Kisses From Your Burning Artist Inside

Is there a budding artist inside you? Or perhaps you're a dancer waiting for a chance to move? Could you be an actor looking to be noticed? Could you offer a sculpture waiting to appear from within you? Or, perhaps you aspire to be a costume designer looking for a way to design in your own unique way? Is there a person inside you running counter-culture to the person you're being and living on a daily basis, who needs to be let loose? Perhaps, you are a rebel with or without a cause?

Perhaps you can make this coming week your personal time to give this "other" you an opportunity to breath and live. Or, perhaps, this is the real you who simply finds a home in this culture labeled by the "mainstream" as "counter-culture". Whichever it is, this is an opportunity for you to be your own "artsy" self, at Burning Man:


(Video entitled "Kisses From The Playa, from 2007 Burning Man)

Burning Man -- the annual event held in the desert where people become the artists, dancers, lovers, and creative sorts -- offers you an opportunity to embrace these aspects of your own artist self.

This year's Burning Man theme, as described from the Burning Man Website, is an evaluation and exploration of the American Dream:

In 2008, leave narrow and exclusive ideologies at home and carefully consider your immediate experience. What has America achieved that you admire? What has it done or failed to do that fills you with dismay? What is laudable? What is ludicrous? Put blame aside, let humor thrive, and dare to contemplate a larger question: What can America contribute to the world?

Whether you go to burning man or not, why not make this a week where you embrace art, dance, freedom, peace, love, and hope for a connected humanity without barriers. Evaluate the American Dream in your own way and see if you can find the art inside you:

Why not release your inner "Pyromaniac" (safely, of course) and make a sculpture, paint something on a canvas, design a new costume, write a poem, sing a song, burn something, and dance to the beat of your own drum!


(Video entitled "Burning Man Short Film, from 2006 Burning Man)

Editor's Note: I'll be playing my sax with my band, BODY, and getting my own ya-ya's out. Maybe I'll even sing a new song entitled "American Dream" at Mr. Rick's in Avila Beach this Saturday night! Maybe I'll light something on fire, too. Kudos to my friend, Lacye-Loo, who is going to Burning Man in 2008 and inspired this post.
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How Creative Are You Living?

Are you tapping into your deepest creativity?
Many people don't. But, we ALL have an artist within us...

Do you have skills with paint? Music? Photography? Dance?

There are so many ways to be creative. For example, even if you're known to be a song-writer, musician, and singer, you can get "outside-the-box" and open up to even deeper levels of creativity.

As an example of getting outside of expectations, take David Byrne. Byrne led the music band Talking Heads for over two decades. The band had many hits, including "Take Me To The River", "Burning Down The House", and more.

Recently, I discovered this video about Byrne wiring up a building and playing the building. I believe it was an old building in New York City.

Check it out:



My point is this: no matter what you do or where you've been, you can embrace and find NEW ways of being artful. Ask yourself "What have I always wanted to do to EXPRESS MYSELF?" Then follow that path!
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Creative Ways To Grow

Are you feeling stagnated, bored, or otherwise like your life might need a jump-start? This concern can occur from time-to-time. When it does, I find that embracing creative ways to grow can initiate new excitement, growth, and ventures that will lead to future success.

An excellent way to get your life-force flowing again is to unleash the creative being within you.

Here are a few ways you might consider utilizing creative ways to grow over the next month:

1. Write a poem. When was the last time you wrote a poem? Poetry is an expression almost anyone can attempt, and you might be surprised at who will be touched by your poems. Share them with others, and focus on conveying the EMOTIONS, IDEAS, and IMAGES you wish people to picture or feel through your words.

2. Write a song. If you're a musician, you can write a song. Actually, even if you ARE NOT a musician, you can still write a song. Can you sing? Can you hum notes out loud? Well, then you can write a song. That's how I write 30% of the songs I write! Yeah, I'm a musician, but still, if I can do it, so can many other people. All songs, just as poems, stories, paintings, or other creative things, start with an initial idea or stroke of the voice, pen, or brush.

3. Paint something. Get some water colors or acrylic paints and a canvas and play with matching paints. You can go to the bookstore and read a couple of books about how to blend colors and strokes to learn how to "brush-stroke" what you want to convey. I had tons of fun playing with paints just a year ago at a friend's art gallery. You'd be surprised what comes out when you put paint on a canvass.

4. Try thinking of a new way of doing what you already do now. This creative gift can be done in ANY profession. Even the professions that are not known for being particularly "creative" such as accounting, legal practice, or dentistry can find new ways of doing routine tasks and perhaps discover a "breakthrough" in practice. Perhaps try a new way to write something, or change a process to add an extra element of customer service, operational efficiency, or more clarity in our job functions. Even these subtle changes in our work-flow can lead to more creativity and open new doors to success.

5. Play an instrument. For me, this is natural. I play the saxophone, tambourine, shakers, piano, and I've been learning the bass guitar and bongo drums. I've been going out every time someone invites me to play and just trying to "feel" their vibe and play in a way that blends with the other musicians. Even if you're not that accomplished, it can be fun to pick up an instrument, put on a CD or song on the radio, and try to pick out a "part" by another instrument and play along. This is the way I trained my ear to be able to play live and spontaneously, so I know anyone else can do it, too.

6. Dance a new dance. I've been totally enjoying Salsa Dancing lately. If you've always had a desire to be a better lead or follow, why not sign up for a class or two? What I've noticed is that you have to keep going to get good at it. It wasn't until after about 12 lessons that I felt competent enough to get out on the dance floor without feeling insecure, so when you engage in a new dance, commit to a few months, okay? It's worth the commitment and totally fun when you start dancing better!

7. Move in new ways. Have you explored the ways your body can move? Natural body movement is something we sometimes forget is a gift of the human experience. When you feel pain, it may be a sign that development of muscle is needed. Or, if you feel a part of your body, and respond to that, you may find new creative ways to express yourself. This type of movement is exemplified in Yoga, Meditation, and other holistic movement. Another way to be creative with movement is to try talking more with your hands and use physical gestures to say what you mean when talking with other people. If you're used to communicating just with words and tone, use your whole body to say things and see if people understand you better and if you become more dynamic!

8. Design a more creative space for your living or work space. Sometimes, it can inspire creativity to simply change how we're working. Maybe by moving (or getting rid of) a desk, a cabinet, a printer, computer, or other art around on the wall we can find new ways of expressing our living and work space to inspire more creativity. I remember at Google's headquarters, where they had beanbag chairs and lava lamps in their lobby to express their creativity. It definitely felt different than HP's headquarters! Mix it up and see if this inspires you to new ideas.

I'm sure you'll get a few more ways to be creative as you start to implement an idea or two off of this list. I've actually implemented about half of these in the past month and find all kinds of spark for new ideas and creativity occurring in my life. Embracing your creativity is a natural way to challenge yourself, build upon your foundation, break away from convention, and establish new paths towards an exciting future. Enjoy the journey!
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