art
Artistic, musical, creative, and entertaining topics in Longevity's health and wellness sphere.
My Turn
Art has always been important in my life. The smell of turpentine drifted from my father's studio (which he had built bigger than the total of the rest of the house). My first memories were filled with fruit I couldn't eat because they were arranged on the table for a still life my dad was painting. I watched fascinated at three as he painted his self-portrait with three strategically placed mirrors.
By Yvonne Barnard 5 years ago in Longevity
How Scissors Spiraled Round and Round to Reinvent Myself in Retirement
How Scissors Spiraled Round and Round to Reinvent Myself in Retirement By Mary Longe It occurs to me that I have never knowingly thrown out a pair of scissors. Not that I can promise that I have every pair I ever owned, but I am confident that if I dug deep enough in my shoe boxes and bins of craft supplies, I would find a pair of round-nose scissors caked with school paste and unable to cut the thinnest paper. I know for sure that if I open my sewing box, the tiny drawer on my Singer, my drawer of kitchen utensils, and my bin of collage cutting implements that I will find one, maybe two pairs of scissors of different types and sizes in each…. Most, but not all, free of glue, especially today.
By Mary Longe5 years ago in Longevity
Zentangle
About 10 years ago my sister introduced me to this new craft that she had just taken a class in, it was called Zentangle which is the art of doodling, mindfully. I had no prior experience with any form of drawing or creative art, I sat down tried it a few times then put it aside. I liked it, I was interested, just unsure that I had any talent, not particularly happy with my results. For a couple of years I would find the small kit she had put together for me and think that I should try this again. But I didn’t. I would put the little plastic baggy containing a couple of Zentangle tiles, a Sakura micron pen with a 01 point, a tiny short pencil with the words Zentangle inscribed in it, a slim tortilion or smudging stick and a white eraser, back in the junk drawer out of sight, out of mind.
By Shelley Dewar5 years ago in Longevity
Outlet, In.
When people ask, 'what do you do?', It often generates this default response of a job they don't really enjoy. It's a sad thing really, when you ask someone this question, hoping to see their eyes light up with excitement and feel their energy pick up, and all you get is a reluctant, bland, unintrigued, rehearsed, and oppressed response.
By Priscilla Boot5 years ago in Longevity
How Creativity Helped Heal Breast Cancer
I was just getting through the psychological shock that a breast cancer diagnosis plunges you into when I decided to dive head first into the three therapies I would employ to get through this incredibly difficult experience.
By Mica Gadhia5 years ago in Longevity
Transforming The World, One Bowl At A Time
When I was about 14 years old, I had become grossly consumed with making ornate-looking bowls out of week-old newspapers. Unlike the old newspapers that my grandfather would save for the scrap collector, who would buy bundles in exchange for some petty cash, these bowls would serve little practical purpose around the house. They were fragile - would bend or break at the slightest of involuntarily strains - meaning they had to be discarded almost immediately after being put into use. Reconciling with this loss was quite hard for me since I would toil for hours to perfectly craft the seemingly meaningless bowls. My mother - almost in response to the predicament my bowls faced - started storing and displaying these creations on a higher shelf in the living room to keep them safe.
By Sheen Darbari5 years ago in Longevity
Lots of Knots
Although I've always loved to get down on any sort of craft session, I recently took up the art of macramé (hippie power) as a way to deal with my trichotillomania. For those who don’t know, "trich" is a body focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) which means that I pull out my hair when I'm stressed or anxious. It’s actually very common and is akin to skin picking and nail biting. If you pay close attention, I'd be willing to bet that someone you personally know deals with this disorder in some way. It's pretty hard for a lot of us to talk about it because we are usually riddled with shame or embarrassment. But really, aren't we all embarrassed about something? I know it took me years before I was able to openly share my struggles with anyone.
By Kali Hodges5 years ago in Longevity
A new creative outlet
I have multiple hobbies in my life. Reading, of course as a library supervisor, books and reading are very important. I adopted my first dog at age 19 and began training her so dog training became part of my life. I learned to sew from my Mom and in college sewed all of my own clothes. My Dad taught me woodworking and one year I made my Mom a corner curio cabinet for Christmas. I came to drawing and painting when I was in my late 20s. I loved the idea of creating beautiful pictures. I started with simple graphite pencil and moved to colored pencil and then watercolor pencil drawings. Since I love dogs often my creations are of my dogs, or my friends' dogs. I expanded to flowers and I have even tried my hand at people and did a portrait of a friend's child.
By Marcy Graybill5 years ago in Longevity
Art is my Therapy
When the paint brush is in my right hand, moving down for a stroke of paint off my wooden palette, with a blank canvas in front of me is where I feel I most belong. Art is my therapy, it brings my mind to ease, and fills my heart with joy. I love to express my feelings through my artwork and to draw about things that are important to me. Art challenges me to access the deepest roots of my creativity. I enjoy adding lots of bright colors to make the artwork really pop and mix matching light and dark shades for contrast. I love to see the smiles on my friends and family’s faces when I gift them with artwork. Art is something so meaningful, I leave parts of myself in every piece that I create, it is the perfect gift.
By Vanessa Marin5 years ago in Longevity
Showcasing the Artistic Talent of Jess Girardo
Jess Girardo asked me to hold her in the Light tonight. I’m not terribly great at that kind of thing. I can meditate, but I am more of an activist, a motivator of sorts. I believe in the whole "move a muscle, change a thought" philosophy. Jess Girardo embodies this fully, even with the limitations of her body due to Scleroderma, a degenerative disorder involving the hardening of the connective tissue, resulting in a hardening of the skin. This has necessitated multiple surgeries for Jess, with no let up in sight. She has a team of 20 doctors, and speaks often of her progress and obstacles on Twitter, where I made her acquaintance.
By Diane Bancroft5 years ago in Longevity
