Creative Self-Care

When I searched for ideas to reduce my stress and anxiety, I found tons of information on the importance of creativity. Articles in ScienceDirect, Psychology Today, MQ Mental Health Research, and other journals all say the same thing—the arts play a huge role in our mental and physical well being. Each article discusses how scientific research shows that […]

Dance

“Everybody is a dancer. Everyone can dance.” This is what Elizabeth Wartluft said to me in a recent conversation. Elizabeth is my yoga and tango instructor, and she has dedicated the last forty years to teaching the art of movement, mostly in dance. While she admitted to me that she doubts her own creativity as an artist (even she has an […]

It begins with a conversation

Last month, when I spoke with silk artist Diane Fredgant, I asked how she starts a commissioned art project. “It begins with a conversation,” she said. People engage Diane to create designs for the milestones in their lives. Often she is asked to create a tallit (prayer shawl) for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, but people […]

Traveller’s Eyes

Diane is not the only artist to begin a project by changing perspective to see deeper. So does Jess Walter, the award-winning author who delivered the closing keynote at the Willamette Writers Conference earlier this month. Prior to the conference, I had the good fortune to interview him for the Willamette Writers blog. He told me […]

Quiet Space

Since speaking with both Jess Walter and Diane Fredgant, I’ve thought a lot about the how changing my perspective impacts my own creativity.  When I write stories, I like to delve deep into my characters and understand their reactions to people, places, and predicaments. Sometimes, though, I realize that I don’t truly grasp their motivations […]

It Was Magic

Recently, I talked with silk artist Diane Fredgant about art and creativity. In our conversation, I learned that Diane didn’t start as a fabric artist, nor did she seek to become a silk artist. It was as if the medium found her. Diane began her creative endeavors as a sculptor, working in stone and wood. She also earned a […]

Deemed Decorative

I call Diane a silk artist, though she admitted to me that she didn’t always see herself as an artist.  “I went between thinking that I’m a craft person and an artist,” she said. “But I got to that point where I can say I’m an artist.” “Is that because some of the things you […]

Art Evokes Emotion

When Diane and I talked about what gives art meaning, she spoke about the intention and heart behind a piece of artwork. “It’s something that evokes an emotion,” she said. “It doesn’t smack you in the face but pulls an emotion out of you. You look at it, and you feel something.” Over ten years […]

It Takes Two

As a dancer, I’ve always known that it takes two to tango. But recently, I’ve been thinking that all creative endeavors need two—the writer and the reader, the artist and the viewer, the musician and the listener, and even the cook and the diner. When two people dance tango, they create and experience each other’s […]

Sharing Scares Me

When I tango, I know how the dance feels for me, but I never know how my partner experiences it. That uncertainty makes me uncomfortable. Yet if I want to dance, I have to put myself out there and connect with a partner. It’s the same with writing. I know what the creative experience means […]