last Saturday evening, I ventured up to the Getty Getty Center.

The game has begun. This is actually photo of the model of the Getty Center.

Both the Getty Center  in Los Angeles and Getty Villa  in Malibu are architecturally impressive. And they both are both free, which is so awesome. The only catch is that parking cost $15.00 and the only way you can get there is by car or public transportation. But on Saturday evening after 5:00 p.m. parking is  free.  So, we decided to take advantage of that opportunity.

Degas's Self Portrait

To get up the Getty Center you have to take a very efficient tram, that feels like your being transported into another word. 

The collection was very impressive and the galleries were really expansive. The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center in Los Angeles houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European and American photographs. For some reason with this genre, although appreciate it, I always and very quickly get over sensitized and go into a the museum trance overdose.

As we were on a search for some contemporary art,which meant the 17th century, we stumbled upon such a brilliant surprise. A free sketching gallery ! Set up with horses, drawing boards, paper, and tools. It was so cool to get shaken out my trance and to sit down and sketch in front of a masterpiece.  I loved it. I love that so many museum's have shifted into a more interactive mode. Even this very traditional museum. And ya know Art is Moving and our ARTcart is all over creating art for free! It is very exciting to witness this transformation in the Art World.

I plan on going to Getty Center again during the daylight. And it will be a total different experience. Also, they just put up an amazing exhibition: In Focus on Trees. "For millennia the tree has been a symbol of life. Celebrated by most ancient civilizations, the tree has stood for the center of the cosmos and the origin of creation. Represented throughout art and literature, trees feature in the earliest photographs from the 1840s as well as in contemporary works today." 

In my own personal work Tree Shrines  I explore my own reverence of trees.  I really do have an obssession with trees and look forward to exploring this show in the light. Thanks Lauren! this experiment was very simple but fun. And a great reminder that we all need to step out of our bubbles ever so often.

Exhibition Opportunities - Febraury

Hey folks,

Over the weekend I was finding some upcoming art shows to add to my list of "Apply to these" and thought I would put that list on the blog for anyone else out there interested in exhibiting some work.

CUE Art Foundation
Deadline: March 31, 2011
CUE Art Foundation is now accepting exhibition proposals that utilize the gallery space in a non-traditional manner, address a wider audience than the typical gallery-going public, and promote the activity of artists over the art object.
More Information: http://www.cueartfoundation.org/open_call.html 


FIGMENT Artist Minigolf: Call for Proposals
Deadline:  First deadline February 15, 2011
Over the past three summers, FIGMENT has worked with a number of artists and organizations to create a free, artist-designed Minigolf Course on Governors Island.
More information:  http://figmentproject.org/minigolf 

Art on the Streets
Deadline:  March 1, 2011
Outdoor Art Competition and Year long Exhibition
http://artonthestreets.com/

Dave Bown Projects
Deadline:  May 30, 2011  
This competition is open to all visual artists who are 18 years of age or older. All styles and media are eligible.
More Information:  http://davebownprojects.com/submissions.html


Prescott College Art Gallery
Deadline:  April 1, 2011
National Juried Printmaking Exhibit "The Line".
More Information:  www.prescott.edu/gallery

Brooklyn Artists Gym
Deadline:  February 14, 2011
The Brooklyn Artists Gym Gallery is seeking submissions for "Where the Heart is," an exhibition showing how artists explore the concept of HOME, whether real or imagined, transitional or stable, present or past, near or far.
More Information: http://www.brooklynartistsgym.com/brooklyn-art-events/show_applications/ 


7 Deadly Sins Art Exhibit
Deadline:  March 4, 2011
Sloth. Pride. Envy. Lust. Gluttony. Wrath. Greed. Long held as the seven deadly sins, we see evidence of their presence daily in Western Society. Some of these sins are even "celebrated" as virtues in modern society. This exhibit challenges artists for their interpretation of one, several, or all of these sins via the media of their choice.
More Information:  http://www.collegeart.org/opportunities/listing/5656/ 


Visual Arts Alliance
Deadline: February 26, 2011
Open to all US artists 18+. 2D or 3D works in any media, excluding video, performance and audio, 48” maximum dimension any direction including frame.
More Information:   http://www.visualartsalliance.org/prospectus/


There are many more opportunities out there, so go for it!  If you find some, send them our way artismoving (at!) gmail (dot!) com

Good luck!  Let us know if you get in!

Happy Imbolc! The Seeds have been Planted

Lauren and I at Art is Moving would like to welcome you all to February and its amazing potential !

Traditionally for me and my Celtic ancestry this is a time of celebration which is called Imbolc; it is a festival of the hearth and home, and a celebration of the lengthening days and the early signs of spring. It is a time of great renewal and new growth!!

Seeds: In January, Art is Moving has been planning and has planted some huge seeds. Lauren and I have both been really working hard with crazy amounts of energy and inspiration. We are really excited about the incredible potential and possibility that might manifest!! Just to fill you in a little bit, the extraordinary project that we are working on is an expansion of our ARTcart  and Art in Your Pocket As the sprouts emerge we will fill you with some uberly exiting details ASAP!

 Travel: We are on the road. In February, after a short break, we are back on our virtual  I am an Artist  road trip interview series across the United States.  It looks like our journey might be half way done. We are currently connecting with and interviewing Artists in Iowa and Minnesota. In March look for a series of awesome artist interviews from these two states.

Boundaries: Lauren and I have been expanding our own personal art boundaries with our latest project, Experiments in Creativity. Ideally, we really want other folks to also participate in these experiments. If  you are inspired and want to experiment in one of our creative recipes. Send us your results and we would love to post them.

Expansion: We are also looking for some inspiring and inventive Guest Bloggers!

Did you get a chance to read in January our Guest Blogger E. Marie Robertson , thought provoking work on the Artist in Society! If you are interested in submitting an article, there is a very simple Guest Blogger inquiry form on Art is Moving you can fill out and send to us.

What seeds have your planted in your creative life?  Any super cool projects you want to tell us about. Just shoot us an e-mail. artismoving@gmail.com

As always thanks for adding to the conversation!!