It has been an exciting and demanding few weeks creating and seeking opportunities for India!
I love working with children and young ones one-on-one and sharing my passion for creativity and design. Ever since I was a child I have really enjoyed being a part of days or afternoons of artistic activity; learning new things with other people and sharing and interacting while doing so is really cool, and worthwhile. Ya see, itโs not just about what you are doing, itโs about what you are feeling, talking about with others, sharing and experiencing. Itโs about meeting people who challenge you, itโs about meeting people you admire, itโs about seeing things done different ways and itโs about p.l.a.y. โengaging in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purposeโ. Invention, ingenuity and creativity comes from doing things differently, and that doesnโt come too well if itโs panicked about an end game (that can tick along in the sidelines and come back in later).
“A lot of people forget how important it is to be creative. We get caught up in getting ahead and in day-to-day minutiae. But creativity is a fundamental mode of expression, as is being tenacious and standing by your own convictions and passions, even if itโs not the โpopularโ choice.”
Sitting solitary at a computer or device can teach and impart many things, but it lacks a personal touch and it only gives one thing- it doesnโt share on more than one platform.
Those of you who follow my blog or writing will be well aware of my love of spectrums, juxtapositions and qualities. In this life, there are many, many ways to do the same thing, but they can be greatly varied in the beneficial attributes that each way has. I like doing things that hit many bases. I seek things that help others, help me, do things differently, have challenge, are unusual and have the capacity for exploration both mental and physical.
Hereโs a relevant comparison for you of what I mean:
Learning how to paint on an IPad.
ease of access; linear engagement
no need to leave the house, no challenge to find new location
only buy/ collect the media for that job- no access to other materials
limited meetings with other people and having to interact and communicate
it's very stop start & interrupted making- flicking back and forth between things
relatively low stress/ challenge/ competition with others
no time limit
accessable 24/7 and often free
relatively static/ low impact physically
opportunity for daydream away from the topic
itโs only one way- no group brainstorm that leads onto other things
there is no-one to talk to- one cook in the idea kitchen
less instigation of creativity sparked from peripheral situations/ exposure to additional things
experience isn't stored in long term memory- no โkapowโ factor
there is no motivation to ask questions, dispute the learning method or see other ways of doing the same thing
there are no bloopers
when mistakes happen itโs easy to walk away
Learning how to paint in a workshop over two days with other people in a different environment, culture and language.
all the challenges involved in travel for those attending- new culture and societal structure
new city to navigate and find bearings- absolutely necessary to push oneself to interact, talk with others- the journey is just (if not more) important than the course!
required to look after yourself and those around you in order to get where you need to go- personal challenge
person may be challenged to have to lead or take a role they otherwise would not do in โnormalโ surroundings- group challenge
movement
more high impact = less time to worry about other small things
sharing one personโs cultural ways of doing things with anotherโs
exposing the new culture to a different looking person and attributes
new communication techniques, languages and gestures- gettin creative with the basics!
stripping away fearโs related to external appearance or impressions- people see when spending time together we are all deep down the same stuff with the same basic needs and concerns
individual confrontation of prejudice, fear, unfamiliarity, anxiety
group dynamics- helping weakest/ challenged members, supporting domineering or controlling members to be better team players
organically letting the development flow and introducing new concepts/ techniques in relation to this- lots of cooks in the ideaโs kitchen!
lots of different people to talk to who share a common interest, and being made to by necessity
learning how do do something new, liberating and fun- instigates a higher level of creativity
humour, play and enjoyment
lets re-write that one: play and enjoyment. These are ESSENTIAL building blocks in helping someone learn, retain information long term and instigate changes for the better
ya canโt just shimmy out and walk away as easy
if it โflopsโ there is a person there to help
the feeling of belonging, being part of building something bigger than just yourself and making real friendships- this. is. huge.
sharing a little hope and joy to those less fortunate or being shown there is help available and other people care- that IPad doesn't hug and touch
create positive long-term memories for a person to draw upon- 'kapow' factor!
imparting passion- that feeling good and having fun lives within us and in cooperation; by reaching out a person can learn they already have all the skills within them to make things better and improve their heath and surroundings. Positive impact starts with personal responsibility.
con.fi.dence and increased feelings of self worth and value
engaged creativity- it's all the peripheral stuff that additionally feeds this machine
What we have in our heads, is far more sophisticated than anything we can can put in our hands or laps ;)
Sooo because I love doing what I do and want to maximise every avenue available in order to share these gifts while I am away, I have done the following:
Iโve approached the Wellington India Association with the invitation to explore connecting me with their contacts in India to set up an artistic connection between Wellington and cities abroad. I offer organised workshops sharing my knowledge and artistic skills with the local community and the opportunity to be a part of my next exhibition. This will be work inspired and possibly partially created in India.
I have introduced myself and offered my time, resources and skills to the following galleries for workshops, cultural exchange and interaction while in India:
CLICK on this map if you would like to see where I am going, and follow the updates as I add to it
Kiriti Gallery- Varanasi
India Art- Pune
Aakriti Art Gallery- New Delhi
I have investigated opportunities through MFAT for new business and cultural relationships between India and New Zealand and how my experience and skills could help construct a new cultural link between both nations. India is advertised as a country high on their priority list to network with and nurture new connections.
I have personally reconnected with people who have expressed interest in this new adventure through existing contacts and by getting out there and making new ones; and have met with those who have wanted to extend their support either financially, through connections or emotionally. That last one being just as important than the first two!
Most wonderfully, I have made new friends and reconnected with people I have met previously on my travels from around the world who are interested and excited to meet up with me in India and share in the incredible things I am going to create and develop while there. These fantastic souls are musicians, entrepreneurs, people invested and working within their community, designers and artists. I am incredibly excited to have the good fortune to have people to meet while in a new country.
But hey, lets get real nitty-gritty eh, for most people it comes down to this, โwhatโs in it for me if I help fund your endeavour?โ.
Iโm going to be frank with you- people who help me do so from the goodness of their heart, and because they like what I create. What is the value of me and my skills in a world based around profit? What is the merit of a person who sees value in things that others disregard? What is the value to the people I encounter, help and spend my time with?
If you read the post Moxie .:โ:. I.N.D.I.A recently (later than published) you may have seen I added in information about bigger projects I am working on which have a greater social and community impact than my creations. These trips, these adventures arenโt me just doing art. India is one of the oldest civilisations on the planet and like Japan, I believe there are valuable things to learn from those who have been doing things longer than others. A culture with this much background is a wealth of ideas to draw from- their empires have been built and destroyed many times over- they have developed and gone through commercialisation many more times than the rest of the world- are they not our future? Is India not what we will be, not what we were?
'Sooo' you ask, 'you haven't answered the question, what do I get?' You get to be associated long-term to a genuine, honest, talented woman who has a bigger and better picture for how we do things and how to help keep each other healthy, and come hell or high water is going to do something about it. You get my time, you receive my respect, you have an honest friendship not built on your wallet but of a true debt that I owe you as a human- you need a hand, Iโm there- you have access to a wealth of skills and knowledge- lets talk about how we can help each other; and, if you find yourself drawn to a creation of mine- a wonderful unique artwork. This isnโt everyones thing- if you want a association to the 'art world', galleries and the lifestyle that entails Iโm not your woman. But if you can see a bigger picture with me and are curious to seeing how Iโm going to pan out and want to be part of it; if you trust me to follow through with what I say, if you see I am genuine in my activity to help others and subsequently work on the ideas I have to build & change things, then you my friend are the type of person Iโd like to talk to.
“One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity. ”
Don't take me for granted- I'm more than what you may expect. Be creative, take a risk, look a little closer...