I'm reading a book titled "The Artist's Way" which boils down to a cognitive behavioral approach to unleashing inner creativity. So far I've written 750 words a day known as "morning pages", made a list of heroes and monsters who either fueled or stifled my creativity and turned creatively negative thoughts into factual statements. And it has only been a week.
The challenge for me is the task of taking an artist's date each week. Ideas range from visiting a museum to making your own collage using children's scissors. People take creative bubble baths (??), take photographic montages and use a lot of glitter.
I'm being somewhat facetious because it is an awkward challenge. I don't like art very much and I can discount 90% of the suggestions I receive as silly or awkward without much thought.
The point is to make time for art and creativity on a date with yourself at least once per week. No time limit, no parameters except that you do it by yourself and you actually try.
I got stuck this week. I intended to go to West Park and look at the statues, but time got away from me and I had to improvise. I don't like to give up.
Sooooo .... I'm stting at Amani International Coffeehouse and Cafe and realize there is an array of artwork on the walls. I get up, stretch and begin to look at it. There's a set of tiles with photos emblazoned on them, titled "Wanderlust" There's a beautiful piece called "Cosmic Butterfly" that does make me think of painting paper buttlerflies when I was a child. Suddenly, I remember that I used to doodle butterflies and can't remember the last time I did that. The paper butterflies were held together with red yarn. I can't remember where we made them -- camp? summer program? school? -- but they were bright and pretty.
In the front, there is a series of photos that appear to be shots of a coffee farm family. I took a peek into the new meeting space and saw the beginning of a series of black stars mounted on the wall. What could that mean?
So my artist's date was abbreviated, but nice. I typically don't notice coffeehouse art because I don't like art. I come to coffeehouses for socialization and blogging purposes. I don't like art.
Except butterflies.
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