ArtDoula tip of the week: Take Your Power Back

When Cybil announced the topic of this NECTAR installment -  NECTAR: Golden, featuring Santa Barbara's non-profit the Friendship Center, I committed to participating without really knowing what I'd do.

When one sets an intention - watch out world!

When ArtBark Collaborator and Co-Creator, Joanna Nobbe was here in town recently (she lives in NY) we managed to bring to fruition something I've been wanting to do for a number of years based on the concept of painting my wrinkles red.  A way of exploring the concept of aging and how it is I feel about that.   The exploration resulted in a short video called "Paint My Wrinkles Red".   I thought - aha! perfect for NECTAR: Golden.

 Joanna set a simple score for a performance art event based on our exploration in the garden and it was our intent to share it for NECTAR. 

Anyone else live the type of creative life where they set out with one intention, but the origin of creative energy seems to have another idea?  To make a very long story short, it came down to the final hour, and something totally different was forced to emerge.

This work, involves a first for me.

No dancing or movement art & I speak.

ME? SPEAK? ONSTAGE?

In counting years, it has been 37 since I've spoken onstage.

A long time ago, an acting teacher conveyed to me that although he thought I had ability, that I was too short to consider a career in acting and I found myself with my face painted white, in the mime troupe, silent - and although I've set works on others that incorporates text, I haven't spoken.  Well - there was Ranunculus - but I made sound effects, nothing intelligible...

Forced by an incredibly tight timeline what developed for this installment of NECTAR is a piece that is a goofy, quickly drafted skit

Me?

Talking in a performance?  Creating the work the same day as the tech?  Preposterous, unheard of, ballsy . . . but so what, you only go through this incarnation as who you are once on the carousel of life.

Taking my power back I suppose.  So yes, I need cheerleaders and hand holders and give thanks already to E. Bonnie Lewis for making time in her busy schedule to give this a jump start and give me a complimentary Drama Dogs coaching session and huge thanks to the support of the NECTAR community that was present for our "tech" run. 

So - now for the intentional part of the post.

I've been playing with the idea of "intentional posting" on Facebook and questioning why I share information that I do.  Is it an addictive impulse, or is there some other reason.


In thinking over the impulse to post this information I realize that it has something to do with taking one's power back - and, on some level, I want cheerleaders to hold my hand and encourage me to do something really scary and on the other hand I hope doing this little exercise will inspire others to take their power back as well.



I like to inspire others, I like to be of service to others, I like to help others find happiness, freedom and joy.

Do you have something in life that you once upon a time loved to do?   Was there something said to you, or was there some experience that shut you down?  That closed a door?

Well - I'm no Sarah Bernhardt or Shirley Temple or Meryl Streep, but this is something I once had a lot of fun doing, acting, and doing something just because it makes you happy - well, that's reason enough!

So, as a species, let's get more happy!

Take your power back!  Start up again at something that once brought you great happiness!

Shoot me an email @ weloveartbar@gmail.com if you find yourself in need of a cheerleader in the process of taking your power back in some creative part of your life.  Tell me what you're up to and I'll give what support I can!    Better yet, become a part of our interactive ArtBark community and post a pic or bit of writing or link to a video of you taking your power back on our facebook page

Love & light to you!

Misa
ArtBark Co-Creator and Collaborator

R A W M A T T E R S: ADaPT Fest Vienna

 

Not 100% sure that this is the route we are taking - but this is what seems to be emerging!

Stephen and I both had the image of the SB-ADaPT Festival not necessarily always taking place in Santa Barbara.  Regina Picker invited us to Vienna this summer to share work and invited Raw Matters to be a part of the promotion/organization process.  When thinking of titles they suggested Raw Matters: ADapt to refer to the festival where Regina connected with us.  In that the event is kin to the SB-ADaPT 2011 Festival, I thought - why not!  Let's do it to it!  Shape it like a Festival. 

Working on the promotional bits right now.  Carving out a website, creating a video trailer for ArtBark, creating a video trailer of the visual art I'll be sharing.  Super cool!  In the theater there will be 50% Austrian artists and 50% from other countries (ArtBark and Dance Entropy.)   In the gallery portion I'll be hanging a show.  The work Joanna and I created for this tour, Unzipped, is related to life drawing and we're thinking of installing it there.  We'll also be doing some Guerrilla style street art . . . so, it is shaping up nicely.


Not as HUMONGOUS as 2011 and thankful for that!

The one constant in life: change

photo by Sue Bell

The one constant in life is change.

Embarking on a new adventure.

SonneBlauma Danscz Theatre sheds its petals, the stalk has withered, fall is gone and seeds have scattered far and wide.

We're embracing change beginning with a new name and a simplified mission.

As the sunflower reincarnates as a salty, howling - and hopefully somewhat artistic - dog, ArtBark represents the unceasing hunt for new fields, new scents, easy puns, and an easier name to spell. With a mission to spread love and light through the power of creative expression, one thing is sure to remain the same – our commitment to being the change we wish to see in the world & to place a strong value on relationship, communication, and building community.

Founding Collaborators:  The Kellys (Misa and Stephen) and Mojca Majcen

Up next?

Performances in Vienna come July.  Hosting a New York/Santa Barbara choreographic exchange in collaboration with NECTAR October 20th, a New York/Los Angeles choreogrpahic exchange at ARC Pasedena October 21st, looking ahead to 2013.