2013 The Art of Encouragement

Photo by Dawn Breeze

I am so elated to be exactly where I am and to be exactly who I am right now.  This very second on this first day of a new year!  I feel grateful, deeply grateful for the many new artistic opportunities that became possible in 2012.  Without question the highlight of the year was beginning my workshop series Creativity & Courage, the gift of my new beautiful art studio and the wonderful solo show at Mcdaris Fine Art in Hudson, NY. 

Leading my workshops is truly an indescribable joy.  I do not have words to describe the feelings I feel.  When I complete my classes I am "high" with love, excitement, joy and compassion towards all my students and their creative potential.  I feel quivery all over.  I have been trying to understand what this is?  What is happening in my classes?  What is happening to both me and my students?  I know my students feel similarly because they all keep signing up again and again.  In the rehab I have had two separate situations where people have extended their stay one extra day in order to be able to take my class one more time before discharge.  These people who love my class are not in any way stereotypical creative types.  In fact at the rehab my most enthusiastic students are also the most "brute" artistically.  So what is this?  I have an idea.....

Last week my class was on Courage and the Hero.  In preparation for class I was researching the definition of courage and the definition that most struck me was #2.

cour·age

[kur-ij, kuhr-] Show IPA

noun

1.

the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

2.

Obsolete . the heart as the source of emotion.

  

What I was most taken with was that definition #2 was an original definition of "Courage" and has now been deemed "Obsolete".  I disagree with it being obsolete.  I believe that courage is following the heart.  When I asked my students about their hero's many of them spoke of people who loved them, who they felt supported by....and then it struck me!  Their hero's had "encouraged" them!!!   The word "encouraged" became so large and powerful to me in this moment-"encourage" to fill someone with courage, ie. to love and help fufill someones hearts purpose.  I realized that is what is happening in my classes.  Me and my students are mutually encouraging our hearts purpose, which is simply to to be our authentic creative selves.  So my New Years resolution is "Encourage" in every possible way and my motto is the photo above. "With You I Can".   I love you all!  xoxoxoxoDawn

 

Creativity & Courage Workshops with Artist Dawn Breeze

Creativity & Courage The Origin of Becoming. New: Special Winter Workshop Series four classes $200.00 Creativity & Courage 1 January 12 Creativity & Courage 2 February 9 Creativity & Courage 3 March 9 Creativity & Courage 4 April 13 Each workshop will meet the second Saturday of the month from 2-5pm in Hudson, NY.  This series is for each of you that want to explore your unique creativity in a supported and mindful environment, to be challenged to experience and examine your relationship to your existing thoughts and perceptions, and allow new ideas to emerge in surprisingly delightful ways! Creativity & Courage to be Grateful Saturday January 19th from 2-5pm in Hudson, NY.  $75.00 including materials. A special one day workshop, the original foundation of all the Creativity & Courage workshops. May we begin the new year together with a refreshed sense of gratitude and wonder. For questions and to register email dawnbreezeart@gmail.com or call #917-622-5141 Through exposure to a variety of artistic and playful hands-on imaginative exercises, you will deepen your ability to express thoughts and feelings. Through your innate creativity you will discover new ways to problem solve, communicate and connect with both yourself and others. Previous workshops students have said: "I learned that I flourish in spaces of time devoted purely to creativity."-Nicole Smith Vidor, Life Coach "This is a wonderful workshop, there were many ways to access our own knowing.  I left feeling stronger and internally balanced."-Alison Fox, Artist, Educator "By taking time out of routine thinking and actions and by giving myself the time and space for creative exploration, I became present for deep insights to emerge that perhaps were always present, but not overheard above the more habitual thoughts."-Gianni Iacono, Chef "I just love the sessions. They make me happy. They make me grow in every way imaginable and they can make me cry at the beauty of life."-Tim Ebneth, Artist "Time I have spent in Dawns sessions are controlled, relaxing, encouraging and a bright spot in my week.  They have revived an interest which I left by the wayside long ago.  Because she is so well prepared and encouraging our workshops have momentum, camaraderie and introspection.  I recommend them highly!"-Melinda O'Brein, Mother To read more:  Creativity & Courage Workshop Series

Working on it, art in progress 12/7/12

I am happily working on a bunch of new work in the studio...after getting my hands wet and making acquaintances with my fear and self-criticism.  I realized that all I have to do is keep doing.  The fear just wanted me to "STOP BE SAFE!!!" after one new work.  I didn't follow the instructions and instead showed up the next day and started another one and now after working on more pieces, what felt like a crazy loner piece now has become the beginning of a new body of exciting work that I courageously stand behind and will continue to open up to.  Sounds simple.

Artfull-ness and vulnerability

Beginning of an installation/performance/interactive art project "1 in a 100 million-gazillion"

And so I begin somewhere over and over again...how many beginnings there are.  Both of these (Excuse my not so great pictures, my camera is broken!) pieces are beginning to become something, a part of the whole unmet and unseen picture...

These last months have been all about creating my classes and workshops and my energy and creative process has been fully devoted to their successful development.  I am truly proud to say that they are very successful!

Starting last week I noticed that I no longer felt anxious and I also feel enough emotional space and energy to approach my own personal art, and so I begin again.  I know it may be cliche sounding at this point but I am continually shocked by the magnitude of fear and doubt that I am met with when I begin my work.  I really hear myself saying "You really are not an artist"  "What is this shit you are making" "You don't even know what your making because it's nothing and total nonsense to be sitting here hitting clay for hours when you could be doing something else helpful"....there is more where that comes from...after two days of long studio hours and no "good" quantifiable results I did not want to go back yesterday.  So I didn't, instead I played hookie with a friend and was very aware of my resistance.  I, probably like you, don't want to look stupid and make unlikable work and so I naturally don't want to face those chances and by being away from the studio and not creating I am much safer and less whole.  The costs end up being high either way...risk the pain of being inauthentic and denying my creative impulses or risk not being understood, unliked, etc. 

I am going to embrace vulnerability like a life vest and jump in.  Begin again and again and again.....and so I expose to you my guts and somehow this helps me.  Somehow telling on myself feels like medicine.  Somehow I will go to the studio tomorrow and I will begin again.

One last side note.  I love my job as a teacher and facilitator of creativity.  I LOVE IT  and I LOVE ALL OF MY STUDENTS.  I LOVE IT SO BAD!!!!!!!  and I LOVE YOU SO BAD!!!!  Thank you and good night.

Dying To Open

Dying To Open

72" x 60"

Acrylic, Cement, Beads, Cloth, Flowers

A day that doesn't happen often

I have created a new installation that is currently available to observe at the Germantown Nature Conservancy in upstate NY.

I have been envisioning this piece in various forms at this location for over a year but yesterday the pieces all came together and just like the year-I leaped in to action.  I am pleased.  This Video is from my walk today.

I am waiting for the title to become clear and in fact I don't have much to say about what the piece is exactly.  Its five "dress-up" dresses half-way hanging on a clothing line and half-way underground (or buried) in a spacious hidden field.  The strange part for me is that it makes sense without having the defintion of what that sense is. 

2/28/12

2/29/12

Me & my helper

Starching the Victor Costa to be hung to dry

I am excited to watch this piece these next couple days.

Today.....

Today I....

Girl Dolls

"For surely it is time that the effect of discouragement upon the mind of the artist should be measured, as I have seen a dairy company measure the effect of ordinary milk and Grade A milk upon the body of the rat.  They set two rats in cages side by side, and of the two one was furtive, timid and small, and the other was glossy, bold and big.  Now what food do we feed women as artists upon?"-Virginia Wolf

I found some precious treasures at the thrift store the other day, a pile of antique broken and aged dolls lying tucked away in the backroom on the shelf.  My heart skipped a beat and I thought to myself they must be saving these for something really special.  I asked if they were going to be for sale and how much they might be.  The woman said:  "Oh those, yeah those are really good for nothing I was just saving them for my son because maybe he could make art with them.  That's about all they might be good for."  Happily she sold them to me for a couple bucks and I felt like I had won the lottery.

Now a couple more days have passed and the remark has stuck.  I wonder why do I think of these beautifully worn and aged dolls as precious and art in their current form. While others think of them as garbage, but even more worthy of consideration is why is art only one smidgeon above garbage on the the value ladder?

I could argue why a doll holds artistic beauty and purpose, a beauty created by the maker and infused with love by the beholder, but does one need to argue the obvious?  What's less obvious that needs arguing is the devaluing of feminine interests and artists as a whole in our capitalist society.

This week I read 'A Room Of One's Own' by Virginia Woolf.  This essay is incredible.  There are so many highlighted pages to return to in my little copy.  I think what spoke the clearest to me was that in order for art to have integrity, it must emerge from an incandecent mind, free from bitterness or desires unfounded.  I couldn't agree more; but she goes on to illustrate that for women the ability to be free of these woes is near to impossible considering our history and position in society, again this rings true to me.  I admit that until I had my son I didn't consider what the differences may be between myself and a man, but for the last three years I have grappled with them.   I often find myself angry and bitter and conflicted as a woman, mother and artist.  How do we do it?  How do I do it?  How can I move beyond anger at never having enough alone space to create or being provided for financially to make art?  I do not have answers, but despite it all, there is a flicker to create that has not been snuffed.  This flicker is a determined brave naivete,  I am so grateful that my soul is strong enough to respond to the constant devaluation as an artist not by giving up or fighting but instead by acknowledging the abundance of beauty that is freely available to me every moment, as I am: a woman, mother and artist.

PS. I LOVE MY NEW DOLLS